Operational Leader

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) are the public sectors property valuation experts and advisers with a vision to be a world-leading provider of public sector valuations. As one of the largest employers of surveyors in the country, our work is vital to the collection of over 60 billion of revenue which goes back into communities, touching every citizen and every business across England and Wales.

We champion the values of professionalism, integrity, respect and innovation. We are committed to providing a collaborative and supportive working environment that encourages every colleague to contribute, grow and excel together. With opportunities to drive your own development and growth, we empower our colleagues to succeed by ensuring support at every step of their career journey.

Role Overview

The Operational Leader for the Regional Valuation Unit covering the East Region is a key leadership role with responsibility for leading a team of around 300 to 400 people undertaking property valuations. The post holders responsibility will cover the East region, combining operational delivery with a statutory officer role for Non-Domestic Rating.

The post holder will work closely with the Deputy Director of Rating to drive forward transformational change, seek out operational efficiencies, and engage our people to support the business to deliver excellent customer service. This is a hugely collaborative role, so you will be required to quickly build effective relationships with colleagues, peers and key stakeholders with a focus on driving the best possible service for our customers.

With responsibility for high-profile, complex, and contentious work, you'll have the chance to make a significant impact on the Agency's reputation and performance.

Key responsibilities

• To lead and manage the Regional Valuation Unit ensuring high-profile, complex and contentious work is managed in order to take into account implications for the Unit and wider Agency reputation.
• Undertake stakeholder management to resolve potentially competing requirements and to be a visible and active member of the Operations Senior Management Team, and wider Corporate Leadership Community.
• To manage the Regional Valuation Unit to adapt to changing requirements in an operational context that will be continually changing, sometimes at pace. Have overall accountability for performance of all Teams within the East Unit.
• To be pro-active in managing risks, anticipating issues and understanding underlying causes before providing solutions.
• To be accountable for the Unit budget and to ensure that activities are undertaken within budgetary forecast and constraints, reporting anomalies.
• To actively manage Unit performance and take proactive action where problems are identified by Team Leaders.

We are looking for an experienced leader for this critical role within the Agency. The ideal candidate will be a qualified surveyor with a proven track record in managing large teams across multiple locations. You will possess the ability to set strategic direction, engage and motivate colleagues, and deliver high-quality services while maintaining visibility and fostering collaboration across the Unit and broader Agency stakeholders.

Essential Requirements

• MRICS/FRICS or IRRV (hons) qualification in the valuation or real estate pathway.
• Extensive experience in operational management, including planning, budget management, and resource allocation. 
• You will possess an extensive valuation practices and legislative knowledge which you use to deliver technically sound solutions.
• Proven ability to lead, develop and coach large teams across a wide geography, enabling the delivery of business objectives driving engagement and continuous improvement. 
• Strong stakeholder management and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively to achieve co-operation over mutually acceptable solutions. Using these relationships to manage demand and determine priorities in a robust and considered way, thinking beyond your own remit and contributing to wider business pressures adopting an outward facing approach.
• Ability to deliver change and support transformation to lead teams through change, particularly around changing behaviours, demonstrating high levels of resilience in adapting to changing requirements.
• Political awareness and understanding of the wider business environment, including risk management and reputational considerations. 
• Completing regular site visits to support engagement and collaboration across the Unit.