Lead Acquisitions Manager

HS2 (High Speed Two) Ltd; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible benefits 20%

Pensionable benefits

Job summary

HS2 Ltd in Birmingham seeks a Lead Acquisitions Manager to lead a team of technical surveyors, delivering the land and property required for the HS2 project. You will own the performance of the Area Acquisition Team, develop acquisition strategies, and ensure timely, fair settlement with claimants while maintaining high standards of stakeholder communication.

The role requires managing suppliers, engaging with high-profile owners, and advising HS2 departments.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a team in land/property acquisition or related field.
• Strong stakeholder and negotiation skills with external parties.
• Understanding of compulsory purchase or government compensation schemes is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Own the performance of the Area Acquisition Team, set objectives and review outcomes.
• Develop and own the strategy for Area Acquisition delivery, identifying risks and opportunities.
• Lead the acquisition of land and property with a focus on timely, fair outcomes for claimants.
• Maintain high standards of communication with stakeholders and ensure decisions align with public money guidelines.
• Advise other HS2 departments on land and property issues to support decision making.
• Collaborate with the property acquisition team to ensure a consistent approach across Land & Property.

Skills

People management

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Communication

Leadership

Empathy

Job description

Job Description

Location - Birmingham

Salary: Base salary: £65,474pa to c.£77,028pa depending on skills and experience. In addition, we offer flexible benefits fund of 20% which is paid on top base salary and is fully pensionable, as well as a range of competitive benefits - check them out in the Benefits section on our website.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential. In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

As a Lead Acquisitions Manager at HS2 you will lead a team of technical surveyors to ensure timely delivery of the required land and property required for the HS2 project.

About The Role

• Actively promote and embed Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work, and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI
• Ownership of the performance of the L&P Area Acquisition Team. Manage the Area Acquisition Team, setting objectives, reviewing performance and ensuring staff have the necessary skills and understanding to deliver the team's objectives.
• Develop and own the strategy for the delivery of the Area Acquisition activity, which identifies the risks, opportunities and potential benefits that can be delivered by the L&P team on behalf of HS2.
• Be responsible for the acquisition of land and property focusing on providing a responsive and positive experience for the claimant. This will require timely completion of cases and high standards of communication with all stakeholders.
• Ensure financial decisions are made in line with managing public money, and providing fair compensation.
• Proactively develop relationships with major/high profile affected land and property owners, individuals and organisations to enable the negotiation process to be carried out effectively.
• Provide advice to other HS2 departments, including the delivery function, town planning, environment, and petition management stakeholders to inform decision making.
• Collaborate and communicate with other members of the property acquisition management team to ensure a common and consistent approach is adopted across Land & Property in HS2.
• Contribute to the development of acquisition and property management business planning and strategy development.
  
  

Skills

About You:

• Ability to manage suppliers and to build sustainable strategic relationships with suppliers and the supplier market.
• Stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to engage and influence through communication skills
• Ability to lead sensitive negotiations in a tactful way
• Empathy and ability to engage with affected landowners on sensitive issues
  
  

Knowledge

• Knowledge of surveying
• An understanding of the compulsory purchase process or other government compensation schemes.
  
  

Type Of Experience

• Experience of leading and developing a team
• Delivery experience in a similar acquisition environment (to a programme timetable)
  
  

The post-holder is expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with the HS2 values of Safety, Leadership, Integrity and Respect. It is expected that you will actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

As HS2 Ltd do not hold a sponsorship license from the Home Office, we are not able to provide sponsorship to any applicant. Applicants must already have the Right to Work in the UK at the time of application and our process involves a Right to Work validation prior to the interview stage. Note, there are certain types of time-bound visas that we cannot accept.

Any offers made to applicants will be subject to satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks which include Nationality & Immigration Status, employment references, DBS, Financial and Education checks.

We ask for a variety of detail in your online application, however we perform the first assessment of suitability for a role based solely on the information in your CV. In a further development of our efforts to create a more diverse workforce, your CV will be anonymised and personal information will be removed during the first stage of the application review. This removes bias from the process and makes it even more important that you attach an updated word version of your CV for each new application ensuring you include evidence directly related to the criteria in the job advert. Watch this video on how we remove bias in the recruitment process: Removing bias in the recruitment process

Any applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

About Us

High Speed 2 (HS2 Ltd) will be the UK’s new high speed rail network. As well as improving capacity, the new scheme will shorten journey times between a number of Britain’s major population centres, boost the economy and create thousands of jobs.

HS2 Ltd will create a skills legacy and develop a diverse range of talent. We aim to be a leader in EDI practice by creating a safe & inclusive working environment for all our staff - living our values of Safety, Respect, Integrity and Leadership.

In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

HS2 Ltd is also a safety-critical organisation. Employees are required to ensure reasonable care of their own and others’ health and safety by taking personal responsibility for working to our ‘Safe at Heart’ programme principles and following safe working procedures at all times.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential.