Head of Property

The Company:

Our client is one of the largest retail groups in its sector with sites throughout the UK.

An outstanding Head of Property is now being sought in this newly created role.

The Position:

Reporting to the CFO, you will be part of the Executive Committee having accountability for the real estate portfolio of our client. You will primarily be responsible for the development and delivery of all estate management, asset management and facilities services functions plus the delivery of strategic growth priorities through acquisition, consolidation, relocation and refits, and disposals as appropriate across all their UK retail locations, residential assets, warehouse and support centre.

In addition, you will lead a team to effectively deliver and provide expert strategic support to the CFO.

Key Accountabilities

Estate management

With a good understanding of the market ensure that our lease agreements are favourable and cash is optimised Manage team, agent network and legal partners to ensure that we have up to date lease agreements with all landlords Work with landlords to ensure our properties are operating legally, effectively and retain good relationships Ensure that we are charged rates in line with the rateable value of the property and receive the correct services from relevant councils Ensure that we take advantage of all grants, rent holidays, rates holidays etc and ensure the finance team have the right support to ensure accounting and cash benefit

Facilities services

Responsible for the management of all third parties to ensure the agreed service is delivered for the retail network and warehouse in line with KPI’s and SLA’s Lead facilities team to develop and plan the capital investment programme for the estate (security, facias and internal works) Lead facilities team to perform all insurance works ensuring all internal and external parties follow the agreed process

Asset management

Responsible for management of all assets and warranties Lead periodic (bi-annual at least) performance assessment of each of the retail assets to determine market plan, identify opportunities for relocation, consolidation, closure and refit Ensure that disposals are actioned and completed correctly Work with the facilities team to ensure the rental network is compliant with all relevant safety standards and compliance requirements Ensure that we receive all property income and that we maximise all the investment/maintenance versus income available for these properties

M&A agenda

Using existing network strategy as the basis for preferred acquisition targets, lead periodic update in partnership with finance Work closely with the agencies who represent the active market for sales in the UK to bring all and every acquisition opportunity forward for review Analyse potential targets for proximity to competitors, using market intel understand what estate considerations are important to our decision (local intel, competitors movements etc) Work with the finance team to understand the value of the assets available on the market and make recommendations about purchase Manage the process of the deal and implementation within the organisation Review post acquisition, working closely with other functions especially operations to learn how to improve performance and process

General

Ensure the communications and engagement strategy for the projects are managed and key stakeholders are kept informed regarding delivery against key project milestones In conjunction with all relevant stakeholders, assist with the annual capital investment programme and identified revenue spend Manage the opex and capex budgets within plan and report to all relevant stakeholders (£xm opex and £xm capex) Responsible for ensuring all landlords and planning consents are in place when required

Team

Act as the business expert and lead for property; providing thought leadership to the business and ensuring knowledge is kept up to date by external engagement such as attendance at digital forums and events Engage effectively with the wider leadership team to drive the digital agenda and promote alignment across functions Lead the our client’s code within property Build a strong, motivated team who have the capability to support and create digital systems as required Manage, coach, and develop the property team, with transparency, enthusiasm, and drive to determine the best structure to support the growth of our client Attract talent into the organisation by actively promoting our client as a place to work within networks and publicising ways of working and products success

The Candidate

The ideal candidate is likely to have significant property experience within either the healthcare or retail sectors.

Other key attributes sought are:

• significant leadership experience in developing and mentoring high performance teams
• quality, compliance and legislative appreciation
• commercial awareness and the drive to do deals
• proven experience of estates, facilities and asset management
• confidence and gravitas to challenge other leaders and directors
• attention to detail, ability to multi-task, work to deadlines and well under pressure
• good negotiator with creative problem solving skills
• clear and concise communication skills
• good IT skills
• be a strong team player and confident self starter with a willing can-do attitude

The Location:

The Head of Property will travel extensively throughout the UK.

The Salary & Supporting Benefits:

Attractive base salary, car allowance, bonus, pension, private medical cover, discounts and 26 days holiday

The above are principal elements in a comprehensive package reflecting our client’s determination to fill this post with a first class Candidate.

It is our policy to practice equal opportunities in recruitment and selection for all Candidates. We have a responsibility to avoid unlawful discrimination.