Assistant Service Manager

Who are we?

South Western Railway (SWR) operates over 1,500 services each weekday across the network and employs more than 5,000 people. We provide easy and convenient mobility, connecting people and communities in South West London, southern counties of England, and the Isle of Wight.

Join our team and help us continue to bring people together to get the most out of life.

About the job

The role will support and deputise for the Service Manager for the NEC4 Facilities Management Contract and partnering relationship management for the service delivery of the contract across the SWR Infrastructure and Property Portfolio. The post holder will incorporate quantity surveying principles for effective price scoping and spend monitoring. This role is crucial in ensuring compliance with contractual obligations, providing high-quality service delivery, and facilitating communication between stakeholders.

The NEC4 term service provides wide range of statutory and essential building asset maintenance and repairs to the South Western Railway and Island Line station buildings and their surroundings in accordance with the Station Access Conditions and the requirements of ISO 55001.

Your main responsibilities will be:

Contract Management

• Support the Service Manager and Lead Commercial Manager with contract negotiations regarding financial management, contract performance and dispute resolution.
•  Manage contract instructions, Early Warning Notices (EWNs) and Compensation Events (CEs) to ensure timely communication and resolution in line with defined timelines, processes, and procedures.
• Assist (and lead as required) in the preparation and submission of contract reports, presentations, and materials for meetings with stakeholders and management.
• Responsible for overseeing the contract invoicing process, incorporating quantity surveying principals to ensure the organisation receives value for money and financial management standards are to the highest standard.
• Lead the monitoring and reporting of the service delivery performance against Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) and contractual obligations including:
  • Assisting in the preparation of documentation for contract reviews, performance evaluations and audits
  • Track and analyse performance metrics to identify trends and areas for improvement.
• Support the development and implementation of Service Improvement Initiatives.
• Negotiate on individual work orders on behalf of the Service Manager and make key contract decisions.
• Work closely with the Fleet Facilities Manager, Stations Facilities Manager and Facilities Engineers to ensure the safe operation and function of the Infrastructure & Property Portfolio.
• Lead on developing processes to assist with overall contract performance, ensuring the organisation meet regulatory and safety obligations. Using contractual data, identify trends as appropriate to reduce the reliance on and cost of reactive maintenance.
• Ensure accurate contractual records are held and informs the development of annual budgets and ensure that budget provisions within areas of responsibility are not exceeded.
• Facilitate effective communication with internal and external stakeholders and contractors, acting as point of contact.
• Participate in audits and inspections to ensure compliance with NEC4 requirements, ISO 55001, Health and Safety Regulations and Service Quality, identifying non-conformance issues and assist in developing correction action plans.
• Assist in the identification and implementation of best practice within facilities management processes, seeking continuous improvement.
• Deputise for the Service Manager and represent the Infrastructure & Property Department as required.
• Ensure that all records, reports, and correspondence completed in the undertaking of the role are maintained, and retained, in line with regulatory, legislative, Asset management and company procedures.

You'll need:

• High standard of general education and ideally a professional qualification or equivalent experience in Facilities Management and/or Quantity Surveying
• Experience of working on a NEC4 contract or a building maintenance contract.
• Relevant theoretical or organisational knowledge across the specialist area of building maintenance contracts, procurement, contract negotiation and management, plus a good knowledge of the NEC suite of contracts, practices, and procedures.
• A strong knowledge of financial management processes.
• A thorough knowledge of building related legislation, statutory and mandatory regulations, and guidance.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to negotiate solutions across a complex matrix of stakeholders of all levels, both public and private.
• Strong decision-making skills, ensuring accountability on key financial and compliance issues.
• A strong knowledge on financial processes.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to research and analyse data from a variety of sources and produce qualitative information with minimal guidance.
• Must have good written and verbal communication skills.
• Must have good IT skills and be comfortable using email, spreadsheet and word-processing software and have extensive experience of complex data manipulation to produce reports.

Working pattern

You will work an average of 37 hours per week, typically; office hours, Monday - Friday.

The Reward

In return we offer a competitive salary and a variety of valuable benefits, including:

• Free duty and leisure travel on SWR services for employees
• Free leisure travel for spouse/partner and dependants (criteria dependent)
• 75% discount on many other train operating companies
• Full training and support with development
• Excellent pension scheme

We all belong at SWR. Our vision is to provide an inclusive environment for all colleagues, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment.

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA+, ethnicity, religion, and disability. We maintain a zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below.  We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.

https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/

https://www.healthassured.org/blog/neurodiversity/