Property Strategy and Major Projects Manager

West Northamptonshire Council; Northampton; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking council as a Property Strategy and Major Projects Manager, where you will manage a diverse portfolio and lead significant projects that shape the future of local estates. This role offers the chance to deliver complex disposals and drive corporate objectives while ensuring efficient asset management. You'll collaborate with various stakeholders, providing expert advice and solutions that directly impact the community. If you're passionate about making a difference and thrive in a dynamic environment, this is the perfect opportunity to advance your career and contribute to a vibrant community.

Benefits

Generous annual leave entitlement

Cycle to Work scheme

Local Government Pension Scheme

Employee discounts

Car Lease scheme

Payment of professional subscription

Employee Assistance Programme

Ongoing training and development opportunities

Flexible working options

Supportive work culture

Qualifications

• Degree level education in Estates Management or similar required.
• Strong project management and negotiation skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex multi-million disposals and deliver fit for purpose property solutions.
• Provide high quality professional and technical advice to clients and stakeholders.

Skills

Project Management

Negotiation Skills

Communication Skills

Budget Management

Stakeholder Engagement

Education

Degree in Estates Management or similar

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors membership

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Northampton

Property Strategy and Major Projects Manager

Job Reference Ref/53/5875

Number of Positions: 1

Contract Type: Full Time

Salary Range:

Working Hours: 37

Location: Northampton

Closing Date: 16/02/2025

Job Category: Property Management

Organisation: West Northamptonshire Council

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days annual leave per year, 29 days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Car Lease scheme via Tusker.
• Payment of professional subscription / membership - If your job description requires that you are registered with or are a member of a professional body, WNC will pay for your professional subscription or membership fees.
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Commsave - Free membership to Commsave Credit Union who provide a variety of savings accounts, loans, a monthly lottery draw and more!
• Ongoing training and development opportunities.
• A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
• Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
• Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that is genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.

About the role

West Northamptonshire Council is currently seeking to appoint the Property Strategy and Major Projects Manager into its Property Strategy and Estates team.

The Property Strategy and Major Projects Manager will have the opportunity to work on an extremely diverse portfolio, and will manage the Property Strategy, Asset Records and Systems, and the Major (Estates) Projects teams.

The post holder will manage, and be responsible for the estates asset terrier database, the delivery of major disposal projects such as Strategic Urban Extension sites (SUE’s), ensuring that the corporate estate fits with service transformational objectives and lead on the development of Corporate Landlord, the Corporate Asset Management Plan (AMP) and the One Public Estate initiative.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the team and support the Council's objectives of shaping an Estates function that will be an example of best practice, and one that will deliver the best outcomes for the residents of West Northamptonshire.

What will you be doing?

In the role of a Property Strategy and Major Projects Manager, you will have the opportunity to work on an extremely varied case load, covering a diverse property portfolio. Reporting directly into the Head of Property Strategy and Estates, you’ll be responsible for the delivery of complex multi-million disposals, generating significant capital receipts to support wider corporate objectives.

Through effective and robust management of the council’s asset data, including lease events, running costs, backlog and planned maintenance data and energy performance, you will lead the team that is tasked with delivering fit for purpose property solutions for the Council in line with service and corporate level transformational objectives. In addition, you will also lead on key strategic estates objectives including the development of Corporate Landlord, the Corporate Asset Management Plan and the One Public Estate initiative.

You will deliver high quality professional and technical advice to internal and external clients, and stakeholders, and support the Council’s transformation and property rationalisation agenda.

About you

You’ll bring with you a wealth of experience which will enable you to ensure the efficient and cost-effective delivery of major estates projects to deliver significant capital receipts and minimise operational costs across the councils portfolio of approximately 1,000 assets. Your strong negotiation skills will aid the acquisition and disposal of property, rights, and licences, supporting your direct reports to deliver the best property solutions for the benefit of the residents of West Northamptonshire.

Excellent project management skills are essential as you’ll manage complex projects on behalf of the Council and other stakeholders and will plan, identify, and anticipate challenges and obstacles within those projects and work with stakeholders. Your strong communication skills will enable you to represent the team as an interface between Tenants and the Council on operational property matters, and to represent the interests of key stakeholders and to provide good quality professional advice on estate management and valuation matters, and to advise colleagues on professional and technical issues.

You will need to be:

• Educated to Degree level or equivalent in an Estates Management or similar discipline
• A member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (or equivalent professional qualification)
• Have knowledge and understanding of the dynamics and complexities of the public sector and specifically the local government environment and its impact on service provision, staff, and relationships with key stakeholders.
• Experience of direct responsibility for budget management and reporting, and successful delivery of financial targets
• Experience in influencing and negotiating with internal and external stakeholders and customers, and of communicating ideas and solutions at all levels
• Experience of dealing with complex and high-profile property cases in the public sector
• Experience of formal project management techniques, Equality and Diversity issues and governance within a public sector environment
• Experience of working with the private sector, and driving commercial opportunities from property assets
• Ability to develop constructive relationships with stakeholders, partners, consultants, colleagues, and others within and outside the organisation, and to influence and persuade others to ensure that desired outcomes are met

About us

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.