Lead Surveyor

The Lake; Kendal; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A local management authority in Kendal seeks a skilled leader to manage their land and property portfolio. This role emphasizes developing strategies for the green estate, overseeing property management and valuation. The ideal candidate must demonstrate expertise in rural surveying and work collaboratively with various teams to ensure the authority's strategic objectives for nature and culture are met. The importance of enhancing environmental and social value through property management will be central to the responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Experience in leading property management teams.
• Strong knowledge of rural surveying and valuation.
• Ability to develop and manage strategic property plans.

Responsibilities

• Lead the authority's land and property portfolio.
• Manage tenant matters and develop natural capital opportunities.
• Ensure compliance with property management strategies.

Job description

To lead the direction and management of the Authority's land and property portfolio, providing expert rural surveying, valuation, and asset management expertise. The role will have a strong focus on the Authority's rural property portfolio (the 'green estate'), to deliver the Authority's strategic ambitions for nature, culture and climate by optimising the environmental and social value of the portfolio. This includes leading on landlord and tenant matters, developing natural capital opportunities, and supporting the Head of Strategy and Partnerships in securing blended investment to deliver Partnership Plan priorities across our green estate.

• To lead and manage the property team to deliver expert management of the land and property portfolio; to act as the senior property business partner for internal customers. Exercises delegated authority for decisions in accordance with the current scheme of delegation.
• Work collaboratively with other services, notably the Ranger Service, to lead work programming and ensure delivery and management of the 'green estate' including specialist assets to secure strategic ambitions for nature, climate, and culture.
• To oversee our management of specialist assets, including but not limited to permissive trails, dams, weirs, water and sewage systems and legacy mining infrastructure on LDNPA estate, and providing support and direction to team members.
• Work closely with all services to deliver a joined-up approach and a single property function which takes a property business partner approach, in line with the Property Asset Management Strategy.
• Manage the Authority's obligations as a landowner, with a specific focus on managing commons, the green estate to achieve positive nature recovery, climate and cultural heritage outcomes in partnership with commoners and our wider stakeholders.
• Be the owner of the Property Asset Management Strategy (PAMS) including management of any supporting programme or project boards. To be responsible for its implementation, ensuring that property is used to maximum advantage in delivering the Authority's Business Plan. Pro-actively identify opportunities for property related funding and third party and/or grant funding schemes.
• Oversee the preparation of the Woodlands Management Plans and ensuring their delivery.
• Support the delivery of investment schemes on the Authority's 'green estate' landholdings including securing significant scale external funding, including government funding, agri-environment schemes and/or nature-based finance markets.
• To be the Authority's lead professional valuer and ensure the Authority complies with its obligations to obtain best consideration including, but not limited to, the provision and delivery of the annual CIPFA valuation for the Authority. This would include professional oversight and mentoring of surveyor roles embedded in other teams.
• Ensures that the Authority's property management information is well managed, has accountable owners and is held securely, in electronic form wherever possible, to support the delivery of a high-quality property service.
• Champions the use of technology to drive efficiency in the property team's ways of working, including the use of the Property Asset Management System.
• Sets and monitors individual performance targets of directly managed staff ensuring key objectives are met, as determined by the Service Plan.
• Identify training and development needs of team members, ensuring that appropriate development activities are implemented for the team and individuals including regular objective feedback and coaching aimed at ensuring excellent performance and maximising potential.
• Conducts, in liaison with the People team, recruitment, disciplinary and grievances and employee relations activities as may be appropriate.
• Develops annual budgets in line with the Authority's Business Plan and Medium-Term Financial Strategy. Conducts regular reviews of expenditure and the proper control of income, expenditure and capital.
• Ensures effective communication is achieved at team and individual level, and promotes cross service working, embedding a positive "can-do" culture amongst staff and volunteers to deliver a high quality and pro-active service to internal and external customers.
• Ensuring the Authority fulfils its responsibility for health and safety and risk management of the green estate. Communicating effectively within the team, with other teams and across the Authority as a whole. To maintain effective relationships with the Authority's external partners and other agencies, voluntary bodies and community groups with whom the Authority works. Conducting all activities in a manner in line with the Authority's Vision and Mission, promoting good external relations and a positive image of the Authority. Responsible for meeting individual performance targets as agreed with the post-holders manager. Supporting the culture of cross sectional working, encouraging a culture of project work focusing on the delivery of objectives of the Authority as a whole. Actively participating or leading in projects and corporate tasks as required. Reporting on such performance, management and operational information as requested by the post-holders manager.