Salary Grade:
£30,000 - £32,000 p.a.
£2000 Car Allowance
NEST Pension,
Healthcare
27 days holiday (rising to 30 after 4 years)
Team:
Warwickshire Property & Development Group (WPDG)
Location:
Warwick/Leamington
Responsible to:
Head of Assets, Warwickshire Property & Development Group (WPDG)
Role Purpose
Warwickshire Property and Development Group (WPDG) is a company limited by shares wholly owned by Warwickshire County Council (WCC). WPDG has been established to deliver high quality sustainable developments and drive forward housing, economic development and regeneration across Warwickshire, to provide WCC with a long-term income stream to reinvest in Council services.
This role will be within the Asset Management side of the Business. The Group has responsibility to manage a diverse Council property portfolio of circa 600 assets comprising farms and smallholdings, country parks, schools, public buildings, industrial and commercial lets. The post holder will have a crucial role in supporting the delivery of the estate management functions to ensure best value for the Council.
Working collaboratively across the WPDG team and reporting to the Head of Assets, the post holder will support the Asset Management Team on various property matters but a key focus will include the statutory smallholdings estate extending to circa 5,000 acres. This estate comprises a mix of 45 equipped smallholdings, bare land holdings, retirement cottage, fishing agreements, allotments, woodland and conservation land. Providing a rental income over £1M, these properties are managed through 100 lettings comprising Farm Business Tenancies (FBTs), AHA tenancies, commercial leases, licences, residential lets, and internal agreements.
This is a great opportunity to join a team of experienced surveyors working on a range of activities across the county. In-house training and guidance will be provided as well as the opportunity to undertake qualification and training courses to move up to the next level with the full support of the organisation.
We are looking for a person who has some experience in rural matters to assist with that core activity but also is interested in supporting the wider portfolio.
Responsibilities
Delivery & Management:
You will provide crucial support in the day-to-day delivery and management of property lease management activity including:
● Supporting the Head of Assets in the delivery of multiple projects to time and budget
● Providing client advice and recommendations for the agricultural Smallholdings estate and other rural assets, including identifying new strategic opportunities
● Operational management of diverse leasehold interests including the letting of properties, rent reviews, surrenders, lease renewals, dilapidations, assignments and landlord consents
● Meeting with tenants and contractors on leases and property matters
● Providing coordination and undertaking of site visits and property inspections
● Assist in the appointment and management of various consultancies across business work streams
● Support the management and data integrity of tenancy management systems, property records, GIS data, and accounting systems
● Provide accurate and timely client reports and assist with writing business cases and forecasting of income and expenditure
● Preparation of tenancy management reports to meet key targets and plan surveying activities
● Develop an understanding of relevant legislation and policy to support the Group in compliance with such legislation
Key Skills and Experience:
● Working towards property qualifications or membership of a suitable professional body such as the RICS/MRTPI/CIOB/MAPM/CAAV.
● Basic understanding of agriculture, rural properties, commercial property and asset management process and application
● Must have a valid UK driving licence and access to a car for business use
● Demonstrable time management and strong organisational skills
● Demonstrable initiative and ability to work independently
● Must have strong verbal and numerical skills and be comfortable with report writing
● Must be customer-service driven and have excellent communication skills
● Must be motivated and demonstrate appetite to deliver.
Essential Criteria
1 Desire to develop a career in property and willingness to learn a wide and diverse range of property related disciplines
2 Be motivated and driven
3 Strong communication capabilities including use of various computer applications, numeracy, strong report writing and presentation skills
4 Ability to quickly understand complex scenarios and apply learning effectively
5 Proven ability to operate with external networks to the advantage of the Group and shareholder
Desirable
1 Relevant professional degree in property, ideally covering rural estate management, agricultural law and valuation
2 Practical experience in rural surveying, with good understanding of rural properties and agriculture
3 RICS Chartered surveyor, or working towards accreditation through APC
4 Fellow Member of the CAAV, or working towards accreditation from Probationary member
5 Understanding of residential property, commercial property, and public sector assets.