Principal Specialist - Asset Acquisitions, Sales and Complex Voids

Southampton City Council; Southampton; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 67,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Local govt pension

Death in service

Generous holiday

Flexible working

Training & development

Health & wellbeing

Job summary

Southampton City Council is seeking an experienced housing asset professional to lead acquisitions, disposals and complex voids within the Quality Homes portfolio. The role focuses on delivering value for money and meeting housing need while shaping Southampton's housing strategy.

You will assess high‑value property decisions, develop evidence‑based options, and lead cross‑department collaboration to ensure robust governance and successful delivery of programmes valued around £5 million.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in housing asset management and related areas.
• Experience assessing complex property issues and developing options for investment, redevelopment, retention or disposal.
• Strong understanding of residential property transactions, valuations, conveyancing and property markets.
• Experience working with surveyors, agents, valuers, consultants and legal professionals.
• Excellent analytical skills and the ability to develop robust business cases and recommendations.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with experience presenting proposals to senior leaders and elected members.
• A relevant professional qualification in housing, property or asset management, or equivalent experience; membership of CIH or RICS advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead assessments of acquisition opportunities and disposal options across the housing portfolio.
• Develop clear business cases for retention, investment, redevelopment, repurposing or sale of housing assets.
• Oversee due diligence, valuation, negotiations, conveyancing and sales processes.
• Manage complex void properties and determine the best route for bringing assets back into use or for sale/disposal.
• Collaborate with surveyors, agents, valuers, consultants and legal professionals to inform decisions.
• Facilitate multidisciplinary solutions to housing property and asset issues.
• Present recommendations and business cases to senior leaders, boards and elected members.
• Ensure all activity delivers value for money and complies with governance.

Skills

Housing asset management

Property portfolio management

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Commercial awareness

Education

CIH or RICS membership

Job description

Principal Specialist – Asset Acquisitions, Sales and Complex Voids

Grade 12 | Quality Homes | Southampton City Council

Shape the future of Southampton's housing portfolio

Southampton City Council is transforming the way it manages, invests in and grows its housing stock. We are seeking an experienced housing property and asset professional to take on a pivotal role leading the assessment and management of acquisitions, disposals and complex void properties across our housing portfolio.

This is a unique opportunity to influence strategic decisions about how council homes are retained, improved, redeveloped, acquired or sold, ensuring every decision delivers value for money, supports housing need and contributes to thriving communities across Southampton.

About the role

As Principal Specialist – Asset Acquisitions, Sales and Complex Voids, you will provide expert leadership and professional judgement on some of Housing's most challenging and high-value property decisions. Working within Quality Homes, you'll assess properties requiring significant intervention and develop evidence-based recommendations for retention, investment, redevelopment, alternative use or disposal.

You will lead the management of acquisitions, sales and complex void cases, working across Housing, Legal, Finance, Housing Works, Corporate Estates and external partners to ensure robust decision-making and successful delivery.

Managing programmes valued at approximately £5 million, you will help maximise the value, availability and compliance of Southampton's housing assets while ensuring homes remain safe, lettable and aligned with housing need.

What you'll be doing

You will:

• Lead assessments of acquisition opportunities and disposal options across the housing portfolio.
• Develop clear business cases for retention, investment, redevelopment, repurposing or sale of housing assets.
• Oversee due diligence, valuation, negotiations, conveyancing and sales processes.
• Manage complex void properties and determine the most effective route for bringing assets back into use and / or for sale/ disposal.
• Work with technical specialists, surveyors, valuers, agents and legal professionals to inform decision‑making.
• Facilitate multi‑disciplinary solutions to challenging housing property and asset issues.
• Present recommendations and business cases to senior leaders, boards and elected members.
• Ensure all activity delivers value for money, complies with governance requirements and supports Housing's strategic objectives.

About you

We're seeking an experienced and commercially aware housing property professional who can balance social value, housing need, corporate plans and financial considerations when making complex asset decisions.

You will bring:

• Significant experience in housing asset management, property portfolio management or a related residential property environment.
• Experience assessing complex property issues and developing options for investment, redevelopment, retention or disposal.
• Strong understanding of residential property transactions, valuations, conveyancing and property markets.
• Experience working with surveyors, agents, valuers, consultants and legal professionals.
• Excellent analytical skills and the ability to develop robust business cases and recommendations.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with experience presenting complex proposals to senior leaders and elected members.
• A relevant professional qualification in housing, property or asset management, or equivalent experience. Membership of a professional body such as CIH or RICS, or similar would be advantageous.

Why join Southampton City Council?

This is an influential role at the heart of major housing investment and asset decisions. You'll have the opportunity to:

• Shape the future of Southampton's housing portfolio.
• Influence strategic housing investment decisions.
• Work on complex and varied property projects.
• Collaborate with senior leaders across Housing and the wider Council.

What we can offer you

Salary: The salary band for this role is £59,661 - £67,375 per annum. The starting salary is £59,661 with annual progression through the salary bands.

Here at SCC we have a range of different benefits, a few examples can be found below.

• Excellent local government pension with 15.2% employer contribution
• Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution)
• Generous holiday 25-31 days, based on role and service
• Flexible working options (role-dependent)
• Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents
• Training and development, including coaching and mentoring
• Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks
• Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant
• Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform
• Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres
• Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans
• Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer

For further information on our benefits package please visit: Employee benefits (southampton.gov.uk)

Contact details for informal discussion

For an informal chat about the roles, please contact Mark Mullen, Head of Quality Homes via email to arrange a Teams call, [e-mail]