Facilities Operations Manager

ABOUT VAULT YOUTH ZONE
Preston is a great city but nearly one in four young people live in poverty, with some areas seeing that number rising to one in three in recent years. It's clear that greater support is needed and barriers to leading successful, happier and aspirational lives must be broken down. Vault, Preston Youth Zone will be a vital provision that will make a huge difference to the lives of young people, and to the whole city, levelling the playing field for our young people.

Construction of Preston Youth Zone, named "Vault" by local young people, is due to be completed in the autumn of 2025 and will open later in the year. At Vault, we believe all young people in Preston should have the opportunity to discover their passion and their purpose, to find out what they've got and where it could take them. Our Youth Zone will be a purpose-built space fizzing with energy and crammed with incredible facilities. It will be staffed by skilled and dedicated youth workers who truly believe in young people in the city – helping them see what they can achieve, and giving them the skills, confidence and ambition to go for it.

THE ROLE

The Facilities Manager will play a crucial role at Vault Youth Zone as they keep our members, staff and volunteers safe by managing and maintaining the Youth Zone building effectively and efficiently.

They will ensure the charity is compliant with health and safety regulations including building, equipment, services, and related contracts, as well as carrying out general maintenance and managing Vault Youth Zone's cleaning team, ensuring that the building is upheld to the highest of standards and accessible for all young people.

This is an exciting opportunity to oversee the maintenance of a new, state-of-the-art, multi-million pound building that will transform young lives.

The post holder will carry out and manage multi-disciplined activities including

housekeeping, maintenance, general maintenance duties, security and health and safety. This is a varied role and the ideal candidate will have proven experience of managing similar types of buildings, e.g. schools, college/ university, sports or leisure centres or other large, multi-use/function buildings.

The normal hours of work are 37.5 per week, or those necessary to fulfil the requirements of the position. This will mean working flexibly across the week, to suit the needs of both the role and the individual. Before the Youth Zone opens and during its construction, there will be elements of hybrid working in place.

Salary offer: £27-30k (dependent upon experience) with 33 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays).

JOB DESCRIPTION

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• To be responsible for the general maintenance of the premises including heating, lighting, plumbing and security systems.
• To carry out minor repairs, maintenance and installation work such as joinery and plumbing and appropriate painting and re-decorating across the Youth Zone when required.
• To carry out a variety of statutory and non-statutory periodic checks and inspections and maintaining accurate and up to-date supporting records.
• To be responsible for all service contracts including the monitoring and servicing of equipment and ensuring Contractor's responsibilities/tasks are completed within the Service Level Agreement and appropriately documented
• To undertake reactive and planned maintenance, repair and renewal tasks, as well as monitoring of and accompanying contractors when dealing with their assigned tasks.
• To establish systems; carrying out and recording all necessary checks including; alarms, lighting, escape routes, security, building condition and equipment
• To identify, report, monitor and then manage any defects in the building and arranging for repairs within set budgets.
• To produce and undertake a variety of building and activity related Risk Assessments
• To operate the water, electricity, and heating systems to specified standards ensuring conservation measures are taken.
• To set up equipment and facilities for events in the Youth Zone to support youth work staff with their internal and external requirements.
• To be responsible for the buildings entrance and other external areas, ensuring that there is always an excellent first impression of the Youth Zone.
• To prepare rooms and areas for a range of uses, including setting out, removal and storage of furniture and equipment.
• Be responsible for security procedures for the building, facilities, and grounds, i.e., security inspections, lock/unlock perimeters, activate/deactivate automated alarm equipment, and suspicious occurrences
• To open the premises as required and support with any necessary training for other keyholders.
• To register as one of the Key Holders for the Youth Zone and be the first point of contact on a rota basis in an emergency callout situation and to check and secure the Youth Zone premises after callouts.
• To respond to and reset the alarm, liaising with the alarm company and police as necessary.
• To line manage the cleaning staff team and develop a robust cleaning schedule, as well as monitoring the cleanliness standards and assist in cleaning when required.
• To be responsible for the ordering of cleaning equipment and supplies and manage the charity's cleaning team.
• To carry out any other reasonable duties as requested by management.

ALL VAULT YOUTH ZONE EMPLOYEES ARE EXPECTED TO:

·      Be a role model for young people, present a positive 'can-do' attitude and take personal responsibility for your own actions.

·      Work within the performance framework of the charity and live the values of Vault Youth Zone and the OnSide Network, contributing to a culture of high performance, continuous improvement and a young person first, team always ethos.

·      Represent and promote the Youth Zone positively and effectively in all dealings with internal colleagues and external partners, assist with any promotional activities and visits that take place at Vault.

·      Comply with all policies, procedures, and codes of conduct, with particular reference to Safeguarding, Health &    Safety, and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.

SELECTION CRITERIA

EXPERIENCE

·      Extensive experience (minimum of two years) of caretaking or premises/buildings maintenance and management in a similar environment.

·      Experience of line managing staff and contractors.

·      Experience of producing Risk Assessments.

·      Experience of contract administration, working with external contractors and consultants.

·      Experience of establishing and managing Planned Preventative Maintenance.

·      Building management systems.

QUALIFICATIONS

·      GCSE English and Maths or equivalent literacy and numeracy.

·      NEBOSH, COSHH, IOSH or similar qualification are desired

·      First aid.

SKILLS

·      Excellent people skills the ability to establish good professional relationships with young people and adults.

·      Practical application of joinery/plumbing/building/maintenance skills in a busy working environment.

·      Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team.

·      Ability to lead and motivate a team of staff to deliver results.

·      Able to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities.

·      Basic ICT skills.

KNOWLEDGE

·      Working knowledge of health, safety and environmental legislation within a Facilities Management capacity.

·      Working knowledge of fire safety regulations and COSHH.

·      Understanding of security systems.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

·      Able to work unsociable hours as per the needs of the post.

·      A willingness to cover events, holidays and staff absence.

·      Undertake an enhanced DBS check as part of our safer recruitment process

APPLICATION PROCESS

ANONYMOUS APPLICATIONS:

We strongly encourage applicants to submit anonymous applications; in practice this means removing your name & email address from your CV & cover letter. Only these documents will be shared with the selection panel.

To apply, please;

1.    Email a CV and cover letter (no more than one page) to

2.    Please provide the following information:

o  Why do you want to work for us?

o  Looking at the person specification, briefly describe how your skills and experience (including any lived experience) make you a good candidate for this role. (200 words max)

o  Confirmation you are eligible to work in the UK (the successful candidate will be required to provide documentary evidence before a job offer confirmed).

o  Any reasonable adjustments we can make to assist you in your application or the selection process.

3.
This role will be based in the Youth Zone and in accordance with our Child Protection and Safeguarding procedures, this position requires an
Enhanced DBS check

o  Do you have any unspent conditional cautions or convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974?

o  Do you have any adult cautions (simple or conditional) or spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020.

Closing date: 12th November 2025