Church Buildings Support Officer

DUTIES

The day-to-day responsibilities of the Church Buildings Support Officer will be to:

• Organise Church property reactive repairs and maintenance on behalf of PCCs, which will involve managing a wide range of suppliers and building contractors. Handle e-mails, phone calls and other general queries related to the Church property maintenance. Ensure that the works remains within the agreed scope and approved funding and should the scope change and/or costs change significantly obtain approval from the respective PCC;
• Implement various programmes of planned, cyclical and legislative maintenance for churches based upon their five-yearly inspection quinquennial inspection report, condition surveys of ancillary building and relevant statutory compliance responsibilities for all operational buildings;
• Support PCCs with planning and co-ordinating all technical inspection and statutory testing relevant to their church buildings and any ancillary operational buildings on the church site, in conjunction with internal staff and external specialist consultants, ensuring an effective survey process, accurate recording and accessible sorting of data;
• Support PCC’s in developing heritage and community engagement projects
• Assist with external grant applications and reporting
• Work with volunteers to increase community participation in church buildings
• Analyse records of reactive, routine and statutory maintenance to identify patterns of emerging liability on building fabric assets, and to suggest where resources should be used to discharge high priority defects.
• Formulate forward maintenance plans based upon analysis of maintenance liability of the built fabric on the church site with due consideration of the availability of local budgets and resources;
• Formulate generic maintenance plans for routine maintenance works;
• Encouraging churchwardens and PCC members to obtain quotations and administer small building contracts with assistance from the CBSO for regular maintenance items.
• Encourage parishes to work together to achieve financial savings by assisting with the negotiation of measured term contracts with specific suppliers for routine compliance items, for example testing lightning conductors and fire extinguishers etc.
• Manage and monitor the performance of external consultants and contractors to achieve planned outputs for programmes of routine and legislative maintenance work, and for term contracts and single capital projects, including:
  • developing appropriate risk registers and control measures required;
  • liaising with the CofE Property Team, the Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches and statutory approval bodies, as appropriate;
  • selecting procurement methods;
  • monitoring the performance of projects against specific performance indicators and operating mechanisms for ensuring adherence to technical procedures and working practices; and
  • analysing performance issues with a view to recommending improvements to ensure cost effectiveness, quality, speed, and safety in future project delivery;
• For any maintenance works obtain the necessary statutory consents including consent for works that fall within the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2015 (FJR 2015).
• Ensure that contractors comply with standards for health and safety management on all projects, establishing clear working practices consistent with the CofE Birmingham Property Team, monitoring for adherence at critical junctures throughout a contract, reviewing on completion and affecting improvement in future practices through informed comments from contractors, end users and external consultants.
• Maintain a project database for maintenance contractors (including large, one-off projects) with the continued monitoring against programme, cost plans, quality and safety standards consultant with the Property Team;
• Analyse cost and performance data to produce management reports and, through executing benchmarking initiatives and liaison with external organisations, create a system of continuous improvement in current maintenance activities; and
• Undertake periodic reviews of service delivery, or attend to direct complaints of procedural failure, and implement with a consistent approach the improvement to operational structure and processes as identified as necessary and representing value for money.

MANAGEMENT AND RELATIONSHIPS

The Church Buildings Support Officer will work as part of the Church of England in Birmingham’s Property Team, under the management of the Director of Property. Within the Team, the Church Buildings Support Officer will work closely with the Care of Churches Officer and Places of Worship Support Officer. Within the wider office, the Church Buildings Support Officer will also need to liaise closely with the Property Director, the Diocesan Secretary, the Archdeacons of the diocese, the Area Deans, and the Mission, Education and Communications Teams, as appropriate for the needs and objectives of a given project.

The substantial part of the Church Buildings Support Officer’s role will require developing working relationships outside of the office, on-site at various churches. As such, there will be frequent contact with clergy, churchwardens and members of the PCC and congregation with responsibility for church buildings.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

A Successful Church Buildings Support Officer Candidate Will Have

• Ideally an RICS or CIOB (or equivalent chartership with the RIBA and APM) qualification with 3 years post qualification experience, with a requirement for Continuing Professional Development. At a minimum the candidate should be working towards their professional qualification;
• Knowledge of Statutory Compliance regulation, Planning and Building Regulation procedures, and experience of working in Listed Buildings, including an understanding of the related requirements of:
  • The Care of Churches and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1991 (amended 2015) (CCEJM 1991);
  • The Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2015 (FJR 2015);
• Experience of planning and decision-making processes within large and complex organisation;
• Knowledge of cost estimating, negotiating tenders, financial monitoring and control;
• Knowledge of supervising, undertaking property inspections and assessing audits, and managing professional consultants;
• Knowledge of preventative maintenance planning;
• Knowledge of health and safety legislation affecting the built environment;
• Knowledge of procurement and contractual practises and procedures;
• A clear interest in supporting places of worship to be welcoming and attractive places for all ages;
• Knowledge of and sympathy for the core aims of the Church of England in Birmingham
• Strong interpersonal skills, to help persuade PCCs that it is vital to the future of their church and community to investing time and energy into ensuring their church building and ancillary buildings are compliant and well maintained;
• Experience in successful problem solving and project management;
• Excellent skills in leadership, interpersonal relationships, negotiation and persuasion,