Programme Consultant - Corporate Estate Transformation
Newham Council | £750 per day | Hybrid Working
Contract / Fixed Term | Immediate Start | RICS Preferred
Reporting to: Director of Property & Estates
Programme Value: £8m savings target
Contract Length: Initial 12 months (extendable)
Location: Newham (hybrid working)
The Focus
The Council's corporate estate comprises approximately 70 buildings, but the overwhelming majority of cost - and therefore opportunity - sits within three priority assets:
Principal Office Building
c. £7m annual running cost
Approximately 60% vacant
Current value estimated at £20-30m versus a £90m acquisition cost (2007)
Two Town Hall Buildings
These assets are the clear programme priority. While the wider estate will remain under review, this role is about securing the right decisions - and implementing them - for the assets that matter most.
Purpose of the Role
To take the external options appraisal, rigorously challenge and refine it, and then own delivery.
You will:
Stress‑test assumptions and financial modelling
Identify viable options and strip out unnecessary complexity
Bring clarity to politically sensitive and high‑value decisions
Drive implementation across property, FM, legal, planning and governance workstreamsThis role requires someone who makes things happen, not someone who simply manages a plan.
Key Responsibilities
Challenging & Sharpening the Options
Critically interrogate the external appraisal and form a clear, independent view on the preferred path for each priority asset
Commission and direct additional specialist advice where required - acting as a commercially sharp and demanding client
Translate complex options into clear, decision‑ready recommendations for senior leadership and elected members
Identify near‑term savings (FM contract reviews, leasing strategies, licensing of vacant space) and progress them in parallel with longer‑term decisions
Principal Office Building - Core Workstream
This is the single most important task in the programme.
You will:
Develop and drive a clear strategy covering consolidation, vacant space options and a credible route to materially reducing annual running costs
Lead engagement with departments and service leads - challenging assumptions on space need and driving consolidation decisions
Co‑ordinate legal, planning, commercial and FM workstreams to progress the preferred option
Take decisions through Cabinet and other governance processes, supported by high‑quality papers and briefings
Town Halls - Parallel Workstream
Define the future role of each town hall within the corporate estate
Identify opportunities for cost reduction, income generation or more effective use
Oversee any capital or change projects required to support agreed future uses
Wider Estate Oversight
Maintain visibility of the wider portfolio without allowing it to distract from priority assets
Progress straightforward, low‑complexity savings such as lease exits, contract renegotiations and energy efficiencies
Departmental Engagement & Occupation Planning
Lead structured engagement with service heads, HR, IT and operational teams
Build a robust, evidence‑based understanding of actual space requirements
Ensure rationalisation decisions support service delivery, not undermine it
Governance, Reporting & Stakeholder Management
Run programme governance, including risks, decisions, milestones and savings tracking
Present regularly to Directors, senior leadership and elected members
Manage organisational sensitivities with pragmatism, authority and political awareness
Essential Experience
Proven delivery of complex corporate estate or major property transformation programmes
Strong track record of challenging and directing external property advisors
Senior‑level experience within or alongside local government or the wider public sector
Ability to engage across large organisations and bring stakeholders with you through change
Strong commercial understanding of running costs, FM contracts, occupation strategy and asset options
Excellent written and verbal communication, particularly for member‑level decision‑making
Self‑starter able to operate with autonomy, pace and resilience
Desirable
RICS qualified (General Practice, Project Management or Building Surveying)
Programme management qualifications (MSP, Prince2 or similar)
Experience of corporate estate rationalisation within local government or central government
Adecco acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and an employment business for the supply of temporary workers. The Adecco Group UK & Ireland is an Equal Opportunities Employer.
By applying for this role your details will be submitted to Adecco. Our Candidate Privacy Information Statement explaining how we will use your information is available on our website