Head of Technical Governance & Assurance

Head of Technical Governance & Assurance

Location:

University of Greenwich, covering Avery Hill, Greenwich and Medway campuses
Salary: Circa £80,000 Depending on experience
Package: 10% performance bonus, £1,300 flexible benefits fund, car allowance and additional on-call payment
Contract: Permanent, 40 hours per week

Lead Technical Governance Across a Prestigious Multi-Campus University Estate

Sodexo has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Head of Technical Governance & Assurance to join our University of Greenwich partnership.

This is a highly influential role operating across the University's campuses at Avery Hill, Greenwich and Medway. As the contract's senior technical authority, you will set engineering standards, provide independent assurance, and ensure statutory, regulatory and contractual obligations are fully understood, evidenced and achieved.

Reporting to the Partnership Director, you will lead the contract's technical governance framework, overseeing audit and assurance programmes, engineering compliance, risk management and continuous improvement. You will provide trusted technical guidance to operational teams, contractors, Sodexo colleagues and senior university stakeholders.

This is not an operational management role and carries no direct line-management responsibility. Instead, you will lead through technical expertise, influence and credibility, working closely with the Hard FM team and commercial compliance colleagues to maintain a safe, compliant and audit-ready estate.

This opportunity is ideally suited to an accomplished building services or Hard FM professional who enjoys driving best practice, strengthening governance and providing independent technical challenge. In return, you will have the platform to influence decision-making, enhance compliance performance and help protect both Sodexo and the University of Greenwich from operational, legal and reputational risk.

Why This Role Is Different

This is an excellent opportunity for a senior technical professional who wants to:

• Shape technical governance and assurance across one of Sodexo's most complex education partnerships.
• Influence strategic decision-making at contract, client, and corporate level.
• Work with a highly engaged and technically knowledgeable university client.
• Be recognised as the senior technical authority for a large and diverse multi-campus estate.
• Drive engineering excellence, compliance, sustainability, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with Sodexo's wider technical community and Technical Board.
• Lead meaningful improvements that directly enhance asset performance, reliability, and risk management.
• Develop and embed best practice across a complex operational environment.

What You’ll Be Doing

As Head of Technical Governance & Assurance, you will:

• Act as Sodexo’s senior technical custodian for the University of Greenwich contract.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve the technical governance, audit, assurance, and compliance framework.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant statutory, regulatory, health, safety, environmental, and contractual requirements.
• Deliver risk-based audit programmes, monitor corrective actions through to completion, and provide governance reporting on technical compliance performance.
• Chair or support governance groups, including water safety and statutory compliance forums.
• Provide clear and credible technical assurance to the Partnership Director, senior Sodexo stakeholders, the university client team, and commercial compliance colleagues.
• Review the effectiveness of safe systems of work, technical policies, engineering procedures, compliance controls, and engineering risk mitigations.
• Challenge unsafe, non-compliant, or insufficiently evidenced activity and provide expert technical guidance to Engineering Managers, contractors, and operational teams.
• Monitor the quality and completeness of maintenance records, asset data, statutory documentation, and compliance evidence.
• Provide assurance across mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and other critical building systems.
• Support forward maintenance, asset management, lifecycle planning, and capital investment programmes.
• Establish and monitor technical competency, training, and development requirements for engineers and technicians.
• Review and approve business continuity and emergency response arrangements, and provide technical leadership during major plant failures, utility interruptions, and other significant incidents.
• Drive continuous improvement, engineering best practice, sustainability, and enhanced building performance.

What We’re Looking For

We are looking for an accomplished Hard FM or building services engineering professional with the technical depth and personal credibility to operate confidently as an internal subject matter expert.

You will be comfortable standing independently behind your professional judgement.

You will bring:

• A degree-level engineering qualification, NVQ Level 5, HND, or equivalent in an engineering or building services discipline.
• Significant experience in Hard FM, building services engineering, or technical facilities management.
• Strong knowledge of statutory compliance, engineering legislation, regulatory requirements, industry best practice, and the ability to translate these into practical, auditable processes.
• Experience developing or managing technical governance, assurance, risk, compliance, or audit frameworks.
• A thorough understanding of safe systems of work, engineering risk management, and the confidence to challenge, escalate, or stop unsafe or non-compliant activities.
• Experience reviewing technical documentation, maintenance records, asset data, and compliance evidence.
• Broad technical knowledge of mechanical, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and critical building infrastructure systems.
• The ability to respond calmly and decisively during major plant or infrastructure incidents.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills, with the ability to engage credibly with senior stakeholders and present technical assurance at governance forums.
• The ability to challenge constructively, balancing sound technical judgement with a collaborative approach.
• Experience working with contractors, service providers, and technical supply chains.
• Experience using Computerised Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS); Maximo experience would be advantageous but is not essential.
• Professional membership of a relevant engineering or facilities management institution (desirable).
• Previous experience as an Authorising Engineer, Authorised Person, or formal technical authority (highly advantageous).

Reward & Benefits

• Contributory pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Biennial health assessments
• A flexible benefits fund of £1,300 to utilise a range of benefits, including Private Medical Insurance (PMI), dental, gym memberships, retail / hospitality discounts, etc.
• Additional payment for participation in the on-call rota.
• Professional development and career-progression opportunities.
• Access to Sodexo’s wellbeing support and employee assistance services.
• Reward and recognition programmes.
• Opportunities to engage with Sodexo’s wider technical community, subject matter experts and Technical Board.
• A supportive, inclusive and purpose-led working environment.
• The opportunity to work across three beautiful and distinctive university campuses.

File Downloads

• HR-5933_Benefits UK Brochure V9.pdf
• Head of Technical Governance & Assurance - JD.docx