Workplace Standards Lead

Job Title: Workplace Standards Lead
Reporting to (position): Deputy Site Lead – Workplace Experience and Standards
Location : County Durham
Rate Of Pay: £16.00 per hour
Job objectives and responsibilities:
The Workplace Standards Lead will provide a visible, hands-on presence across the site, with primary responsibility for driving and maintaining high standards of non-GxP and GxP cleaning and workplace presentation.
The role will focus on identifying areas requiring improvement, completing daily workplace audits and live assessments, working directly with operational teams to address standards in real time, and providing clear assurance that agreed cleaning and workplace standards are being consistently achieved.
Working closely with the Deputy Site Lead, cleaning management, operational teams and key stakeholders, the postholder will play an important role in delivering immediate and sustained improvements in workplace standards, helping to create a clean, professional and consistently presented environment.
This is an operational role requiring a high level of visibility across the site and flexibility to work across the 06:00 to 06:00am service window according to business and contractual needs.
Main duties:
Cleaning Standards & Workplace Presentation:
* Maintain a strong daily presence across the site, with particular focus on non-GxP cleaning standards and workplace presentation.
* Carry out daily inspections and audits across agreed areas to assess cleanliness, presentation and delivery against expected standards.
* Identify issues proactively rather than relying solely on customer feedback or escalation.
* Work directly with operational teams and supervisors to address standards requiring attention and ensure timely corrective action.
* Drive immediate improvement activity where standards fall below expectation.
* Undertake follow-up checks to ensure actions have been completed effectively and improvements are sustained.
* Identify recurring themes and support practical solutions to improve consistency of service delivery.
* Promote attention to detail and a "right first time" approach to cleaning and workplace standards.
Live Assessments & Quality Assurance
* Lead and coordinate live cleaning assessments, observing delivery in real working conditions and assessing performance against agreed methods and standards.
* Provide constructive, practical feedback following assessments and support teams in understanding the standard required.
* Maintain clear records of audits, assessments, findings and actions.
* Monitor trends and repeat findings to identify areas requiring additional focus, coaching or management intervention.
* Escalate persistent deficiencies or significant service concerns appropriately.
* Support the development and embedding of simple, effective quality assurance processes.
* Provide evidence and assurance of standards and improvement activity when required.
Stakeholder Engagement
* Develop positive and professional relationships with key stakeholders.
* Act as a visible day-to-day point of contact for matters relating to cleaning standards and workplace presentation within the remit of the role.
* Attend relevant operational meetings, walk-rounds and workplace reviews.
* Respond constructively to feedback and ensure actions are captured, progressed and closed out.
* Communicate confidently with stakeholders regarding findings, actions and progress.
* Support joint inspections and stakeholder walk-rounds where required.
Commercial & Contract Awareness
* Maintain a good working understanding of the cleaning specification, service scope and contractual requirements relevant to the role.
* Understand the difference between contracted/core activity and additional or out-of-scope requirements, escalating where appropriate rather than making unapproved commitments.
* Consider commercial impact when reviewing service requests, resource requirements and proposed improvements.
* Support the Site Lead and operational management team by identifying where stakeholder expectations or requests may sit outside agreed service scope.
* Help ensure improvements are practical, sustainable and aligned with contractual requirements.
* Demonstrate appropriate awareness of cost, resource and service implications when recommending actions.
Continuous Improvement
Take a proactive approach to improving workplace and cleaning standards across the site.
Identify opportunities to simplify processes, improve consistency and prevent repeat issues.
Support focused improvement activity in areas where standards require rapid attention.
Encourage ownership and accountability at operational level.
Recognise and share examples of good practice to help raise standards across the wider service.
Support the embedding of agreed standards so that improvements become part of normal day-to-day delivery.
Person Specification:
Essential Experience & Knowledge
Experience within cleaning, facilities management, workplace services or a similar operational environment.
Good practical understanding of professional cleaning standards and workplace presentation.
Experience of carrying out inspections, audits or quality checks.
Ability to identify service deficiencies and drive corrective actions through to completion.
Experience working with operational teams and engaging with customers or stakeholders.
Good understanding of health and safety requirements relevant to cleaning operations, including COSHH.
Good commercial and contractual awareness, with the ability to recognise scope, service and resource implications.
Comfortable using standard workplace systems and maintaining clear records and reports.
Skills & Competencies
Highly standards-focused with excellent attention to detail.
Strong observational skills and the confidence to challenge standards constructively.
Practical and hands-on approach to problem solving.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Able to build effective working relationships with operational colleagues and customer stakeholders.
Organised and able to prioritise activity across a large operational site.
Able to work independently and take ownership of actions.
Confident completing audits and providing clear, factual feedback.
Able to recognise when an issue needs escalation.
Comfortable working in a fast-paced operational environment where priorities may change.
Behavioural Expectations
The Workplace Standards Lead will:
Be highly visible and proactive within the workplace.
Lead by example in relation to standards, professionalism and attention to detail.
Take ownership of issues and follow actions through to completion.
Challenge poor or inconsistent standards appropriately and constructively.
Build positive relationships while maintaining clear expectations.
Remain solutions-focused and practical.
Demonstrate integrity, reliability and accountability.
Work collaboratively as part of the wider Mitie team.
Understand the importance of both customer expectations and contractual boundaries.
Maintain a consistent focus on sustainable improvement rather than short-term fixes.
Working Pattern & Flexibility
The role requires flexibility to support operational delivery across a service window of 06:00 to 18:00.
Working hours will be scheduled according to contractual and operational requirements and may vary to ensure sufficient visibility across different shifts, teams and service periods. The role is not intended to routinely work the full 06:00 to 06:00 period; rather, the postholder will be expected to flex their working pattern within this window to provide appropriate operational coverage
Only candidates based in UK and eligible to work in UK are allowed