Leasehold Property Manager

Job summary

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

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is one of the government’s largest public service departments with a sizeable annual budget, serving over 20 million citizens.

The estate spans 1.4 million square metres across 800+ sites and supports around 78,000 colleagues.

Our vision includes DWP colleagues, supply chain, partners and, most fundamentally, the customers the Department exists to serve. They are the reason for our existence.​

We are responsible for the day-to-day operation of our vast Estate by managing a private sector supply chain that delivers essential services such as Security Guarding, Maintenance, Property and Leasehold Management, Construction, Cleaning and Facilities Management.

DWP Estates is not just about maintaining buildings - it’s about transformation. Our strategic goals include:

• Transitioning to a smaller, more affordable, and adaptable estate to meet future needs
• Investing in infrastructure through planned replacement works
• Embedding sustainability in line with Government Greening Commitments (GGCs)
• Delivering cost-effective services while maintaining high standards
• Creating a professional, best-in-class working culture across the Government Property profession

Our Estates strategy ambitions have been refreshed to take us through to 2030:

• OPTIMISE: Continue to transition to a more affordable and adaptable DWP estate that creates productive environments

• INVEST: Investment in an improved environment that better meets the needs of customers and colleagues and minimises service disruption

• SUPPORT the drive for sustainability throughout DWP

• DELIVER: Expertly deliver improving, cost-effective services for DWP

• THRIVE: Continue to develop a working culture for DWP Estates that is best in class across government

As a 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, regears and landlord consents, on top of the day-to-day work of managing the largest estate in Government.

Working to a Senior or Lead Leasehold Property Manager, and deputising as necessary, you will manage a regional portfolio and be responsible for instructing and managing our expert suppliers (property consultants and solicitors) to obtain efficient delivery of property transactions. You will also have line management responsibility, and you will be given the opportunity to work with the Senior and Lead Leasehold Property Managers on specific projects.

Job description

Government Property Profession Career Framework (Link)

This role sits within the following:

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

Key accountabilities

• Aligning with DWP’s leasehold responsibilities, you will work with the Senior or Lead Leasehold Property Manager to deliver property transactions required to deliver strategic change eg: acquisitions and disposals, lease regears and landlords’ consents.
• Lease event management and assurance of proposals eg rent reviews & lease renewals
• Day to day estate management duties to ensure compliance with lease obligations
• Being the lead key contact for a range of general day to day estate management and project-based work across the property portfolio.
• Working with specialist suppliers including legal and estate management firms to deliver transactions and lease acquisitions and divestments, licenses to alter, wayleaves, dilapidation settlements, rent reviews and litigation.
• Supporting the Senior or Lead Leasehold Property Manager in giving assurance on financial matters and data and assisting them to provide accurate annual and monthly financial forecasts for your region or portfolio.
• Assurance of transactions within delegated financial responsibility.
• Management of supplier Business Rates proposals, giving assurance on settlements and costs where appropriate
• Assurance audit role for supplier data ensuring their outputs and reports are of appropriate quality and accurate
• 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.
• Data analysis and reviews of critical lease events, ensuring that supplier partners are instructed at the appropriate time.
• Reviewing recommendations from 3rd party suppliers and challenging them as appropriate, to ensure value for money and drive efficiencies across the estate
• Negotiating, establishing and processing inter- government tenancy agreements with Other Government Departments
• Recording, monitoring, data analysis, assurance and audit of business-critical data using excel trackers and online filing systems
• Ensuring consistency in approach and continuous improvement throughout the extended team by regularly reviewing methodology, process and approach, identifying lessons learned and sharing knowledge as required
• Ensure colleagues and stakeholders have a clear understanding of objectives, activities and timeframes across all lease management and approval process
• Understand the strategic drivers of estates and ensure all property occupation agreements and requirements are set out in alignment with the estates property strategy
• Support the preparation of business cases by providing relevant information to be included within the case papers

Person specification

Essential Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Demonstrable experience in commercial or residential property management gained within the property function of a large organisation
• Understanding of and ability to engage and work effectively on technical, legal and regulatory property matters
• High level management of key suppliers, directing/instructing commercial negotiations on all aspects of occupations and escalation of issues for resolution where necessary
• Knowledge of financial management of outgoing property liabilities including forecasting, budgeting and rental accounting
• Ability to understand the wider strategic clients’ business needs and be solution based in approach
• Strong analytical skills including research and investigation, able to analyse and manipulate data for reporting
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to use evidence to make decisions

Qualifications/professional memberships

Desirable

• Appropriate RICS qualification or working towards or willingness to work towards an appropriate RICS qualification
• Previous Line management experience

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together

Benefits