Welcome

Joining the Oxford City Council's Corporate Property Team is your opportunity to make a meaningful impact in a city steeped in history and innovation.

As a member of our dynamic team, you'll be at the forefront of managing and developing the city's diverse property portfolio, from historic landmarks to modern infrastructure.

You will be collaborating with passionate professionals, driving sustainable urban development, and contributing to the community's well-being.

With a commitment to excellence, professional growth, and the chance to shape Oxford's future, this is your chance to be part of something incredibly exciting.

Join us in creating a thriving, sustainable, and inclusive Oxford for all.

Emma Gubbins, Corporate Asset Lead.

Regeneration & Economy

Oxford City Council has an ambitious capital programme that seeks to deliver it's objective of being 'a world class city for everyone'. The Regeneration Team was formed to take forward and deliver capital projects for the Council. The Team is working on a wide range of projects for different sections of the Council ranging from large scale regeneration and renewal of housing areas to redevelopment of the Council's assets for income generation or community benefit and infrastructure schemes to improve the public realm and support walking and cycling.

As a Regeneration Manager you would be joining a small friendly team and will lead projects, working with Project Sponsors from across the Council, and a wide range of both internal and external stakeholders. Projects are at different stages from feasibility to delivering on site, so if you are up for a challenge and can see the potential to deliver multiple benefits through project delivery, whilst staying on budget and programme then this could be the role for you.

The Project Management Office (PMO) was established a couple of years ago and plays a key role in ensuring the capital programme has the governance it needs and providing the Senior Management Team of the Council with the information they need to manage the programme.

Working closely with Project Managers from across the Council and the Project Accountant the Project Management Lead, with support staff, will provide the data needed to ensure the Senior Managment Team are able to have an overview and scrutinise the Capital Programme.

Jenny Barker, Regeneration Manager

Affordable Housing Supply Team

Oxford City is one of the least affordable cities to own or rent a home in the UK and has considerable unmet housing needs.

Oxford Needs Homes

Oxford City Council has a priority to deliver more affordable housing, with considerable ambition to match. Our target is to deliver over 1,600 affordable homes, in Oxford, over the next 4 years, with the majority of these at the most affordable Social Rent tenure.

The Council has a wholly owned housing company directly developing homes through different delivery models; undertakes direct acquisitions of homes; and works to enable the delivery of more housing with Registered Providers and through partnerships with others.

These roles are in a small dynamic team that drives this programme – whether that be through clienting the direct delivery programme with the company (OX Place https://oxplace.co.uk/) or building strong relationships with partners and stakeholders.

A focus on delivery and ambition is paramount.

Oxford can be a challenging city to build new homes, with local constraints as well as a difficult national environment at the moment, but the drive to commission schemes and see them through to completion is key.

The post-holders will work across internal teams, including housing, property, planning, finance, legal and with OX Place to mitigate issues; ensure effective governance and programme management; and help facilitate developments across numerous sites (ranging from small back-land sites to strategic developments outside of the city boundaries).

Recent projects

The Store

The Store Hotel is an exciting opportunity to repurpose a an existing and renowned city centre department store, historically one of the largest independently ran department stores in Oxford. The change of use needed to be carefully curated – a sensitive refurbishment and extension of the existing building to allow the creation of a 4* hotel, also boasting an active ground floor with various uses to animate the streetscape, providing a positive contribution to the economy of Oxford City Centre.

Rose Hill Community Centre Redevelopment

A modern community centre redevelopment – bringing together a state-of-the-art gym, meeting and conference facilities, social club, youth hub and additional facilities. Oxford City Council’s team worked in partnership with the local community in order to deliver the right building to support the required uses, taking into consideration the surrounding issues, place requirements and economy. This project was shortlisted in the Community Benefit category for the RICS awards.

Barton Park

Barton Park is more than just a housing development, it’s an evolutionary step forward for an existing community. The vision for this exciting Oxford City Council driven project is underpinned by core values of viability and sustainability, and encompasses key objectives including integration with surrounding neighbourhoods, provision of a as school and community facilities, ensuring that 40% of properties are offered to social housing, and establishing of a network of green routes, encouraging a low carbon lifestyle!

Oxpens Road

Oxford City Council’s property team don’t like to work in the same way as other ‘normal’ property teams, with the Oxpens project showcasing exactly why. Oxpens, is a joint venture between Oxford City Council and Nuffield College, contributing to the wider regeneration of Oxford’s West End, of which Oxpens is a vital part. This project has been designed to improve the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of people living, visiting and working in Oxford.

Cannon Court Project

Cannon Court was a development supported with funding from the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Partnership and delivered by OX Place – Oxford City Council’s housing company.

The new homes are formed as an L shape around a landscaped communal square, offering large rooms and an abundance of storage. All of the homes have balconies or terraces and use the large communal bike store – this development is situated within walking distance of Cuttleslow & Sunnymead Park, 42 hectares of green space, play areas, ponds and woods!

Broad Meadow

Oxford City Council transformed the western part of Broad Street into ‘Broad Meadow’. This is an outdoor space which contains wildflower meadows, lawns and seating, aimed to promote the safe use of the city centre to support Oxford’s economic recovery during the pandemic. Broad Meadow has now become one of the city centre’s largest outdoor public spaces, winning a plaque at the Oxford Preservation Trust Awards in November 2021.

Blackbird Leys

Oxford City Council partnered with Peabody in order to build hundreds of affordable homes, retail spaces and community facilities in the heart of Blackbird Leys. The new district centre will include 210 homes, of which 174 will be for social or affordable rent and a further 36 for shared ownership. This site will also provide green open spaces and community gardens, a new community centre and improved road infrastructure!

Culture and Values

Oxford City Council prides itself on delivering high quality, cost effective public services! -  Oxford is a world class city and the Council have high aspirations for its services and employees. A multi-award-winning council and in May 2017 were re-accredited at gold level for Champion IiP status.

Working for a local authority in a property role offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself within a rich culture of tapestry and values.

Oxford City Council are committed to offering employees the opportunity to flourish and succeed in their roles, prioritising, and welcoming applications from ethnic and minority communities.

A fantastic range of benefits are available at Oxford City Council, starting with annual leave from 28 days per year + bank holidays and the opportunity to purchase an additional five days, and access to the LGPS pension scheme (https://www.lgpsmember.org/).

Other benefits to working at Oxford City Council include:

• Subsided leisure membership.

• Discounted travel.

• Flexi-leave scheme – allowing you to earn an additional one day off each four weeks.

• Access to a defined learning and development programme.

• Professional membership fees paid.

• Access to CPD, including invitation to free events.

• Access to a dedicated occupational health service and employee wellbeing programme.

• Cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme.

• Various leisure, wellbeing, and retail discounts.

Flexible working is taken seriously at Oxford City Council, with many employees within the property & assets department taking advantage of an adult working relationship, which prioritises work life balance and wellbeing. Home working is available for all roles, with travel into Oxford where required for visits, team meetings or catch-ups with colleagues. If office working is more suited to you, then that’s also fine! – Modern offices are available to use, in Oxford.

Accountability, transparency and sustainability are embedded into the very essence of these roles, fostering a sense of pride and fulfilment as you contribute to the immediate surrounding community in Oxford.