Head of property

Head of Property

Permanent, Full Time, 37 hours per week

From £75,455 to £88,770 per annum + benefits

Location: Chelmsford

*Working Style: Anywhere worker

*This role has a hybrid working arrangement. We will expect you to attend our Chelmsford offices based on business engagement needs (typically 2-3 days per week). There will also be a requirement to visit other sites throughout the operational area, as required.

We're open to a chat about flexible working arrangements. No promises, but we would still like to hear from you if you would like to discuss potential options.

About us

The Essex Property team is responsible for strategically managing and developing Essex County Council's (ECC) £1.7bn estate, which covers approx. 350 corporate buildings from libraries to County Hall, and around 1,400 sites ranging from residential care to country parks and schools.

ECC is delivering an ambitious estate transformation programme with strong foundations based on its approved property strategy and the three core pillars "Smaller, Better and Greener". Driving value out of the estate is critical, whilst also supporting service delivery by providing high quality facilities, in the context of a broader transformation programme and devolution.

This is an exciting time of change at Essex County Council. We are progressing devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR), and this work will evolve at pace over the next twelve months towards a Mayoral election in May 2026. As the Head of Property, you will play a pivotal role in this, working closely with senior leaders (including executive directors, the chief executive, and councillors) across the organisation. This represents a significant but exciting, career defining challenge, and the successful applicant will have the opportunity to deliver this agenda at one of the largest and best performing Local Authorities in the UK with a very interesting and diverse asset base.

Essex Property is a relatively small expert professional team supported by our external specialist consultancy partners Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH). The Head of Service - Property will lead and manage the team, working to targets and KPI's to enable the successful and timely delivery of ambitious objectives including estate rationalisation, colocation, rental income and capital receipts generation.

The postholder will also act as primary commissioner for all property management services provided by LSH across the Council and will lead in the procurement of replacement specialist services in line with future requirements. This role is part of the Property, Investment and Delivery leadership team and has a key role to play in shaping and informing capital investment opportunities and the broader strategic ambitions of the function. To read more about us please visit: People, Policy, Economy an Public Health

What's in it for you?

* An opportunity to play a key role in determining and delivering the future of local government within Essex, gaining significant experience along the way.
* Work alongside an experienced senior leadership team at one of the largest and best performing Local Authorities in the UK.
* Generous Time Off: Starting with 27 days of holiday, which increases with your length of service, plus 8 bank holidays and up to 4 paid volunteer days each year to give back to your community.
* Secure Your Future: Benefit from enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), ensuring your financial security for the future.
* Health and Wellbeing: Access to comprehensive medical insurance to keep you and your family healthy.
* Travel: Choose between our car provision scheme or an annual allowance to suit your needs.
* Professional Growth: We cover the payment of professional fees for approved professions, supporting your career development.
* Work-Life Balance: Enjoy the flexibility of hybrid working arrangements, allowing you to balance work with your personal life.
* To read more please visit our Pay & Reward page on our careers site.

Organisational Accountabilities

Roles at this level will provide expert professional advice to inform corporate management and development of the Council as a whole. They will lead on turning this advice into business cases for political approval. The service delivery requirements and standards are usually clearly defined by the Director with annual staff and financial budgets. The role is accountable for:

* The translation of system leadership thinking (typically annual plans) to their area of work to deliver the political objectives and priorities of the Council, and which will ensure that all risks are actively managed.
* Working collaboratively across the council and thinking commercially to support the delivery of best possible outcomes for our customers on a financially sustainable basis.
* Maintaining and nurturing collaborative relationships for the function with external organisations that support the delivery of annual plans and developed a joined understanding of likely longer-term developments.
* Identifying opportunities using evidence-based insight for the improvement within their area of work, managing the changes so the highest possible levels of service quality are continually delivered.
* Implementing commercial and innovative solutions to emerging and complex issues that meet the needs of customers and deliver the best possible outcomes within agreed resources.
* Effective utilisation of digital technologies and innovation across the council and with stakeholders and partners.
* Celebrating Equality and Diversity and ensuring it is considered as part of all decisions taken.
* Using professional expertise to develop and translate functional strategies, goals and plans into their area of work that prioritises resources, complies with relevant legislation and statutory requirements and manages a level of appropriate risk.
* Managing the delivery of exemplar customer interactions to individuals and communities which support the management of strong relationships and a reputation for achieving outcomes and resolving issues.

The Experience You Will Bring

* Educated to RQF level 6 (Bachelor's degree) in a property management related discipline, or equivalent experience.
* Qualified member of an appropriate property and/or surveying professional body.
* Experience of working in a senior Property Management role including but not limited to; negotiating property transactions, developing and approving Heads of Terms, leases and service charges, thorough understanding of Landlord & Tenant law and Property Law relevant to public sector estates as well as rating management, education and highway estate management.
* Evidence of delivering a property strategy with clear commercial benefits and outcomes with significant experience leading a Property Management service covering a large and diverse property portfolio.
* Experience of working in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment with the ability to manage conflicting priorities.
* Ability to work effectively with internal stakeholders to scope requirements and work with external partners in a commissioning role, with evidence of contract and project management in a property field.
* Excellent influencing and communication skills - able to challenge robustly and constructively; adept at communicating complex challenges in a clear, compelling way.
* Leadership of a team - creates a high performance culture, draws on specialist skills and expertise effectively, celebrates success. Brings together diverse capabilities from across the organisation around clear goals.
* Embeds a culture of continuous improvement and innovation - learning from current practice inside and outside the organisation to test different approaches to delivery.
* Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

What you should do next

Please apply via the link, ensuring you provide an up-to-date CV and supporting statement when prompted.

Interviews

Interviews are scheduled to take place week commencing 11th August at County Hall, Chelmsford.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we're committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government's devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Once you've secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or would like a copy of the full role profile, please email laura.o'connor@essex.gov.uk

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