Job title: Technical Officer

Salary: SO2 £37,280 - £39,152

Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Location: Seacroft Ring Road Depot

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As a technical officer, you will bring to the role:

Strong knowledge of landlord’s responsibilities in relation to repairs & maintenance.
Strong knowledge of building defects / construction/ Building Maintenance techniques.
Able to use a range of standard surveying equipment to enable accurate diagnosis of damp related defects.
Ability to diagnose and develop solutions to technical repair problems including damp related issues.
Experience of working jointly with staff and contractors from different teams/organisations in order to achieve common goals.

About the role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a forward- thinking, motivated, and hardworking individual to join the Asset Management team.

The post holder will hold the position of Technical Officer within the Asset Management division. The position will be responsible for undertaking inspections to council assets in order to identify, diagnose, and develop solutions to building related issues in-line with internal policies and procedures. Technical advice and support will need to be given to frontline delivery teams and assist in monitoring the appropriateness of works ordered.

We are looking for someone who will ensure that high levels of efficiency, cost effectiveness and quality is achieved within an agreed budget, whilst ensuring maximum performance in accordance with the targets, standards, and policies of the Council. The role will require you to work closely with internal teams to ensure that repair matters are managed effectively and therefore mitigating any risk to the Council.

The role will involve conducting site-based visits, a high degree of customer interaction and face to face contact with tenants, elected members, contractors, and colleagues across the Council. It should be noted that the demands of a customer facing asset management service are high and therefore the role requires a high degree of flexibility to meet the ever-changing priorities of the service.

The team are currently based at LBS Seacroft Depot, Leeds, however these arrangements may change in the future, and candidates should be aware that they will be contracted to work in any location within the Leeds City Council geographical area. This is a challenging but rewarding role and an exciting opportunity for someone that is looking to develop their career.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidancefor further advice on completing your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact email Mark.johnson@leeds.gov.uk .

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

job Purpose

Undertake inspections to council assets in order to collect asset related information, determine stock condition and identify, diagnose, and develop solutions to building related issues in-line with internal policies and procedures.

Raise orders & develop schedules / programmes of work appropriate to specific work streams in order to address ad-hoc problems/situations (including adaptation referrals and reports) and to deliver planned programmes of work in-line with investment needs and the council’s asset management strategy and internal policies and procedures. Ensure that work is correctly categorised and prioritised.

Provide day to day contract liaison and effective communication and correspondence between customers, council staff, external agencies and contractors / supply partners and proactively develop efficient and cost effective solutions to problems.

Monitor the delivery of work including the appropriate on-site supervision of contractors and supply partners, to ensure that delivery is achieved in a customer focused way, safely, to acceptable standards and charged accordingly in-line with the contract/supply agreement.

Provide technical advice and support to frontline delivery teams and assist in monitoring the appropriateness of works ordered.

The post-holder will be required to work flexibly and could be deployed in a number of areas within Property and Contracts, including:

Major Projects
Elemental Works
Responsive and Planned
Voids
Adaptation
Stock Condition
Procurement

Responsibilities

Frontline delivery of the service and collection of asset related information in-line with council and departmental performance standards, values, policies and priorities.
Carry out detailed repair inspections using recognised surveying methodology and appropriate survey equipment in order to determine condition and identify cost effective solutions to remedy defects. The post holder must be competent in the diagnosis of damp related defects and be able to specify a range of appropriate solutions.
Manage all activities in compliance with legal, regulatory, contract and internal requirements.
Support the delivery of service plans in-line with council objectives in order to achieve excellence.
Continually drive a value for money, customer focussed service.
Take ownership for operational issues and manage relationships with all stakeholders to ensure effective and efficient service delivery.
Ensure the ordering and delivery of works within individual delegated budgets and agreed budget profiles, including the prioritisation and planning of work.
Take accountability for the outputs of all duties

Please note this is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities.

Essential requirements

This post requires the holder to hold a current drivers licence.
HND/HNC Level qualification in Building / Construction or equivalent experience within the construction industry,
Strong knowledge of building defects / construction/ Building Maintenance techniques
Strong knowledge of landlord’s responsibilities in relation to repairs & maintenance
Strong knowledge safe construction Health & Safety requirements
Able to use a range of standard surveying equipment to enable accurate diagnosis of damp related defects
Able to plan and organise own workload in a busy environment
Ability to diagnose and develop solutions to technical repair problems including damp related issues
Understands modern construction techniques.
Developing and maintaining working relationships with suppliers and staff,
Able to assess building related hazards through a standard risk assessment procedure and prioritize follow on actions accordingly
Experience of using Microsoft packages to record and present service information.
Experience of using asset management IT systems
To contribute to delivering a team culture that is focussed both on customers and quality
Experience of managing small to medium construction projects
Able to develop timely and cost effective solutions to operational problems
Able to negotiate on day to day operational issues with suppliers in order to develop favourable outcomes for the council and for customers
Experience of carrying out technical officer / surveying duties in an asset management related service area
Experience of day to day contract liaison as part of the contract management procedures of construction contracts
Experience of working jointly with staff and contractors from different teams/organisations in order to achieve common goals.
Experience of managing construction/repair related programmes of work within defined budgets
Produce clear and concise, basic reports in relation to the service in a timely and accurate manner.
Experience of working within social housing
A previous trade background
Up to date knowledge of social housing and issues affecting the sector

Desirable requirements

Membership of a professional body i.e. RICS building surveying
Understand standard forms of building contracts

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics

Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct
Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon.
Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing.
Willingness to actively participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills.
Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity of Leeds City Council.
Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.