Strategic Property Delivery Manager PO8

London Borough of Waltham Forest

Strategic Property Delivery Manager

The London Borough of Waltham Forest is well advanced in implementing the Council’s Property Transformation Strategy and Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP) and is now seeking a Strategic Property Delivery Manager to support the Strategic Asset Manager in managing and developing the Council’s commercial corporate estate.

The Property Surveyor will be responsible for the strategic management of the Council’s operational and non-operational portfolios including life-cycle forecasting, improving sustainability and investment in existing stock and risk.

The Property Surveyor will take a key supporting role in providing expert and professional property, valuation and management advice on the Council's land and property assets, with a specific focus on understanding the current and future needs of all of the Councils services and translating these into feasible and viable real estate strategies.

The role will combine professional property advice, corporate asset management and pro-active estate management to prove feasibility and viability and to develop project specific structured delivery plans.

The successful candidate will manage a personal case load comprising a diverse range of projects across the portfolio and will deliver key workstreams resulting from the SAMP.

The role is strongly supported by the Council’s Principle Valuer, Estates Team, Capital Delivery and Regeneration teams.

Main duties & responsibilities

• Deputise for the Strategic Asset Manager when required.
• Be familiar with the SAMP, Council policies and service priorities that drive property strategies.
• Engagement with service lines across the Council and support the current and future service real estate needs of the Council.
• Support the integration of Council services and with external partners including CCG and NHS Property Services.
• Co-ordinate consultants in the procurement and provision of condition surveys, PPM reports, EPC’s, due diligence, technical surveys and consultancy advice.
• Formulate and maintain 5 and 10-year expenditure budgets for each asset. Produce capital investment programme and identify strategies to increase efficiency and deliver savings.
• Carry out viability appraisals, options analysis, value maximisation of development opportunities and utilising the estate as an enabler.
• Take lead role in managing projects.
• Business case preparation.
• Prepare reports, presentations and briefing notes including monthly SAMP reports.
• Work collaboratively with the other Property teams and particularly with the Facilities Management, Regeneration and Planning teams to ensure a one property approach is adopted.

Qualifications:

• Educated to Degree level or equivalent.

Experience:

• All round knowledge of real estate and portfolio management.
• Broad understanding of property matters including, landlord and tenant, leases, etc.
• Experience of using condition surveys and PPM schedules to produce 5 and 10-year budgets operating. Some knowledge of construction, repair and maintenance.
• Understanding of development, feasibility, viability, residual land value and the role of property as an enabler.
• Proven track record of leading complex projects including project planning, project management, delivery and change management.
• Politically astute and work with stakeholders at the highest level. Experience of Council Governance processes. Knowledge of importance of customer focus and working in an environment with political sensitivities.
• Experience of engaging with stakeholders across all Council services including Children’s, Youth, Families, Adults, Opportunities, Communities, Health and Wellbeing to understand their present and future needs.
• Ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams of internal and external professionals and stakeholders.

Skills and Abilities:

• Organisation, Management and leadership skills, including planning, organising, motivating staff and controlling complex activities with large budgets and multiple inter-dependencies
• Ability to gain trust and buy in from other stakeholders, to turn strategic outcomes into real plans for action and communicate this effectively within and outside the Council.
• Excellent analytical skills - financial analysis of cash-flow, net returns; occupational data around space needs, operational costs and budgets, options appraisal and balanced scorecard analyses to establish optimum outcomes.
• Strong analysis, interrogation and challenging skills in order to obtain evidence to develop and support policy, strategy and negotiations. Including risk, financial data, legal and other information.
• Strong ability to read and interpret professional reports and write comprehensive reports and presentations.
• Ability to innovate new property solutions and think laterally to solve problems.
• Excellent verbal, written and presentational skills aligned to the different groups and levels of audience.
• Excellent organisational skills to compile, update and maintain budget forecasts, operational reports and registers, etc.
• Highly delivery focused with ability to plan and meet deadlines and other performance criteria.
• ‘Can do’ attitude.