Senior Estates Officer

Hertfordshire County Council; Stevenage; Hybrid; GBP 56,000 - 61,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Public sector environment

Job summary

Hertfordshire County Council in Stevenage seeks a Senior Estates Officer to manage the diverse county property portfolio. You will support the Strategic Asset and Estates Manager, delivering adult care property initiatives, supported living schemes and care homes, while driving major projects across the portfolio.

You’ll work with multiple departments to ensure best value, legal compliance and strategic estate management, reporting to senior management and engaging stakeholders across services.

Qualifications

• Experience in estate management or related property discipline.
• Knowledge of landlord and tenant matters and estate management principles.
• Understanding of property, planning and legal issues with sensitive situations.
• Strong stakeholder management and ability to influence outcomes.
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication, with report writing ability.
• Ability to work independently within a team.

Responsibilities

• Manage and instruct external property management agents and specialists.
• Collaborate with Legal Services, Planning, Property Development, Design & Construction and Facilities Management.
• Build relationships with internal stakeholders to deliver property solutions and value for the Council.
• Support strategic property initiatives, estate management programmes and major projects.
• Lead governance processes, prepare reports and secure approvals in a political environment.

Skills

Estate management

Stakeholder management

Governance and reporting

Analytical thinking

Communication

Education

MRICS or progressing towards MRICS

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Introduction

Job Title: Senior Estates Officer

Starting Salary: £55,582 Progressing to £61,460 per annum (pro rata for part time)

Hours:37

Location: Stevenage

Contract Type: Fixed Term (until 31/03/2028)

Directorate: Resources

Team: Property

About The Team

As a key member of the Estates team, you will play a vital role in managing one of the county's most diverse property portfolios.

Our estate includes libraries, adult care facilities (supported living schemes, care homes and extra care housing), fire stations, register offices, recycling centres, highways assets, public health facilities, and corporate offices. This breadth of assets provides a unique opportunity to work on a wide variety of property matters that directly support vital public services across Hertfordshire.

As a valued member of the team, you will:

• Manage and instruct external property management agents and specialist consultants.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across Legal Services, Planning, Property Development, Design and Construction, Facilities Management and service departments.
• Develop strong relationships with internal stakeholders to deliver property solutions that meet service needs while achieving best value for the Council.
• Support the delivery of strategic property initiatives, estate management programmes and major projects across the portfolio.
• Lead and contribute to governance and decision-making processes, preparing reports and securing approvals within a democratic and politically sensitive environment.

We embrace flexible and hybrid working, offering a combination of office-based, site-based and remote working to help you maintain a healthy work-life balance.

About The Role

As a Senior Estates Officer, you will help ensure the Council's estate is managed effectively, efficiently and in accordance with the Strategic Asset Management Plan, supporting the delivery of high-quality services for Hertfordshire residents. Your primary focus will be the Adult Care property portfolio, including supported living schemes, care homes and extra care facilities. You will contribute to significant strategic programmes, including the implementation of the Council's Supported Living Strategy and the development of new Extra Care schemes across the county. You will also play an important role in reviewing and transforming the older persons' care home estate, helping to shape property solutions that improve accommodation, enhance service provision and support future service delivery.

Reporting to the Strategic Asset and Estates Manager, you will provide expert property and estates advice on a wide range of land and property matters, ensuring compliance with RICS professional standards, relevant legislation and Council policies.

The role offers significant variety of estate management, including landlord and tenant matters such as rent reviews, lease renewals and lease re-gears, as well as project delivery, property asset management, strategic reviews, and the provision of professional estates advice to colleagues, service departments, and external stakeholders.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys combining professional estate management with strategic thinking and stakeholder engagement.

About You

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated property professional who can confidently manage a varied workload and build strong working relationships across a range of stakeholders.

Essential:

• Experience in estate management, property management or a related property discipline, with a sound understanding of professional property practice.
• Knowledge of landlord and tenant matters and wider estate management principles.
• Understanding of property, planning and legal issues, with the ability to navigate complex and sensitive situations.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective relationships and influence outcomes.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver results to deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare reports and present recommendations.
• Good IT skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to work independently while contributing positively to a collaborative team environment.

Desirable:

• Experience of working within a local authority or public sector property environment.
• Membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) or progressing towards professional qualification.
• Experience of delivering strategic property projects.

As one of the UK's leading local authorities, the Council is experiencing significant growth and development. This is an opportunity to join a forward-thinking Estates team that is ambitious, adaptable and committed to delivering excellent outcomes for residents and communities across Hertfordshire.

In a challenging financial landscape, the Council's property assets play a vital role in supporting the delivery of frontline services. Through strategic planning, acquisition, development and rationalisation of the estate, we are helping to drive efficiency, generate income and maximise the value of our assets to support wider County Council priorities.

At the same time, we are committed to creating a cleaner, greener and more sustainable Hertfordshire.

This role offers the chance to work on meaningful property initiatives while developing your professional expertise within a supportive and collaborative environment. Join us and help shape the future of one of the largest and most diverse public sector estates in the region.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is Level 11, Corporate Services. Please locate the job profile here: Job profiles - Corporate services

For an informal discussion, please contact

either [e-mail] or [e-mail]

Interview Date: W/C 5/10/2026

Secondment

This role is open to secondments for eligible employees who work for HCC. If you wish to apply on a secondment basis, you must have your line manager’s approval before submitting your application. You will be asked to confirm this within your application form. If you are not eligible for a secondment (e.g., you are currently on a fixed‑term contract that would end before this positions ends) or you indicate that your manager cannot support a secondment, your application will be considered on a fixed‑term contract basis instead.

Additional Information

We are changing

Hertfordshire County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). If you are employed by Hertfordshire County on 1 April 2028, it is expected that most roles will transfer to the newly-created unitary councils on existing terms and conditions under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings – Protection of Employment) principles.

LGR is one of the biggest changes we will face in a generation. It will reshape how we work and how services are organised and gives us a real opportunity to build something better.

To find out more, visit https://www.hertfordshire-lgr.co.uk/

Disability Confident

We are proud to be aDisability Confident employerand guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

English Fluency

The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required).Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.