Salary: £48,474 to £51,515

Hours: 37 / week

Contract: Permanent

Location: Merrion House, Leeds City Centre

As a Principal Land & Property Surveyor, you’ll thrive on playing your part in transforming one of the most dynamic cities in the UK.

Our vision is for Leeds to be the best city in the UK. One that’s caring and compassionate, has a strong economy and which tackles and reduces inequalities.

The focus of our business is to undertake a full range of property related services covering a range of Council-owned assets across the City. The organisational culture is to provide a quality service that we can be proud of and enhance the development of the Leeds City region.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions .

About you

As a Principal Land & Property Surveyor you will bring to the role:

• Be a MRICS commercial surveyor having completed a RICS accredited degree.
• Be compassionate and have emotional intelligence - possessing excellent leadership and motivational skills to get the best out of people.
• Have a proven track record of negotiating and delivering complex property related activities, covering managing a property portfolio and landlord and tenant work.
• The ability to manage a team of staff and monitor performance effectively and set clear objectives for the review of individual and service-level performance.
• Build networks based on honesty, trust and respect across a wide range of sectors.
• Be flexible and adaptable to lead a wide range of initiatives.
• Have an excellent all-round understanding and experience of property work and the relevant legal processes, balanced with commercial acumen and compassion.
• Be able to lead on both detailed delivery of schemes and development of strategy.

About the role

As our next Principal Land & Property Surveyor, you’ll be a senior member of the Land & Property Service in a Team Leader position with management responsibilities as well as accountability on behalf of the Service across a range of projects in different portfolios. You’ll work with Executive Managers, Deputy Heads of Service and Heads of Service in the delivery of property-related projects.

The role is integral to our Land & Property Team, which sits in the Council’s Asset Management & Regeneration service. The work will be varied with a bias focused on the management of the Council’s property investment portfolio and maximising revenue income and returns. The work will cover the following areas:

• Responsible for motivation and development of the team of staff of senior surveyors, surveyors, technical and support staff and to co-ordinate and deliver a cost-effective and efficient asset and property management service covering the acquisition, disposal, valuation, management and creation of a high yielding investment property portfolio, for the continued economic development of the city.
• Provide an effective property service which can incorporate the following areas of work.
• The creation and management of a high yielding investment portfolio, including acquiring new investment opportunities and undertaking rent reviews and agreeing leases, lease renewals, surrenders and service charge arrangements.
• The continuous review of the performance of the portfolio in order to increase and maximise its value.
• Valuation and property advice including the sign-off of valuations.
• Undertaking negotiations in respect of the above and entering into the appropriate legal agreements.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• A competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays.
• Membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions.
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements.
• A clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities.
• A range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further.

How to apply

The Council has appointed Hays Recruitment to manage this appointment. Please visit their website to view further details.

Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role, please contact Tom Watson, Business Manager. Call 07713 997117 or email thomas.watson@hays.com

We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds. Leeds City Council is ranked 70 on the Stonewall Equality Index 2023. We are also an age-friendly employer, a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Leader.

All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period.

This role is based in the UK. Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK - either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK and the role does not meet eligibility for sponsorship, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility to apply.