The administration of the Saarpfalz district not only provides necessary services for the citizens of the district, it is also an employer for around 750 employees with a wide range of professions that are in demand in the various specialist areas. The property management department serves as an illustrative example here, not least because it is indispensable for the continued existence of the district administration.
Property Management is responsible for looking after the administrative buildings, which include the district office building in Homburg as well as numerous other administrative branch offices, and for managing the 18 schools (including ancillary buildings) run by the Saarpfalz district. In addition, the Saarpfalz district is also involved in the maintenance, renovation and modernisation of cultural buildings, including the Bliesbrück-Reinheim European Cultural Park, the Haus Lochfeld cultural centre in Wittersheim and the Rischbachstollen in St. Ingbert. The draft budget for 2025 includes 9.7 million euros for building maintenance and 14 million euros for investments.
Property management is divided into the areas of "Technical property management" and "Commercial property management".
Technical property management is primarily responsible for the technical and structural maintenance of buildings, the refurbishment and modernisation of the district's own properties, taking into account energy-related aspects and the construction of new buildings.
Infrastructural and commercial matters relating to the district's own properties fall within the remit of Commercial Property Management. These include, for example, building-specific contract management and controlling (rental, lease and management contracts) as well as caretaking, cleaning and winter services.
The activities are therefore multifaceted and are increasingly being realised as part of major projects. For example, the main building and sports hall of the Robert Bosch School in Homburg are currently being renovated and partially modernised for around four million euros; in addition, the expansion of the all-day community school in St. Ingbert-Rohrbach, including the construction of a new sports hall, is expected to begin in April/May 2025. The investments there amount to 22.5 million euros.
"In order to do justice to all areas of responsibility, a broad professional portfolio is required. We currently employ ten engineers, four civil and electrical engineers, two draughtswomen, a procurement officer and a climate protection manager in Technical Property Management. In addition, there are 46 other administrative employees in Commercial Property Management, including gardeners, caretakers and cleaning staff, meaning that the entire property management team currently has a total of 63 employees," explains department head Jürgen Leroux.
In the technical field, it is worth taking a closer look at the tasks of electrical engineers, for example, in addition to those of (civil) engineers and/or architects, who are primarily entrusted with project management for new buildings, conversions and extensions or with the supervision and implementation of new and maintenance measures. This job is largely concerned with the economic design and consultation of electrical engineering trades for new and existing projects. This requires close coordination and co-operation with the respective construction and project management, the specialist planners and the commissioned subcontractors. The electrical engineer is jointly responsible for the planning, calculation, tendering and awarding of electrical engineering services and is at the forefront of construction site supervision (including quality and performance assessment) through to the successful acceptance of construction sites. Not forgetting the 25 district-owned photovoltaic systems that need to be looked after.
"It's no secret that we in the public sector are also in demand for well-trained and reliable specialists these days. I can only recommend both career starters and experienced professionals to take a closer look at the employment opportunities in our district administration, which are really very varied, in order to weigh up any advantages of the working environment, the possible working time models or the type of employment, etc.," says District Administrator Dr Theophil Gallo.