Senior Estates Surveyor

Oxford City Council
Building a world class city for everyone

Career Opportunity

The role
Oxford City Council is lo oking to recruit an experienced, dynamic senior estates commercial
landlord and tenant management surveyor capable of working as part of a team and on individual
projects. The role, S enior Estates Surveyor, sits within our Corporate Assets Team within the
Regeneration & Major Projects Service

This position offers the opportunity of contributing towards the delivery of comprehensive commercial
property management in respect of the Council’s diverse property portfolio, commercial and
operational (approx. 750 properties of which approx. 350 are ret ail).

The work is varied and requires a fully qualified experienced general practice RICS surveyor to
contribute with an enthusiasm for work and a “can do” attitude. The work will involve mainly
professional ac tivities including rent review and lease re newal negotiations, tenant liaison.
Depending on skill -sets there may also be opportunities for acquisitions, disposals, the preparation
of valuations and marketing of vacant property, RICS Red Book, Rating, CPO as required.

The post -holder must demonstra te experience of working within a multi -disciplined practice, ideally
with local authority knowledge and experience, be well organised, an excellent communicator,
adaptable and flexible in your approach yet possessing strong negotiation and influencing ski lls
and capable of utilising IT skills in a remote working environment.

About us
Oxford City Council prides itself on delivering high quality, cost effective public services. Oxford is
a world class city and the Council has high aspirations for its servic es and employees. We are a
multi -award winning Council and in May 2017 we were re -accredited at Gold level for Champion IiP
status. Our other awards include the Institute of Revenues Rating & Valuation (IRRV) ‘Excellence
in Innovation (General)’ winners 2017 , Oxfordshire Environment Partnership (OEP) ‘Best Food
Waste Reduction and Collection System’, and several ‘Team of the Year’ national and regional
awards across our Service Areas. This builds on our previous success in achieving ‘Council of the
Year’ in 2015. We are accredited with the Customer Service Excellence Quality Mark which helps
us to ensure that the customer is always placed at the heart of everything we do.

With over 700 staff dedicated to delivering the best service possible to our communities this is an
exciting time to be working in Local Government. We focus on improving outcomes for local people
and you might be surprised at the range and quality of the services we provide.

Job Title Senior Estates Surveyor (Req No. 001791 )
Service Area / Directorate Regeneration and Economy
Salary and Grade G8: £40,696 to £41,679 per annum - (pro rata for part time )
Contract Permanent
Hours per week 37
Location Oxford - St Aldate's Chambers

We offer a fantastic range of staff benefits that inclu de generous holiday (from 28 days a year plus
bank holidays), local government pension scheme, subsidised leisure membership, discounted
travel and flexible working in many roles. We offer well -defined opportunities through our learning
and development pro gramme. We also have an employee wellbeing programme, an employee
assistance programme and support via our dedicated occupational health service.

How to apply
More information is available on the role profile document. Please read this document to ensure
that you meet our requirements. More information about working for the Council, our values and
vision, is available on our web site.

Applications should be made via our online application system (no CVs please).
For further information and how to appl y online, please visit www.oxford.gov.uk
If you are unable to access our website please call 01865 252848 .
Note : For roles that require a DBS Certificate (Enhanced and or Barred List check), candidates are
required to supply their complete work history. Please ensure you explain any gaps in your work
history.

Coronavirus information: It is intended to conduct interviews via a video conferencing platform such
as Zoom or Jitsi; please contact us if this is not an option for you.

The successful applicant will be expected to work from home for the immediate future. They should
ensure that they have reliable and se cure wifi access; a suitable workspace and are prepared to
undertake distance learning and training.

Closing Date: 29 July 2020 Late applications will not be processed
Interview Date (s) : 10 August 2020

For an informal discussion about the post please contact Diane Phillips on 07483010448 or email
dphillips2 @ oxford.gov.uk

We are an equal opportunity employer:
We value the diversity of our people and actively seek to have a workforce that represents the rich
diversity of the community we support. We have policies in place to ensure that every applicant
and employee can flourish and succeed. Currently we are underrepresented in some areas, and
would particularly welcome applicants from BAME communitie s. All applicants will be given fair
consideration for work and will not receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of any
protected characteristic.

Oxford City Council is not currently licensed as a sponsor and cannot employ migrant workers
outsid e the European Economic Area and Switzerland under the Point Based System rules, issued
by the UK Border Agency.

Oxford City Council
Building a world class city for everyone

Role Profile s

Role information
Job Title Senior Estates Surveyor Position No. HR use only
Position type Permanent Hours per
week
37
Grade and Salary
Range
G8: £40,696 to £41,679 per annum - (pro rata for part time )
Location Oxford
Service Area /
Directorate
Regeneration and Economy
Responsible To Corporate Asset Manager No. of
employe es
0
Budget (£) N/A Assets Responsibility in
respect of the
Council's commercial
portfolio and assisting
with the management
of consultants, in
accordance with the
Asset Management
Plan
Rehabilitation of
Offenders Act 197 4
Not Exempt Additional
Screening
N/A
Candidate Screening Not required
Political Restriction This post is politically sensitive

Role purpose
 To be an effective member of the commercial property estates team delivering comprehensive
commercial property management in respect of the Council’ s diverse property portfolio (approx.
750 properties of which approx. 350 are retail) and to contribute to the de livery and estates
management of associated commercial e states m anagement activities within the entire estate .
 To undertake client and tenant communication/consultation, commercial property
management and to undertake professional activities mainly including rent review s and lease
renewal negotiations, although depending on s kill set may also include acquisitions, disposals,
the preparation of valuations and marketing of vacant property, RICS Red Book, Rating, CPO
as required. Some of these may be of a complex nature.
 To be responsible for the effective impleme ntation of allocated individual projects as required

Role responsibilities and main duties
To deliver support to the s ervice area on delivery of the Corporate and S ervice business plans
using appropriate organisational tools, policies and procedures in line with a Corporate Landlord
approach.

This includes:
• Carrying out allocated rent reviews and lease renewals, some of which may be complex ,
in order to maximise income flows.
• Assisting in the establishment and delivery of commerci al property managem ent services.
Other tasks may include acquisitions, disposals, valuations (including Council house
valuations under right to buy legislation and RICS Red Book Asset Valuations), appraisals
and landlord and tenant, CPO, any other valuation work such as rat ing as required and
depending upon experience and skill sets .
• Providing professional advice to the Council on matters relating to the commercial portfolio
property management, especially in relation to landlord and tenant roles and
responsibilities .
• Ensuring the involvement of and consultation with stakeholders in the delivery of services
as required .
• Assist ing in the establishment and implementation of appropriate maintenance and
improvement programmes for the Council’s commercial property and other let portfolios as
required .
• Ensuring the implementation of good/best practice principles in the area of commercial
estates /property m anagement.
• Carry ing out day to day commercial property management duties , which include:

- Working with Finance to ensure t hat all rents, service charges, insurance and other
payments are correctly demanded, paid and collected when due, including
enforcement when necessary.
- Completing relevant database documentation relating to ownership and tenancies
when required.
- Dealing with landlord and tenant issues, including applications for consent to assign,
sublet, alter and changes of use.
- Undertaking inspections and ensuring landlords’ and tenants’ compliance with lease
obligations.
- If required, assisting in the preparation of marketing materials, and re -letting of any
voids within the portfolio.
- Providing the information required for budget forecasting, and
KPI’s.

- Where required, ensuring that schedules of dilapidations, wants of repair and notices
regarding bre aches of covenant are dealt with promptly.
- Liaising with tenants ensuring that a high standard of communication and service is
achieved at all times.

 Dealing with allocated property matters which may include negotiating release of covenants,
temporary lic ence agreements, and easements.
 Work ing to develop the Council’s continued reputation as a successful Council.
 Represent ing the Corporate Asset Manager / Property Manager as appropriate.
 Undertaking such other duties and responsibilities as determined by the Corporate Asset
Manager / Property Manager that are consistent with the level and nature of the post.
 Monitor ing service area delivery and support continuous service improvement, challenging
exis ting practice and actively seeking ways of achieving greater outcomes and leaner
delive ry
 Acting as ambassador for the service area both internally and externally representing the
service area priorities and organisation initiatives as appropriate
 Contribu ting to projects and service project teams as required
 Supporting development & delivery of a system of continuous review and improvement within
the Service so that ‘traditional thinking’ is challenged and innovation pursued.
 The ability to work from home/ part of a remote team is essential

The duties and responsibilities set out in this role profile are indicative of the role. They are
however, subject to change and you will be required from time to time to undertake other duties
commensurate with your grade.

Our commitment to Safeguarding
Oxford City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young
people and adults at risk and requires all staff and volunteers to demonstrate this commitment in
every aspect of their wo rk.

Who we are looking for
Candidates will be shortlisted on the basis of demonstrating that they fulfil the following criteria in
their application form and should include clear examples of how they meet these criteria.
Each of the criteria below will be measured through, the application form (A), interview (I),
test/exercise (T) or documentation (D).

Essential Criteria A I T D
Degree level and qualified as a RICS Chartered Surveyor (General
Practice).
 ☐ ☐ 
Significant experience in commercial property portfolio estate
management , valuation and negotiation of rent reviews and lease
renewals within a Corporate Landlord framework .
  ☐ ☐
Experience in ICT relating to property performance and budgetary
management, team working with a motivating can do attitude
 ☐ ☐ ☐
A strong track record of providing advice on all aspects of
Commercial Property Management services at a senior level within
an organisation of comparable size and complexity or within a
private practice environment.
  ☐ ☐
Proven ability to successfully analyse complex issues and situations
and provide practical and creative solutions.
  ☐ ☐
Evidence of continuing professional development , property issues,
opportunities, policies and legislative developments
 ☐ ☐ ☐
A proven track record in delivering tangible results and customer
focused services working corporately, across boundaries and with
external partners to achieve required goals.
.
  ☐ ☐

Desirable Criteria A I T D
Experience of RICS Red Book Valuation, Rating Valuation, Asset
Management Plan and managing commercial consultants
  ☐ ☐
Proven ability to operate effectively within a public sector
environment with political acumen to develop productive working
relationships with stakeholders
  ☐ ☐

Notes to candidates
In addition to the above criteria, Oxford City Council has developed and embedded a suite of
values and behaviours. Full details of these can be found on our web page, under Working for Us .
Please familiarise yourself with these values and behaviours. If you are invited for interview you
will be asked questions based on them.