Asset Manager (Rural)

Crown Estate Scotland has an exciting opportunity for an Asset Manager (Rural) to join our Property team on a full-time permanent basis. 

This role will:

• Work with the Senior Asset Manager (Rural) and Head of Property (Rural) to undertake and oversee, within areas of responsibility, the efficient and effective management and development of Crown Estate Scotland Rural property assets in line with good estate management practices, relevant legislation and business plan objectives.
• Manage, monitor, report and make recommendations against all associated revenue and capital budgets, relevant asset management decisions and project work including compliance with required business standards and health and safety requirements.  
• Provide clear instructions to and ensure managing agents fully discharge their responsibilities in relation to the management of Health and Safety, property and land management across the portfolio.

About the role

The successful candidate for this role within the organisation will be responsible for:

• Working with the Senior Asset Manager (Rural) and Head of Property (Rural) to oversee the management of the CES Rural Portfolio, primarily through an outsourced model of external agents, to meet the primary objective of maintaining and enhancing the value of the portfolio and the income derived from leases and licences and in line with the requirements of the 2019 Scottish Crown Estate Act.
• Working with a range of managing agents and Senior Asset Manager (Rural) to produce revenue and capital income and expenditure budgets for these sectors, including subsequent quarterly forecasts and reporting.
• Providing day-to-day instructions, challenge, and direction to managing agent staff across separate management contracts in these sectors to ensure compliance with contractual duties and statutory requirements of CES legislation.
• Helping prepare, contribute to, and supporting the implementation of the Business Plan objectives in these business areas.
• Supporting the Senior Asset Manager (Rural) in the management of the rural portfolio assets, approving related expenditure requests, letting proposals, fees and operational reports within delegated limits. Recommending higher value proposals upwards for approval.
• Providing clear instructions to and working with agents and legal advisors to ensure that all leases, licences and other agreements are prepared and concluded in line with agreed heads of terms and all relevant transactions are monitored and concluded within relevant timescales.
• Providing clear instructions to and working with managing agents to ensure compliance with all relevant regulatory standards including property repairs and maintenance, property improvements and health and safety standards.
• Reviewing, monitoring and managing performance against all associated revenue and capital budgets prepared by managing agents to ensure compliance with internal CES system requirements, budget timetables, arrears targets and correct allocations and to meet business targets.
• Working with the Senior Asset Manager (Rural) and Head of Property (Rural) to contribute to the delivery of wider business targets as required.
• Assisting with the preparation of decision papers and reports regarding relevant asset management activities as required for the Director of Property, Executive Team, CEO and the Board.
• Supporting the Senior Asset Manager (Rural) in monitoring the management of capital expenditure and receipts and their cashflow against budget to ensure that financial targets are in line to be achieved throughout and at the end of each financial year.

Key responsibilities

Asset Management

• Working with the Senior Asset Manager (Rural), Head of Property (Rural) and managing agents to monitor the financial management of relevant property assets within business plan targets and to be responsible for the delivery of the annual revenue and capital budgets through financial control, monitoring of managing agents’ activities, and approving works, subject to delegated authority levels.
• Ensuring the smooth and efficient management of all relevant agreements, transactions and projects associated with the assets under management to meet operational targets.
• Providing instructions and direction to agents, solicitors and in-house support teams in managing the estate within delegated authority levels.
• Ensuring that the assets managed maximise available internal and external resources and secure value for money.
• Dealing with all relevant rural property enquiries, from tenants, the public, politicians and other stakeholders, including vacant land/property enquiries.
• Acting as a responsible member of the Property Team and contributing to the achievement of corporate portfolio targets by attending team meetings, sharing knowledge and experience.
• Undertaking site visits to inspect progress on live works projects, gather feedback from tenants/customers & ensure contractors and managing agents are positively challenged to deliver quality works on time and budget.
• Actively managing the onboarding of new rural assets and offboarding of disposals from all CES systems whilst ensuring that all CES staff and new/old tenants are made aware of those changes, in liaison with the Portfolio co-ordination colleagues.
• Monitoring of performance of managing agents according to the terms of their appointments, driving actions in delivery of the agreed budgets on an annual basis.
• Analysing financial & non-financial information to report on performance of assets to inform decision-making, outlining any gaps and developing information sets as required.
• Preparing Green Book business cases and undertake the necessary training to do so to enable delivery of CES programmes.
• Providing specialised expertise to assist in the management of the Estate, including legal and technical matters which will be sourced from external specialists, to generate and protect income, advance sustainable development and deliver an excellent customer service.
• Working with managing agents to develop existing and new income sources to maximise income opportunities for the Estate.
• Contributing to any onboarding and operationalisation of a bespoke CAfM system to support best practice in asset management.

Strategy and Policy

• Assisting the Senior Asset Manager (Rural) and Head of Property (Rural) in reviewing individual property assets within the portfolio and determine strategies to maximise returns and added value generated in line with the overall investment strategy.
• Ensuring all relevant policies and procedures are in place, are kept under review and followed as required.
• Working collaboratively with other staff within the Property Team on cross portfolio strategic initiatives.
• Working within CES’s policy framework and to make suggestions for improvement to ensure that CES complies with good estate management practice.

Business management

• Supporting the preparation of draft papers for the Director of Property for consideration by the appropriate Committee or Board.
• Contributing, as required, to the annual business planning process, incorporating budgets and corporate and business objectives.
• Supporting Senior Asset Manager (Rural) in the identification of risks to the delivery of business objectives and ensure suitable mitigation plans are developed and implemented in a timely manner.

Public relations

• Helping identify opportunities for communication and media activity, working to profile the contribution of the organisation to Scotland.
• Contributing to the on-going approach to customer focus, public relations and communications for the portfolio.
• Maintaining good working relationships with other stakeholders including regulatory bodies and government departments.
• Responding to consultations, enquiries and to positively represent CES in all correspondence, on the telephone, by all other communication methods and at external meetings and functions.
• Exercising sound judgement and sensitivity with all Crown Estate stakeholders.

Health and safety

• As an employee of CES the job holder has specific responsibilities for the health and safety of themselves, their colleagues, contractors, visitors and members of the public, as set out in CES Health & Safety Policy Documents.
• Providing support to the Director of Property in ensuring that a consistent approach to health and safety is adopted within the portfolio.

Legal and Governance

• Working within CES’s legislative and governance framework and making recommendations for improvement.

The above list of responsibilities is not exhaustive, and the post holder may be required to undertake other responsibilities and training as requested by their line manager, appropriate to the grade. Further, the holder of the post will be expected to work flexibly across all the dimensions of the corporate plan.

The contractual working location of this role is our Edinburgh office.  We believe work is something you do, not a place you go to, and we are committed to supporting employees to work flexibly and in a way that suits their role and preferences. 

The salary will be £59,003 with potential for future progression and annual cost of living rises. The maximum salary for this role is currently £68,501.  The role also benefits from 25 days’ annual leave, plus 11.5 of public/ privilege days.  Crown Estate Scotland encourage flexible working and operate a discretionary flexi-time scheme.  This role offers participation in the Civil Service pension scheme. 

About You

You should:

• Hold a relevant first degree in a property, rural or estate management related subject or equivalent.
• Hold Chartered Membership of the RICS or similar, or working toward such professional membership.
• Have significant experience or similar working in rural asset/estate management roles commensurate with the work of CES management.
• Have significant experience or similar of working in a relevant asset management post with a good knowledge of rural land-based sectors and businesses.
• Have communications and public relations experience, including working with the media, the government and agencies.
• Have experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team with accountability for budgets and achieving performance targets including new business development within deadlines.
• Have experience of working with and interpreting Scottish legal contracts and agreements in the rural sectors listed.
• Have experience and understanding of the legal issues surrounding land and property ownership and management in Scotland.
• Have an understanding and experience of dealing with information requests under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004;
• Have evidence of financial and commercial acumen, including experience of commercial negotiation and transactional and legal activities and processes associated with contracts and agreements.

You will have the following qualities, which are key to success in this role:

• Attention to detail and accuracy and respect for governance and compliance.
• Ability to influence at all levels.
• Ability to work under own initiative and with minimal supervision whilst contributing to wider team objectives and wellbeing.
• Good communications skills, with the ability to present complex technical information to a range of audiences and appropriate presence to engage with a wide range of audiences.
• Strong leadership, clarity of purpose, strong self-management skills, taking a pro-active approach to dealing with issues, managing workloads to meet challenging deadlines/goals.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Well-developed decision-making skills; negotiation experience.
• To act in a confidential manner when dealing with all Crown Estate Scotland’s activities, while promoting and safeguarding the values of the organisation.
• To think with a strategic business focussed approach
• Accomplished in typical office IT systems.

To apply

Crown Estate Scotland is committed to diversity and inclusion, and we encourage applications from people from all backgrounds. We want to ensure every candidate has a positive experience and can most effectively demonstrate their suitability for the role they are applying for.  Please tell us if there are any reasonable adjustments we can make to help you in your application or with our recruitment and selection process. 

We welcome requests to work on a job share basis and/or secondments.