Job Title: Senior Rural Estates Officer Starting Salary: £46,731 opportunity to progress to £51,802 pa Hours: 37.0 Location: Stevenage Contract Type: Permanent Directorate: Resources About the team You will be joining the Rural Estates team as a Surveyor or Project Manager, at an exciting time as we undertake our latest strategic review. We are striving for a sustainable Rural Estate where there is an emphasis on protecting and enhancing nature alongside exploring commercial and strategic opportunities. We are already working on exciting projects such as decarbonisation, carbon sequestration, tenancy re-organisations, innovative farm re-lettings and habitat creation. We are a team of 12 who are responsible for the management of the County Council's Rural Estate which is 10,500 acres with over 1,000 buildings spread across Hertfordshire. You will sit alongside other Rural Estates Officers in a supportive team which creates a great environment to learn and develop. Your focus will be on the day-to-day project management of building matters across the rural property portfolio, as well as leading on capital projects such as re-roofing houses, new barns, and small commercial conversions. About the role Your work will be both interesting and rewarding with no two days the same. This role will be pivotal in modernising the Estate by ensuring the buildings are fit for purpose and compliant. The successful applicant may come from a Rural Surveying background, and this will be a great opportunity to gain a broader experience in project management for various different asset types across a Rural Estate. The role will work closely with The Rural Estate Manager to ensure effective use of the capital and revenue budgets (£1 mil) across the Estate Acting as a client project manager you will oversee the delivery of mainly the Capital and compliance works, ensuring that objectives are met and delivered to time, cost and quality requirements. You will also work closely with the Facilities Management team who are responsible for the delivery of the reactive and planned Repairs and Maintenance program. You will feed in your knowledge of the buildings on the Rural Estate into the strategic asset management plans, including instructing or carrying out condition surveys to better inform decisions making. You will prepare budget forecast for the next 5 years (Revenue and Capital) and report on this frequently. You will be able to prioritise works according to urgency, business needs and budget availability. Where necessary you will provide detailed reports and seek budget approval. You will review procurement methods for building works and advise on the most beneficial route having due regard to the size, nature and value of the works. About you Essential: Educated to degree standard (or equivalent experience) ideally in a built environment or rural property related discipline. You will hold a valid licence to drive in the UK and have your own car as you will need to travel across Hertfordshire to visit the estate properties. Excellent Interpersonal Skills: You will have the confidence to communicate effectively and build positive relationships with colleagues, tenants, contractors, stakeholders and other external professionals. Good knowledge, and ideally qualifications or training in Health and Safety matters such as Asbestos, CDM, NEBOSH, IOSH. Good knowledge of budget management, with experience managing budgets and data for large projects. Excellent communication in both written and verbal forms, together with problem solving skills. A proven track record of property portfolio management. Member of a professional organisation e.g. The RICS or a minimum of 5 years relevant experience. Desirable: Rural knowledge and experience: We hope the successful applicant will have experience working within a rural setting with a good knowledge of rural property management and the associated legal framework. This is an exciting opportunity to join the Rural Estate team as the Estate enters its exciting next phase with the implementation of the new strategic plan to ensure it continues to thrive in these changing times. The role will offer true work diversity project managing work across a host of unique property lettings, with everything from dairy and arable farms, woodlands and a country park to golf courses, a rural shopping village, an MOT service station and a brewery. This job role is within the Corporate Services, level CORP12 job profile. Please locate this via: Job profiles - Corporate services To hear more about this opportunity please contact Emma Chapman, emma.chapmanhertfordshire.gov.uk for an informal discussion about the role. Interview Date: w/c 28th March 2024 Benefits of working for us How to apply As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences. Disability Confident We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. Driving required You'll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations. English Fluency The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.