Head of Facilities

Description

ISP in Malaysia: ISP operates Asia Pacific Schools, Straits International Schools and Tenby Schools where we are strategically located covering the Klang Valley, Perak, Penang and Johor within Malaysia. Our experience in education excellence helps us provide amazing learning experiences for students as young as 3 years up to 18 years old.  The 9 ISP schools in Malaysia follow the international school curriculum comprising IGCSE and A-levels, starting at kindergarten level, while 5 of the schools also offer the Malaysian National Curriculum.  While the national and international schools and classrooms are separated, facilities and non-curricular activities are shared between the schools.  With over 8,500 students, we have a 60-year history in the country providing education to students and have gained a reputation for excellence and high standards in education.

The role is to work directly with the Malaysia Financial Director in collaboration with Regional Managing Director. All our schools have Facilities Managers and teams with systems to ensure we are safe, improve our facilities to support learning through operational and capital expenditure and ensure we use preventative maintenance thinking using outstanding systems and processes. This role is part of a wider regional team of almost 40 staff and a global team of 1000’s. It is an extremely exciting place to work and grow as a professional and human being. We have outstanding professional development for our colleagues both within administration and academic teams.

Key Responsibilities

Support, guidance and advice

The Head of Facilities supports and advises the regional leadership team, regional Heads of School and school senior leadership team in all aspects of facilities management.  They set and monitor effective Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and focus on embedding quality through their effective leadership and sound guidance, reporting to and attending committees, strategic management boards and other corporate and public groups as necessary. 

Estate maintenance

• Responsible for establishing, overseeing, and continuously improving the region’s school maintenance plans by leading local facilities management committees and conducts routine visits and inspections of school sites in accordance with ISP policy. To provide guidance in maintenance management at school level, including providing the most suitable preventative maintenance framework for the region.
• Accountable for the more sophisticated mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems and services across their school sites, including alarms, air-conditioning, water heating, lighting controls and building energy management systems (BEMS), devolving responsibility to trained professionals as appropriate and they establish effective procedures. for managing energy efficiency and monitoring utilities.
• To provide full technical support to the school’s facilities manager or responsible person.
• To maintain a good working relationship and liaise with Schools landlords, regarding responsibilities, requests and claims, all in a timely manner.
• To be responsible for the overall security arrangements of each school premises, ensuring that security personnel and all school staff are aware of all relevant security procedures, use of alarm systems and key holding responsibilities. Make sure that all aspects of school security are maintained under constant review and are updated, with any changes appropriately communicated in a timely manner.
• To develop periodic reports and key performance indicators related to facilities maintenance, budget control and capital expenditure.
• To recruit, manage and support regional and local vendors (eg catering, books, uniforms, security, landscaping etc).
• They plan and manage facilities maintenance budgets and review and draft soft and hard FM contracts, ensuring all external suppliers are subject to a transparent and competitive tender process for in accordance with the ISP Procurement Policy.
• Perform the role of regional procurement champion and partner with IT to procure the best deals for the schools across the region. Work with the regional FD and FP&A to make assumptions around potential savings through procurement and deliver group targets. Partner with IT, HoS and FD on annual Capex budget (major and small).
• To be responsible for developing, reviewing and updating school specific contingency and recovery plans, through consultation with Heads of School (HoS), and to ensure that all procedures are clearly communicated to all staff and members of the school management team.
• To be aware of and adhere to all school rules, regulations, legislation and procedures, national legislation (Health and Safety, ACHS, Civil protection, etc).
• To maintain confidentiality of information acquired in the course of undertaking all duties for the region.
• To be responsible for your own continued self-development, undertaking training as appropriate.
• Make sure all school related building, operational and construction permits are maintained up to date.
• To ensure that all maintenance and Health and Safety Audit items are resolved within 3 months of audit (high priority) and 3 months of audit (low priority).
• To undertake any other duties appropriate to this post, as and when required to do so. 

Safety and Compliance

The Head of Facilities is accountable for the safety of all school buildings and ensuring their compliance with local/regional and national regulations. They act as the main point of contact with local & regional authorities, ensure ISP regional policies and procedures reflect local & regional compliance requirements and that maintenance is 100% compliant in all their schools.

A robust system of inspection and checks to ensure school buildings and safety systems remain compliant is evident across all their schools (e.g. fire alarms, electrical & gas systems and controlled access security system checks) and they are responsible for commissioning risk assessments relating to the physical infrastructure of their schools and ensuring that all schools adopt safe systems of work.

They manage the core compliance service, monitoring KPIs and escalating performance issues, and ensure that all schools in the region are appropriately audited for local legal compliance and compliance with ISP policies. Working with the Heads of School and school facilities team, they lead yearly facility audits to plan improvements and maintenance tasks and ensure that the resulting action plans are successfully implemented across their region and that any Health and Safety aspects are followed up on in a timely manner.

They provide guidance and propose solutions for facility related H&S issues arising in regional schools, providing follow up training and support where necessary, and oversee all incident and accident investigations. They provide facilities assistance and support the school facilities teams if there is an emergency or if school business is disrupted and they ensure that local policies are updated for changes in local laws and regulations.

New builds, Infrastructure improvement and renovation projects

The Head of Facilities supports all Heads of School and the Regional Managing Director to review and prioritise each school’s 5 Year Infrastructure Development Plan in accordance with ISP policy.

Alongside this they provide guidance and support in the drafting of project proposals and partner with their Heads of Schools to review and manage their annual capacity analysis survey.

They project manage construction, site repairs and preventative maintenance to ensure completion within established timeframes, design specifications, quality and budget. As part of this, they inspect new construction, repair work, projects, equipment, work orders, daily maintenance and supplies for the purpose of ensuring that jobs are completed efficiently; specifications are within local/regional/national regulations; and approving inspection reports and payment requests.

They engage with ISP group and regional colleagues to ensure that facility related issues for acquisitions, new sites and CapEx projects have been adequately thought through, that plans are realistic, achievable and properly resourced, monitoring progress and intervening accordingly

Governance and sustainability

The Head of Facilities role models and leads adherence to all ISP policies, rules and procedures including Health and Safety, Dignity at Work, all legislative responsibilities, governance requirements and financial policies and procedures.

They ensure compliance to the ISP Code of Conduct in the delivery and provision of services to the region’s employees and the local communities. They develop and sustain close and productive relationships with governmental and other local agencies to support them in ensuring that local regulations are complied with.

They are instrumental in creating a culture to protect the environment throughout the region’s school communities and as part of this continuously strive to improve the energy efficiency of the region’s schools and how our buildings operate.

Skills, Qualifications and Experience

• Professionally qualified Architect, Engineer or Surveyor or holding an appropriate degree level qualification
• A Master’s degree or further qualification in Facilities Management/Asset Management would be advantageous
• Extensive Facilities Management experience, including experience gained in a multi-site environment, Project Management Experience (including management of new builds) and CapEx Management
• Experience of managing 3rd party contractors.
• Planning and project management skills. Certified project management professional will be a plus.
• Experience of managing facilities in a school/university environment desirable.
• Knowledge of development, planning and execution of preventive maintenance routines.
• Knowledge of Civil protection, fire department, labour law, health and safety, construction parameters and educational infrastructure’ requirements.
• Knowledge of electrical safety, working at heights, personal protective equipment requirements.
• Knowledge of property security, access control, CCTV operation, security incident management, car & pedestrians transit regulations.
• Knowledge of hygiene in schools, water purification, wastewater treatment.
• Excellent knowledge of MS Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• An inspiring leader with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships throughout the region and schools and influence key stakeholders.
• A methodical, highly organized approach with exceptional attention to detail and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Fluent in English, with strong written and verbal communication skills. Additional language skills an advantage.
• Positive, proactive, passionate, personable, results orientated, ambitious professional, who is keen to be part of a fast-growing global group.
• Cross-functional teamwork experience and the ability and desire to work collaboratively in a matrix structure.
• Diplomacy and consensus building skills to establish trust and credibility and the ability to handle confidential information with maturity and discretion
• Solution-driven, takes the initiative and solves problems with minimal supervision

ISP Principles

Begin with our children and students. Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success. Wellbeing and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential Health & Safety and safeguarding issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.

Treat everyone with care and respect. We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well-being of self and others.

Operate effectively. We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.

Learn continuously. Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage with personal and professional development and school improvement.

ISP Leadership Competencies

• Collaboration. Takes an active part in leading their school or region; is cooperative and a genuine team player, developing positive, supportive relationships with colleagues to solve problems and maximise opportunities.
• Learning & Getting Better. Continually demonstrates personal commitment and passion for learning and getting better using evidence and feedback, supporting others in their continual learning, development and growth.
• Innovation Leadership. Is good at creating an environment where ideas for learning initiatives and services are generated and can motivate and inspire others through the process of creation through to completion.
• Outcome driven. Can be counted on to find solutions. Is consistently looking to exceed goals and is focused on KPIs.
• Resilience. Can deal with setbacks and challenges calmly and effectively.
• Community Focus. Is committed to meeting and exceeding the needs and expectations of our students and their families.
• Integrity & Ethical Management. Has the ability to work ethically and with integrity; helps others feel valued; upholds and models the ISP Vision, Purpose and Principles.
• Leading & Inspiring Others. Supports, encourages and inspires students, colleagues and teams so that they give their best.
• Understanding People. Is a very good judge of talent, can objectively articulate the strengths and motivations of people inside or outside the organisation.
• Influencing & Communication. Consistently informs, influences and inspires students, parents and colleagues through timely and effective communication.
• Agile. Responds and adapts to changing circumstances; manages and solves problems by providing solutions in a climate of ambiguity.
• Strategic, Commercial & Financial Awareness. Has the ability to apply understanding of the business and industry to improve effectiveness and profitability.
• Planning & Decision Making. Makes decisions on the best course of action and then plans, organizes, prioritizes and balances resources to achieve the desired outcome.
• Diversity & Equity. Has the sensitivity, awareness, and skill to understand the values, behaviors, attitudes and practices across cultures that supports all children and adults to learn and work effectively.

ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles

ISP is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years’ employment history.