Estates Project Coordinator at British High Commission

Main purpose of job:

To support the planning and delivery of estates rationalisation within the British Deputy High Commission (BDHC), Lagos, Nigeria.

The BDHC, Lagos, will undergo an estates transformation within the coming 2-3 years. The rationalisation and necessary construction will create an enhanced platform for diplomacy in Lagos. 

Project work will pose medium-long term disruption to BDHC operations. This role will provide crucial support to minimise disruption, enhance communication and maximise benefit, through the provision of effective and wide-ranging project support.

The role will report to the Head of Corporate Services, although will be task-managed by the BDHC-based Project Manager from Tetra Tech. The jobholder will also take direction from the London-based Project Director and Head of Corporate Services as required. The jobholder will provide on-site project support and coordination for staff and project professionals for the duration of the project works.

Roles and responsibilities:

The jobholder will work in coordination with the Project Manager, Head of Corporate Services and Project Director, to support the planning and delivery of project works before and during construction. They will work closely with a range of stakeholders, both internal and external to the BDHC, to manage many diverse estate project strands.

Specifically the jobholder will:

• Work with the Project Manager and his team to support planning and delivery of the estates projects and associated phasing. Liaise with the appointed contractors and associated professional parties to facilitate their delivery responsibilities. Coordinate construction delivery and phasing plans with cross-government stakeholders and maintain regular communication updates when necessary, ensuring all minimum operational requirements are met during the periods of disruption. They will also play a supporting role in liaising directly with Nigerian ministries and other relevant Local Authorities to ensure all relevant works have appropriate approvals and that all relevant matters are communicated accordingly.
• Provide assistance in developing the detailed project phasing plans in preparation for, and transition between construction phases, collating requirements, developing solutions and managing BDHC communications to suit the project and its timescales. More specifically, this will require the planning and communicating of move-management, as well as liaison for matters such as IT & Telephony, security management and staff enquiries.
• Play a supporting role in contractor management for the delivery of construction, working closely with the appointed designers, constructors, suppliers and local stakeholders. They will be responsible for logistical coordination to ensure smooth delivery of the operational aspects of the construction, including close communication with our internal teams and especially the TWG.
• Support the ongoing requirements of the appointed Professional Services & Project Management team through taking direction from the site-based Project Manager and London-based Project Director, whilst working closely with the Head of Corporate Services, to ensure that all activity aligns with BDHC requirements.
• Support the Project Manager with preparation for the monthly Project Board, which will deliver internal coordination, information sharing of wider programme updates and maintain overall knowledge of project developments.
• Maintain flexibility to take on evolving tasks and challenges, including administrative support at key moments, facilitating visiting overseas staff attendance, delivery, development and communication of visit programmes and supporting the planning of BDHC events around the construction requirements.
• Support with Project Manager with escalation of arising project challenges in order to mitigate risk and reduce the potential for conflict (in either the construction itself, or with cross-HMG stakeholders

Essential qualifications, skills and experience 

• At least 2 years of Corporate Services, estates, facilities management or construction experience (or a relatable field of expertise)
• Contractor and stakeholder management experience
• Resilience to work through project deliverables over a significant project period
• Good interpersonal and organisational skills to conduct duties effectively
• Flexible, dependable, enthusiastic, customer focused and enjoy taking on challenging responsibilities.
• Fluent written and spoken English.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience 

• Professional project management or estates qualification
• Hands-on experience of managing projects