Senior Leasehold Property Manager

For jobs located in Wales, the ability to speak Welsh is desirable.

From the design and development of policies to the delivery of services supporting work, welfare, pensions and child maintenance, DWP is the Government’s largest department.

People are at the very heart of what we do. We ensure disabled people can live more independent lives; help tackle poverty and homelessness; provide a financial foundation for a secure old age; and support families ensuring children can fulfil their potential.

DWP has the largest commercial estate in government and our team is committed to being smaller, greener and better – helping people to work, grow and thrive. Our estate provides accommodation for colleagues who support millions of daily customer interactions in Jobcentres and Health Assessment centres, back of house offices delivering frontline services and hub sites housing expert functions such as Policy, Finance, Digital and HR.

The DWP Estates function ensures the smooth and efficient operation of this network on a day-to-day basis. We manage a private sector supply chain that delivers essential services such as security guarding, maintenance, property and leasehold, construction, cleaning and facilities management. Many of these services are business critical and we cannot safely open our offices without them. 

Our ambitions are to:

• Transition to a smaller, more affordable, and adaptable estate
• Invest in improving DWP’s buildings and infrastructure, conducted mainly through an extensive programme of planned replacement works 
• Meet our agreed Government Greening Commitments – creating a culture where sustainability is embedded
• Expertly deliver cost effective services
• Create a professional working culture that is best in class across the Government Property world.

There is no better time to join us as we transform our estate and make our buildings fit for the future.

As a Lead Leasehold Property Manager you will be a key member of the Leasehold Team during this exciting time when DWP is modernising and investing in its estate. We have an ambitious programme of work to deliver over the next few years, including high volumes of lease acquisitions, divestments, lease renewals, regears and landlord consents, on top of the day-to-day work of managing the largest estate in Government.

Working to the Head of Leasehold Property Lead in achieving the Department’s strategic objectives, this senior role will lead a team and manage and direct expert suppliers (property consultants and solicitors). You will be given the opportunity to lead on specific projects and areas of specialism where you will act as DWP’s leasehold subject matter expert.

Government Property Profession Career Framework (Link)

This role sits within the following:

• Job Family – Strategic Asset Management
• Core Role – Property Portfolio Management
• Level – Senior Practitioner

Key accountabilities

• To provide leadership and oversight of all DWP’s leasehold responsibilities including:
• Property transactions required to deliver strategic change eg: acquisitions and disposals, lease regears and landlords’ consents
• Lease event management eg Rent reviews & lease renewals
• Day to day estate management duties to ensure compliance with lease obligations
• To act as a subject matter expert, providing advice and direction to the senior stakeholders to shape strategy in accordance with best practice
• Drive financial performance to meet in year budget targets, providing accurate annual and monthly forecasts within their region or building portfolio and identify and proactively address opportunities for cost reduction including: Exploiting lease event opportunities to keep operating cost to a minimum
• Maximise opportunities to recover business rates and service charge costs
• Identifying opportunities to increase revenue from the estate and vacant space
• Accountability for commercial assurance and approval of financial commitments for commercial property transactions within Delegated financial levels and provide recommendations to governance forums where required, to ensure value for money and commercial probity
• Providing development and leadership for your team, embedding new ways of working and fostering a culture of ‘One Team’ that includes supplier partners and wider teams in DWP Estates, role modelling the civil service behaviours.
• Instruction and management of third-party supplier partners including building commercial relationships and ensuring appropriate challenge and professional rigour is applied to recommendations and decisions
• Accountability for accuracy of lease data, governance reports and supplier management reporting through regular audit and assurance activities
• Collaboration with other DWP Estates teams to review, develop and continuously improve cross team end to end processes to ensure effective hand-offs of responsibilities are clear and align with each area of expertise.
• Key stakeholder engagement and management, acting as subject matter expert and point of escalation on all aspects of leasehold management.
• To keep abreast of wider Government property initiatives and other government departments strategic intentions, to determine their impact on the DWP Estate eg One Public Estate, MEES/sustainability
• To keep up to date with market trends, understand and interpret benchmark information about “best in class” solutions to drive efficiencies across the estate when undertaking transactions and financial and supplier management.
• Undertake scenario planning exercises that analyse long term market and economic trends, considering how this might influence and develop the future DWP estates strategy.
• To ensure consistency in approach and continuous improvement throughout the extended team by regularly reviewing methodology, process, and approach, identifying lessons learned and sharing knowledge as and when required
• Ensure succession planning for the Leasehold team by managing capability assessment, professional development of the existing team 

Essential Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Demonstrable experience in commercial property management gained within the property function of a large organisation
• A successful track record of managing complex and high value estate management transactions such as acquisitions, disposals, lease renewals, re gears and rent reviews
• Sound judgement and ability to demonstrate commercial acumen in decision making
• Experienced in financial management of outgoing property liabilities including forecasting, budgeting and rental accounting
• Excellent written and oral communication skills including experience in presenting to senior governance forums
• Strong analytical skills including research and investigation, able to analyse and manipulate data for reporting and decision making
• Experienced in instructing, managing and leading real estate suppliers
• Ability to engage and work effectively with technical, legal and regulatory matters
• Strong track record in leading teams in a hybrid working environment

Qualifications/professional memberships

Desirable

• Appropriate RICS membership or willing to work towards
• Previous Line management experience