Main Purpose of the Role and Skills & Experience Required
Working within Perth & Kinross Council is more than a job, it's about being part of something meaningful. It's about being part of an organisation that puts people at the heart of all we do and provides opportunities to make a real difference by enhancing every life we touch.
We currently have the following opportunity:
Technical Officer - PKC
£37, - £40,
Pullar House, 35 Kinnoull Street, Perth
Based within the Housing Capital Projects and New Builds Team, an exciting opportunity has arisen for a Technical Officer to support the Housing Service to meet the requirements of the net zero targets set by the Scottish Government and the priorities identified by Perth & Kinross Council in meeting the Climate Change (Scotland) Act, EESSH2, Housing to and the Heat in Buildings Strategy.
As the Technical Officer you will have a supporting and assisting role in the planning, implementation and management of various projects and delivery of their aims and objectives.
The Technical Officer will work in a small team, managed by a Project Manager and will provide support with:
1. programming work to ensure all properties, where appropriate, are on track to meet the EEESH2 standard by, including the options for refurbishment and regeneration programmes for hard to heat, end of life and non-effective stock
2. managing programmes of work to retrofit existing housing stock properties
3. installing new technologies within our tenants’ home to support energy efficiency and behavioural changes
4. engagement in innovative projects, including involvement in the Smart Cities Alliance and in the Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) which are Council-wide projects.
As a Technical Officer, you will report to the Project Manager – Energy Efficiency and will work closely with other Technical and Project Officers in the wider Improvements and New Builds team and be guided and take direction, where required, from the Project Manager and the Senior Project Officer. You will work in collaboration with colleagues across the Housing Service as well as with other internal teams.
A key part of the role will also be to work with external consultants to support the development of the Climate Change Strategy and support the development of Capital delivery programmes that would ensure the service has a plan to address the obligations of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act and to meet the targets of EESSH2, Housing to and the Heat in Buildings Strategy.
You will generally be required to work Monday to Friday from 8.45am to 5pm but due to the nature of the role and remit, there will be an expectation that you will be able to work flexibly, and this could include evenings and weekends especially for attending public meetings and carrying out surveys and consultation with community members.
To help in the delivery of this new team, we are looking for a technically knowledgeable individual who is enthusiastic and has the ability to communicate on a number of different levels.
You must hold an HNC or equivalent in a property, surveying or construction industry discipline or equivalent, and must have significant experience in a construction field. Given the focus of the post, you should have an awareness and understanding of CDM Regulations and willing to undertake training to carry out the role of Principal Designer on capital projects.
We are looking for someone who has the ability to manage small scale construction or housing improvements projects, e.g., adaptations, extensions, refurbishments and renewals.
Main Purpose of the Role and Skills & Experience Required
To support and deliver on the role and remit of this post, the key areas of focus will be to:
5. Support the Project Manager with technical assistance relating to the Council’s Housing Capital Investment Programme to meet the obligations of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act and to meet the targets of EESSH2, Housing to and the Heat in Buildings Strategy.
6. Support with the technical development of projects focussed on ensuring:
o All social housing to be EPC Band D by in order to be re-let.
o All fuel-poor households to reach EPC Band C by .
o All social housing to reach EPC Band B by .
o Net zero emissions from heating buildings by .
7. Conduct pre and post inspections, including carrying out dilapidation surveys in relation to small refurbishment and renewal projects.
8. Provide technical support in relation to small refurbishment and renewals projects such as extensions, major and minor adaptations and refurbishments of individual properties; this will include the preparation of project briefs, technical drawings, specifications, preparation of Planning and Building Warrant submissions, reports, site supervision, quality control, and consideration of the compliance with CDM Regulations.
9. Manage allocated budgets in relation to specific projects, including verifying the accuracy of invoices submitted for work.
10. Work closely with the Project Officer and Project Manager to collate all necessary information for and be actively involved and support in the procurement of contracts, all in accordance with the Council’s requirements.
11. Support effective project management of programmes on site by carrying out site visits to ensure that the works are conducted in accordance with contract conditions, reporting on any aspects as necessary and ensure the works are compliant with Health and Safety legislation and Construction and Design (CDM) Regulations.
12. Attend contractor technical and progress meetings and service team meetings.
13. Engage, communicate and consult with tenants, owner-occupiers and other customers to assess the technical aspects of small refurbishment, improvement and energy efficiency projects.
14. Provide support to Project Officer in liaising with other services within Housing, including Occupational Health, and liaise with other Council services, utilities and external agencies such as Health and Social Services professionals and trade companies.
15. Provide accurate technical support and information to Council tenants and residents, Repairs Centre staff and Locality Teams staff as required.
16. Draft reports and documentation to meet all corporate and internal governance arrangements .
17. Assist the Project Manager with performance management and quality assurance of project implementation and delivery.
You must have a strong working knowledge of the current Building Regulations and be able to apply this when considering the technical requirements for a project, both in the preparation of Building Warrant and construction drawings and when managing a project onsite.
We are looking for someone who is computer literate, preferably with IT skills that enable the use and interrogation of databases effectively and the ability to design spreadsheets to report statistical information for financial and performance monitoring.
You should be able to drive and hold a clean, current driving licence.
HNC or equivalent in a property, surveying or construction industry discipline or equivalent is essential.
Working at Perth & Kinross Council
Our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of our key priorities. In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that support the criteria required in the role and which also demonstrate our values and behaviours. Find out more about Perth & Kinross Council and you could soon be joining our team!
Here's what we can offer you:
18. A generous annual leave package
19. 6 days public holiday and an additional discretionary day
20. Eligibility to join our pension scheme
21. Family friendly and positive work/life balance policies such as Flexible Working, Maternity, Paternity & Adoption leave, time off for volunteering and our Wellbeing Framework
22. Flexi time
23. Access to a range of benefits
We recognise there can be benefits to flexible working and where individual jobs allow, we seek to support this. You are encouraged to discuss potential options with the recruiting manager, if this is of interest to you. A healthy work life balance is important to us and we provide supportive management and, where possible, flexible working arrangements to help you achieve that balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.
For purposes of connection and collaboration with colleagues and with the community we serve, our full-time employees work on site for a minimum of 2 days per week with the arrangements for part time employees being agreed on a basis which will ensure that they benefit to an equivalent degree.
Our FAQs on hybrid working can be found here 2 references, including email addresses. One of these must be your current or most recent employer.
We welcome applications from everyone and as a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to interview applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential requirements of the post. Please contact the hiring manager above or the Recruitment Team on or to discuss any reasonable adjustments. Appointments are based on evidence supplied during the selection process.
Diversity is important to us and although some of our jobs may be perceived to be traditionally gender specific, we welcome applications from everyone and would encourage you to apply if you meet the job requirements. That includes welcoming applications from former armed forces personnel/reservists. Many of the skills picked up during your military career could be transferred directly into a role with local government.
To comply with Baseline Personnel Security Standard, you will be required to complete a Disclosure Scotland check.
If you have lived overseas for a period of 12 months or more (continuous or total) within the last 5 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check.
A confirmed offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of the above mentioned mandatory pre-employment checks (including references) and will also include eligibility to work in the UK, qualifications and fitness to undertake the post.