Head of Asset Strategy

If you’re an experienced property professional who is keen to be part of transforming the way assets support the delivery of public services, this is the perfect job for you!

Our Asset Strategy team is part of the Asset and Environment service within the Place and Economy directorate.   This role takes the lead for Asset Management, Strategic Corporate Property Mangement, Commercial Property and Business Centres, holding responsibility for service delivery and sustainability of the council’s property estate and reports directly to the Assistant Director.

You will lead operational managers to deliver professional and timely estates and commercial property management to both our internal and external customers, across a circa £660m estate. The estate comprises a range of different corporate properties, including day centres, offices, depots, children's homes, investment properties, and sites held for sale. 

This role will be both challenging and rewarding and that’s why you’ll bring extensive knowledge and understanding of landlord and tenant contracts, public sector asset management, public sector legislation around the duty to obtain best consideration, governance processes, and disposal/ acquisition processes.

Here at North Northamptonshire Council, we’re transforming for the better, using all our creativity and imagination to create the best life for our local people.

You’ll find that we have a wide range of careers that may be more surprising than you think!

Why choose us?

We offer a vibrant working environment with:

• a competitive salary
• a pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill-health protection.
• lots of opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council
• generous leave entitlement (28 days, rising to 33 days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days
• hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs to help you with a healthy work-life balance.

We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.

As the Head of Asset Strategy, you will be accountable for maximising the value and use of the Councils estate, by:

• Leading the Review and rationalisation of the Council Estate. 
• Ensuring the Council meets its obligations with regard to achieving best value from disposals and acquisition
• Find ways to preserve and grow the Councils significant Commercial portfolio. 
• Explore ways the Council can transform its estate by working with internal directorates, public sector partners, and Town & Parish Councils
• Ensuring arrangements are in place to Value the Councils Estate as part of its financial reporting arrangements.

You will contribute to and maintain asset strategy policies, developing and implementing procedures to ensure the best return and sustainability of the council’s assets and producing reports on asset information for senior management including making recommendations for underutilised and surplus properties.

You will be educated to degree-level or equivalent by experience and hold a membership of a relevant Professional Body and/or management qualification e.g. RICS, CMI, ILM 

You’ll have strategic knowledge & understanding of commissioning/running Asset Management services and/or estates management teams.

You’ll need to bring a working Knowledge and understanding of the dynamics and complexities of public sector and Local Government.

If you are looking to further your career in a large complex organisation that can provide you with a range of career experience, then we’d love to welcome you to our friendly team. 

We currently work in a hybrid way, so there are opportunities to balance great face to face service, with the flexibility to work remotely. 

For an informal discussion about the role or to find out more information, please contact Jonathan Waterworth, Assistant Director for Assets and Environment. Email: jonathan.waterworth @northnorthants.gov.uk

Our Values and Behaviours

Our values define who we are and how we operate, by forming the foundation for how we interact with our customers, colleagues and provide our services. They are also at the forefront of our decision making and delivery and are:

Customer-focused
Respectful
Efficient
Supportive
Trustworthy

Our Key Commitments

Our key commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most.

We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role.

North Northamptonshire Council re-signed the Armed Forces Covenant in June 2024 which highlights the Council’s pledge to support the Armed Forces community. The council obtained the silver status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) and we are now currently working towards achieving Gold status.

We aim to be a carbon neutral Council by 2030.

Further information can be found at Jobs and careers | North Northamptonshire Council (northnorthants.gov.uk)