Location: Site based –most of your time will be spent across our 11-acre site on the bustling Bristol Harbourside. Our estate includes a busy visitor attraction, underground carpark, water features, rental spaces and roadways. You have the option to work from home or other locations that suit you, however due to the nature of work in Estates, you will need to attend site quite regularly.
Department: Estates
Report to: People and Places Director
Responsible for: Estates Manager and Maintenance Manager
Salary: £40,000 - £45,000, dependant on experience
Contract: Permanent
Working hours: Full time Monday – Friday. You will also be asked to join the Risk Management Rota when our building re-opens. This would require you to work one weekend day in 12, supporting our operational teams to manage the risk associated with a public venue. (full training provided)
About We The Curious
We The Curious is an educational charity and South West England's leading science centre.
We produce experiences that bring people together to play, get creative with science and explore different ideas.
We work with partners, locally and nationally, supporting people to be inquisitive, develop new skills and improve their wellbeing.
We are progressive, inquisitive, collaborative, playful and creative.
Our mission
Our aim is to connect and empower people through sharing creative experiences which celebrate unknowns in science.
Our work as a charity is driven by five key pledges:
_Cultivate Curiosity
_Include Everyone
_Open Up Science
_Sustainable Futures
_Build Resilience
You can find out more about these in our Manifesto.
About the role
As the Head of Estates, you'll play a vital role in creating a welcoming and safe environment for all those who enjoy our spaces. Your passion for maintaining our facilities to a high standard will help cultivate a culture where everyone at WTC takes pride in our spaces and collaborates to enhance them further.
Your expertise in health & safety and compliance will be invaluable in managing an estate of our scale, encompassing not only our building but also our car park, rental units and outdoor spaces. When necessary, you'll seek the guidance of professionals, while also nurturing the growth and development of the team's skillset.
Given that our site is active 24/7, 365 days a year, you'll work closely with our Estates Services (security) team to grasp the challenges they face and implement new practices to benefit both the team and those they interact with.
What will you do in this role?
_ Working with the Maintenance and Estates Managers, you’ll oversee the creation and delivery of plans for maintenance and development of our estate, from routine PPM to major renewal projects.
_You’ll develop and implement the strategy and programme for capital expenditure, including coordination of logistical requirements, project delivery within schedule and budget. Working a public space means you’ll have to think creatively and work cross-departmentally to ensure work is completed to a high standard, whilst having a limited impact on our operation and prioritising safety.
_Working with the Finance Director, you will develop a transparent, auditable system of contracting and tendering. Once that’s done you’ll be accountable for the tendering, management and review of these contracts to ensure that as a charity, we are benefitting from the highest standards of work for a fair price.
_You’ll confidently build effective working relationships with those who use our spaces to understand how our estate forms part of the wider city ecosystem. That could be the general public, venue hire clients, neighbours, law enforcement, partners or our people
_It’s expected that you’ll ensure the application of industry-wide best practice in compliance, health and safety, maintenance, project management and sustainability. You’ll take advice from external consultants and ensure their recommendations are implemented and that our policies and procedures remain in line with current regulations and best practice.
_You’ll work to make sure all functions within the department feel joined up and have the resources to work seamlessly. This will involve some creative thinking as our team work varying shifts with very specific responsibilities, which make things like team away days difficult to organise.
_ You’ll promote our culture of health and safety by ensuring all members of our team and external contractors comply with health & safety policies, procedures and regulations. We expect everyone to prioritise the safety of colleagues, visitors and the general public.
_Work closely with the Sustainable Futures department to progress We The Curious’ position as sector leaders in environmental sustainability and to ensure we meet our target of becoming carbon net zero by 2030. This will be through best practice in F-Gas use, energy and water consumption, procurement and waste management, whilst making our built environment resilient to the impacts of climate change.
_Together with our development team, you’ll identify where funders can aid in the upkeep and improvement of our estate to benefit wider society.
_Ensure that our tenants act in line with their lease obligations, working with our allocated legal / property consultant support where necessary.
_Build and maintain annual budgets for the estate.
_Responsible for following safeguarding policies and procedures and raising any concerns to your manager/Designated Safeguarding Officer.
_Promoting charity messaging across your area of work wherever possible, with support from the Development and Marketing teams.
_General responsibility for departmental compliance with GDPR.
_While you will have specific work packages to manage, you will also be expected to work collaboratively with other department heads/directors/leads to contribute to the overall organisational strategy and direction. This includes interacting with our board of trustees and where necessary, representing WTC both internally and externally.
What we're looking for from you
_Mission-motivated.
_An experienced estates professional. You have experience of successfully running an estate of our scale and diversity and the qualifications and experience to bring a fresh approach to our spaces. This could be MRICS/AssocRICS or equivalent, although chartership is not essential.
You understand the nuts and bolts of the property world and are not afraid to seek third part professional support when we need it.
_A critical thinker and excellent communicator. You are considerate and analytical, testing assumptions with a balanced approach. You communicate effectively and productively in person and writing, building strong relationships.
_Collaborative. You have the ability to partner with all departments and people within of the organisation and work through others to drive impact and achieve results. You share feedback with and seek feedback from others constructively, by developing the skills and tools to do so.
_Responsible for your results. You strive for excellence in yourself and the people around you. You keep an eye on the fundamental goal of our manifesto and mission, whilst using your judgment and discretion to prioritise the work of your departments effectively.
_You are resilient and adaptable. You bring a positive attitude to the table.
Application process
Deadline for applications: Sunday 2nd July, midnight
Interview date(s) and location: Thursday 13th July. Interviews will be held in-person at our temporary offices at Temple Quay, Bristol.
Start date: Depending on notice period
Application process: If you would like to apply, please complete the application form. It contains questions designed to assess your experience and suitability for the role.
Please don’t send a CV or covering letter as we will not review them.
We appreciate interviews can be stressful, so if you are invited for interview, we’ll send you the interview questions that you’ll be asked before hand so you have time to prepare.
If you have any particular needs or requirements, please do let us know so we are able to make the required adjustments.
If you would like to talk about the role or the application process, please email people@wethecurious.org
Support during the process
We The Curious is a Disability Confident Employer and we welcome applications from candidates who self-assess themselves as having a disability. We will guarantee an interview to applicants who advise that they have a disability and who meet the minimum criteria for a job vacancy. To help you, under the Equality Act 2010 a person is defined as having a disability if a) they have a physical or mental impairment, and b) the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
We want to work with you to ensure the recruitment process is accessible for you.
If you are disabled, neurodivergent, or if you have a long-term health condition, we’ll be happy to make reasonable adjustments to our processes for you.
You’ll have the opportunity to let us know about any adjustments you may need throughout the application and selection process. We’ll continue this conversation if you join us as a staff member, and we’ll work with you to make sure you have the adjustments you need to succeed in your role.
Examples of adjustments could include:
_providing alternative formats at every stage
_options to apply
_extra time for tasks
_providing some extra information about what to expect
_office orientation before an in-person interview.
Including everyone
We value the positive impact greater representation will have on our organisation, programmes and culture. It’s our goal to become an inclusive place to work and for our teams to better reflect our city and the people who visit us.
We welcome applications from people of all lived experiences and particularly those that are not well represented* in the science centre sector.
We want to work with you to ensure the recruitment process is accessible for you, please contact us if you have questions about We The Curious, our accessibility or recruitment process at people@wethecurious.org
*By not well represented we mean people with lived experience including but not limited to:
_African and African-Caribbean heritage
_South Asian and East Asian heritage
_Other minoritised ethnic groups
_Disabled
_Neurodivergent
_Visually Impaired
_Deaf community
_LGBTQIA+ and/or non-binary
_Working class background
_Didn’t go to university or first in your immediate family to attend University
Working with us
We value the people that work with us. Our staff have access to the following:
Wellbeing & support
_Flexible working
_Hybrid working
_Mental Health First Aiders
_Confidential advice & counselling through the Employee Support Programme
Leave
_25 days holiday in addition to bank holidays (all pro-rata).
_Enhanced new parent package
Facilities & discounts
_Free entry to the venue at any time with up to four guests, plus 12 additional entry tickets per calendar year to give away.
_20% off in the We The Curious café plus £3 lunch deals
_20% off in our shop
_Range of discounts with local businesses and free entry to other local attractions.
_Free parking
_Secure cycle storage
Pension
_We offer a pension scheme with 5% company contributions.
Death in service benefit
_Four times your annual salary.