Portfolio Manager, Global Estates

This is a great opportunity for an experienced and driven property transactions specialist to identify commercial opportunities and lead property transactions across the Global Portfolio. This is a challenging role that requires commercial astuteness, excellent negotiation skills, tenacity and the ability to navigate through complexity to ensure that tangible outcomes are capable of being defined and delivered.  

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING 

The Portfolio Manager, GE develops and implements all types of property transactions relating to the British Council global portfolio of properties.  This includes undertaking property acquisition, sales and/or leaseback, leading negotiations (or oversee negotiation where appropriate) with landlords regarding leases at inception or renewal and to manage the ongoing relationship with landlords and managing agents throughout the lease.

You will also contribute to the development and implementation of real estate strategies for all global properties through identifying and realizing commercial opportunities to drive forward on value and improvements to the efficiency and effectiveness of the global estate.

You will oversee estate projects as work priorities and resources require, particularly those leading from a property transaction. These estates projects may include supporting the business during the bid process for new business, as well as the implementation of transaction led multi-site initiatives.

You will strategically partner the business, leading and aligning GE property transactions with the business strategy through building and leveraging the senior leadership network within British Council, the wider Government departments and our professional services partner.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Educated to graduate degree level or with equivalent professional experience in a property-related discipline, supported by full membership of and accreditation with a relevant professional property institute (e.g. RICS)
• Significant commercial track record relating to occupational management and client-side property transactions across multiple geographical markets globally.
• Experience in leading occupational property transactions, negotiating with landlords and brokers, globally.
• Knowledge of real estate service lines and experience of delivering multiple transactions at any time.
• Thorough understanding of the real estate and project management lifecycle and principles.
• Understanding of lease administration, lease audit, lease compliance and financial reporting from the landlord and tenant perspective.
• Strong vendor management and commercialism skills, particularly in relationship to alliances/partnerships with service providers.
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary estates team.
• Experience of managing service provision through both in-house staff and professional partners.
• Sound understanding of real estate legislation and leave events.
• Experience in meeting regular and as hoc reporting deadlines.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT 

This role is a member of the GE team, providing specialist commercial real estate management of property transactions across the global estate.

The estate is British Council’s highest spend category, after people, with over 300 commercial property interests.  

The portfolio is made up of a range of leased, licensed, freehold, co-located and partnership premises with over 100 property transactions due in 2019 and over 75 in 2020.  For leased properties, just over 50% of our agreements have recurring break options which occur annually or less.  

A number of the British Council wide transformation programmes have property transaction implications in order to implement new operating models and achieve financial benefits.

The role of the Global Estates function is to ensure that the British Council estate properly projects the British Council brand and values, works hard for the business and provides a modern, welcoming and functional place in which to work and do business.  

Our work makes a lasting difference by building more inclusive societies and supporting people’s prospects.

Together, we can do more.

To apply, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/EA-BSS-0023e