Estates Surveyor

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

The Chief Operating Officer Group works closely with the Home Offices policy and operational commands to enable us together to deliver the departments priorities. The group is comprised of different teams and professional functions, including Commercial, Finance, People, Portfolio and Project Delivery, Security, Estates and Information and Digital, Data and Technology.

A key purpose of the Home Office Property Services Team (HOPS) is to ensure that operational colleagues are supported by a Professional Property and Estates function that provides modern, fit for purpose, environmentally sustainable workplaces, that enables staff to maximise their operational effectiveness.

Estates Management is a critical function in delivering this, aligning closely with the Home Office Estates Strategy, Government Policies and operational priorities, while ensuring property and legal compliance across a diverse national leasehold and freehold portfolio.

We work in close partnership with Business Leads across the estate, alongside our professional partners including the Government Legal Department (GLD) and the Government Property Agency (GPA). Together, we develop and manage a pipeline of lease events, identify and champion opportunities for efficiencies, deliver robust business cases to Governance Boards, and review legal and professional advice relating to lease proposals.

This an exciting opportunity to join the HOPS Team as an Estates Surveyor.

The post holder will ideally be experienced in Estates Surveying and Government Property matters and expected to provide professional, specific and detailed estates advice across our complex and diverse national portfolio, including challenging assumptions and providing a steer to colleagues which safeguards the Home Office and Government interests.

The work will include:

• Dealing at pace with detailed and complex estate management and transaction work, including but not limited to:
  • Acquisitions
  • Rent reviews
  • Lease renewals/regears
  • Licences for alterations
  • Dilapidations negotiations
  • Freehold sales
  • Licences, MOTOs (Memorandum of Terms of Occupation) and TOAs (Terms of Occupation Agreement).
• Ensuring that agreements meet Home Office requirements, benefits the taxpayer and is in line with Government Legal Advice and Policies, whilst ensuring that value for money is achieved and that legal or commercial pitfalls are avoided.
• Assisting in providing timely, detailed and accurate advice and guidance.
• Directly collaborating, instructing and managing agents and lawyers with the view to ensuring that acquisition terms and conditions are acceptable and managing the work done by external estate surveying and legal service providers.
• Writing and presenting papers for Governance and Investment Boards in respect of lease events, as part of the wider national portfolio strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• With our Principal Surveyor, proactively review and manage lease documents and pipelines to ensure the agreements are in line with business needs and wider strategies.
• Prepare and present Governance reports and applications to internal Estates Investment Boards.
• Provide Estates advice and challenge of assumptions in a professional capacity.
• Procure, oversee and assess advice from other legal and professional partners to ensure that it benefits and is in line with Home Office interests.
• Manage and monitor upcoming lease events and opportunities for estates efficiencies, liaison with Strategy & Planning leads to identify opportunities for savings.
• Work collaboratively alongside our internal and external delivery partners and suppliers to ensure business requirements are met and delivered successfully.
• Support the HOPS senior management in development and delivery of the Home Office and wider Government estates strategy and pipeline.

Working Pattern

Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis.

Travel

UK wide travel as Home Office Property Services have sites across UK. Travel will be expected across the portfolio and regularly to London for official signing and sealing activities.

Essential Criteria

• Qualified Estates Surveyor (MRICS/FRICS).
• Experience of transactional work and estates management.
• Understanding of Lease Events, lease agreements, processes and associated legal terminology.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret complex data.
• Working collaboratively with key stakeholders to develop estates solutions and challenge assumptions.
• Ability to work towards tight deadlines in a multi-stakeholder, fast paced and high-pressured environment.

Desirable Criteria

• Membership of the Government Property Profession (GPP).