Principal Corporate Property Surveyor
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Apply before 11:55 pm on Friday 8th November 2024
Details
Reference number
Salary
For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading ‘Salary’.
Job grade
Contract type
Business area
Type of role
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Job summary
Are you passionate about corporate property?
Do you have great technical property knowledge and experience?
Do you want to deliver estate transformation?
If so, this could be the job you have been looking for.
Defra Group Property (DgP) is part of Defra Group Corporate Services and provides accommodation services to the Defra Group. It also heads significant workplace transformation programme across the corporate property portfolio focused on creating great places to work for Defra Group staff. Our ambition and goals for the Defra Group estate is to:
- Create sustainable property and workplaces that enhance wellbeing, engagement, and productivity.
- Put people in the places they need to be to do their best work and among the communities they serve.
- Give choice over where and how people work so that they are empowered to work in the smartest ways.
We’ll do this by:
- Creating working environments and collaboration spaces that people want to use and that make them more productive.
- Keeping people safe and enhance their wellbeing.
- Connecting people from across the Defra group.
- Attracting a diverse and talented workforce.
- Achieving sustainable, aspiring to the highest environmental standards.
- Meeting the needs of the business and customers it serves now and in the future.
To achieve this, we deliver a range of property services and projects on behalf of Defra Group and its partner organisations. These activities range in scale and complexity across circa 300 property holdings, from offices to laboratories, and projects encompass new builds, refurbishments, refits, life cycle replacement works and everything else in between. We have a strategic workplace and property plan with our key projects and works now agreed, so there’s never been a more exciting time to join DgP.
The Corporate Property Team provides property management services, transactional services and property advice to the Defra Group organisations.
Job description
Your role will be to help the efficient and effective management of property interests, and central to that will be the opportunity to use your skills and experience to protect the interests of the Defra group as an owner and occupier of property. The Corporate Property function is both a supervisory and transactional business which combines in-house knowledge and experience with out-sourced market expertise. You will be involved with and be expected to advise organisations within the Defra Group on the property matters impacting their business area, as well as helping a Group wide estate transformation programme through the delivery of a property transactions and disposals.
The primary purpose of a Principal Corporate Property Surveyor role is to provide technical leadership, provide clear consistent and reasoned advice on property matters to all parts of the Defra Group as required; commission, manage and assure professional services and facilitate and help the delivery of strategy designed to make workplaces more efficient and to minimise costs. A value-added service, the post holder will be technical skilled and possess the professional knowledge, skills and experience required to manage the property portfolio and deliver commercial transactions that provide value for money.
The post holder may also provide advice to help the delivery of the Strategic Workplace and Property Plan, Capital Investment plan, disposals and acquisitions as well as advising on ownership issues linked with the delivery of FMR (forward maintenance for asset management). This role will work closely with each team within group property to provide specialist strategic asset management advice, give recommendations and inform decision making to ensure the operational estates is operationally effective, sustainable and efficient. The Corporate Property Surveyors may also be required to mentor, coach and challenge colleagues in order to build wider capability overtime. High quality, clear outputs will be a key deliverable for the Principle Corporate Property Surveyor role.
You will:
- Provide professional property advice across the diverse property portfolio to a broad spectrum of government bodies each with its own business objectives; matrix managing differing priorities to ensure outcomes consistent with Defra Group objectives: interest management (legal interest on freehold, leasehold, MOTOs (inter-government leases), disposals and acquisitions; advising on lease compliance; interpreting legal ownership information, titles and leases; and interpreting government policy and strategy in the context of Defra Group’s aims and objectives.
- Through the commissioning, management and assurance of outsourced property service provider, or directly where appropriate, provide advice and guidance on such activities as rent reviews, lease renewal, landlord/tenant queries, recharging, property acquisition and disposal and land law;
- Provide environmental & sustainability advice relevant to commercial property and commercial property transactions (including policy development & consultation across departments, input into project specifications and compliance issues across the estate). For example the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards;
- Provide specialist advice/or produce papers for briefing submissions and official correspondence (complex Parliamentary Questions, Freedom of Information, National Audit Office (NAO), Internal Audit (IA), public enquiries);
- Contribute advice/ input into inform Defra Group Workplace Strategy to keep pace with Government Estates Strategy;
- Measure, performance against KPIs (key performance indicators) for contracted property advice, taking immediate remedial action where there is failure to achieve standards, widely applying lessons learnt where positive performance is achieved and undertaking ‘deep dive’ into KPI data to identify trends that can drive and enhance performance for customer benefit;
- Contribute to Defra Group workplace planning to define portfolio changes and to develop future strategy implementation, having regard to sustainability, safety and other professional property advice;
- Provide joined up management: Accountable for working within a team and across Defra Group Property to ensure join-up of activities, priorities and shaping strategic thinking
- Personally and through the team, develop and implement improvement and innovation to working practices, processes and systems across Defra Group, driving consistency and best practice, developing a model to do things once and right in a way that customers recognise and appreciate.
- Use management information to develop an exceptional knowledge of delivery, portfolio and team across Network Estates using data to drive up performance.
Person specification
Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate the following qualifications, skills and experience:
- A property professional with commercial property management and/or lease advisory experience of a complex estate;
- Working within an operational delivery environment;
- Producing reports and gathering evidence;
- Working with 3rd party contractors / other government departments;
- Significant Estate management experience;
- Experience of corporate real estate, estate management and transactional services;
- Transactional and advisory services to the Client using a combination of in-house expertise and external professional advisors;
- Experience of delivering specialist property advice guidance and transactions aligned to the property strategy and good estate management;
- Ability to share technical expertise to improve knowledge, capability and competence;
- The ability to collaborate with colleagues across organisational boundaries;
- Experience of managing property within a complex stakeholder and customer environment; and Experience of commissioning, supervision and delivery through external property advisors.
- Hold a recognised professional surveying qualification, be a qualified RICS Chartered Surveyor with significant post qualification experience.
- Hold Professional Membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and preferably commercial property, property management, lease advisory or commercial valuation discipline.
Licences
Qualifications
Memberships
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Property management practice, land law, leases and tenancies and professional conduct and ethics.
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Infobite: Benefits of the alpha pension scheme (youtube.com)
Flexi Time Policy - Our Flexi-time policy allows you to vary your hours from day to day, within the requirements of your role, to suit your needs and to offer a better work/life balance.
Leave - If you work full time at Defra you are entitled to 25 days’ leave (rising, over 5 years, to 30 days’). If you work part time it will be pro-rated.
Privilege day - You are also entitled to a privilege day off in May to mark the King’s birthday (date varies), plus time off for the 8 public holidays a year.
Career breaks - We recognise that your work-life balance can extend beyond the short-term to the longer-term, and to support this you are able to apply for career breaks. These are unpaid extended breaks from work, granted at the discretion of the department.
Volunteering leave - 3 days paid volunteering leave every year (pro-rata). Once you have passed probation.
Season ticket loan – for an interest free season ticket loan, if you have worked within the Defra for more than three months. This can be used to purchase train and bus season tickets, as well as station car parking.
Tenancy deposit loan – for an interest free loan, to assist you in meeting the deposit costs for your privately rented home.
Salary advances and loans for other circumstances – for salary advances and loans in the following circumstances: for new entrants, for the purchase of bicycles, holidays and religious holidays.
Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme – Since the closure to new entrants of the employer childcare voucher scheme, the government introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. In this scheme, working parents open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2,000 a year for each child or £4,000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay for registered childcare.
Support to buy a bicycle – we run two schemes that can help you buy a bicycle for your commute:
- The Cycle to Work Scheme –you can apply for a bicycle for your commute, up to the value of £6,000, which is recovered from you through salary sacrifice, as a tax-free benefit. At the end of the repayment period, you have the option to buy the bike if you wish, saving around 30% of the original cost.
- Bike loan – if you are not eligible to apply for the Cycle to Work Scheme, you can apply for a loan of up to £1,000 towards the cost of a bike using the Bike loan Scheme. This however is not a salary sacrifice scheme.
High-street and online discounts - Offers through SmartSpending™ which is accessed through the StaR platform. Accessible 24/7, you can save at hundreds of top retailers.
Maternity leave, paternity leave and shared parental leave - We offer generous maternity leave, paternity leave and shared parental leave – a total of 52 weeks leave to look after your new baby, regardless of your length of service, Most mothers are entitled to 39 weeks of paid leave, and a further 13 weeks of unpaid leave. Most partners are entitled to 15 days of paid paternity leave. Shared parental leave arrangements are in place, allowing parents to divide their leave with each other.
Professional Membership - Defra group will fund one professional membership for each permanent employee which is relevant to their role.
Eye care scheme - If you use a computer screen in connection with your job, we will pay for a regular eyesight test, and you may also be entitled to help towards purchasing new glasses, if they are needed for computer use.
The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is a free 24/7 confidential telephone advice service, available to all of our staff throughout the year.
Civil Service Sports Council - The opportunity to join the Civil Services Sports Council.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Application Process
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and Behaviour statements.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
The CV should include your job history, qualification details and your previous skills and experience.
Sift
Should a large number of applications be received, the initial sift may be conducted using the lead Behaviour, Making Effective Decisions. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Sifting will take place w/c 11 November 2024.
Interview
If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on behaviours, experience and a technical skill.
The interviews will take place on MS Teams.
Interviews are scheduled to take place w/c 25 November 2024 but may be subject to change.
A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed.
Location
Please note this role can be based at the Leeds office (LS11 9AT), Newcastle Office (NE4 7YH) or Manchester Office (M4 3AQ). There is a requirement for travel to other sites to undertake inspections and attend meeting in locations inaccessible by public transport. Some overnight stays may be required for multi-day meetings/projects outside of hub location. A driving licence is therefore required.
As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s)
Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.
Successful applicants currently employed by the hiring Defra organisation for this post may choose to remain in their current contractual location or may choose to change contractual location to one of those listed above. This should be discussed and agreed prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.
Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.
The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.
Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Merit Lists
Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be posted in merit order by location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.
Salary
New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.
Visa Sponsorship Statement
Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.
Criminal Record Check
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
- Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Internal Fraud Database Check
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offenses. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Childcare Vouchers
Any move to Defra from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Sarah Binns
- Email : sarah.binns1@defra.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
Government Recruitment Services via email: defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Click https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/contact-us/ to visit Civil Service Commission.
