Role Overview

Acumen is seeking an organised, technically capable and process-driven Repair Manager to support the delivery, technical review, governance and progression of repair works delivered through Acumen’s Building Repair Network.
Working under the direction of the Head of Repair Management, the Repair Manager will provide technical repair support to the Repairs Management Team, with particular responsibility for preparing and reviewing detailed Building Repair Schedules of Works, reviewing contractor variation requests, validating repair evidence, reviewing specialist drying, restoration and strip-out report recommendations, maintaining scope accuracy and helping to resolve technical or operational issues quickly and proportionately.

The role is not a people management role. It is a technical and operational support role which works closely with Repair Coordinators, Surveyors, Claim Handlers, Contractors and the Head of Repair Management to ensure repair works are correctly validated, appropriately scoped, progressed efficiently and documented clearly on the claim file. Repair Coordinators remain responsible for the routine day-to-day coordination of assigned work phases. Repair Managers may step in to assist with coordinator tasks during surge periods, holiday cover, sickness or operational pressure, but their core focus is technical validation, variation review, scope support, contractor challenge and repair governance.

• Support the Head of Repair Management with the technical oversight, governance and progression of building repair works delivered through Acumen’s contractor network.
• Review and validate contractor variations, assessing scopes, costs, photographic evidence and supporting information to ensure additional works are necessary, proportionate and related to the insured damage.
• Prepare, review and amend detailed Schedules of Works for insurance repair and reinstatement claims, ensuring scopes accurately capture the required repair methodology, materials, labour and associated works.
• Review drying, restoration and strip-out recommendations, ensuring proposed works are technically justified and that any consequential reinstatement requirements are incorporated into the repair scope.
• Review surveyor and contractor scopes to identify under-scoping, over-scoping or areas requiring clarification, clearly documenting technical decisions and recommendations.
• Challenge unsupported or excessive repair proposals and escalate complex, high-value, disputed or technically uncertain matters to the appropriate technical or operational lead.
• Support the technical validation of surveyor reports and repair recommendations, ensuring the reported cause, damage, evidence and proposed repairs are consistent and appropriately justified.
• Provide technical support to Repair Coordinators and Claims Handlers, helping resolve queries relating to repair methodology, variations, contractor submissions and progression of works.
• Monitor repair progression and identify delays, service risks, contractor performance issues and recurring technical concerns, escalating these where appropriate.
• Support the technical review of final accounts, provisional sums, completion evidence and relevant compliance documentation, including RAMS, Construction Phase Plans, certificates and Health & Safety information.
• Contribute to contractor audits, quality assurance, performance monitoring, process improvement and repair governance across the contractor network.
• Maintain accurate claim records and effective working relationships with contractors, surveyors, claims teams and other operational stakeholders.
• Provide additional support to the wider Repair Management team during periods of increased operational demand or absence cover.

• Skills & Experience Required
• Essential
• Strong buildings, reinstatement, restoration or property repair technical knowledge.
• Experience reviewing specialist reports, repair scopes, contractor estimates, variation requests or building repair evidence.
• Ability to assess whether works are insurance-related, consequential, unseen, pre-existing or outside the agreed scope.
• Experience within insurance claims, building repair networks, property repairs, loss adjusting, surveying support, contractor management or a similar operational environment.
• Confident reviewing photographs, scopes, contractor explanations, claim notes and repair documentation.
• Good understanding of repair work phases, contractor progression, reinstatement works and common causes of delay.
• Demonstrable ability to prepare detailed and technically accurate Schedules of Works for building repair and insurance reinstatement projects, rather than solely reviewing scopes prepared by others.
• Strong practical understanding of building construction, repair methodologies, sequencing of trades and the relationship between strip-out, drying/restoration and subsequent reinstatement works.
• Working knowledge of property drying principles following escape of water, flood or other moisture-related damage, including the ability to interpret moisture information and critically review specialist drying regime reports.
• Ability to assess whether proposed strip-out or enabling works are reasonably necessary to facilitate drying and to understand the consequential reinstatement requirements created by those works.
• Ability to revise and develop repair Schedules of Works as the claim progresses, incorporating additional validated works identified following drying, strip-out, opening-up, restoration or further investigation.
• Strong written communication and ability to record clear technical rationale on claim files.
• Ability to work under the direction of the Head of Repair Management while managing allocated technical tasks effectively.
• Strong attention to detail, judgement and ability to escalate appropriately.

• Desirable
• Experience reviewing surveyor reports, scopes of works or desktop validation evidence.
• Knowledge of CDM requirements and contractor compliance documentation.
• Experience using Google Earth, Google Street View or similar desktop validation tools.
• Experience supporting contractor audits or quality assurance reviews.
• Previous experience using Apex or a similar claims management system.