Head of Property Permanent Location: Flexible with once weekly travel to our London Head Office on Piccadilly We are looking for a Head of Property to join our friendly and dynamic team here at Waterstones. In this newly created role, you will be responsible for developing and executing the property strategy of the company. You will have responsibility for optimising the property portfolio by determining the strategy for the existing estate of stores, negotiating lease extensions and evaluating store relocation opportunities. You are responsible for identifying and negotiating the leases for new stores, working closely with partners in retail, finance and shop development. What you will be doing Oversee and lead development of comprehensive strategic property plans for the company. Develop and manage processes and tools to ensure the complete cycle of real estate management functions is completed consistently and predictably, while managing a high-volume project flow, ensuring timely lease negotiations and a robust pipeline of new shop openings. Initiate and complete property transactions of all types, across institutional and private landlords and varied retail landscapes. Drive and deliver budgeted new store acquisitions across the estate. Work with the design, planning and shop development teams, to obtain timely approvals and complete store openings. Represent the company in discussions and negotiations with landlords and act as a primary contact for any enquiries regarding property. Manage relations and commercial engagements with external support functions, including brokers, agents and legal firms. Ensure the company pays the correct level of rates to local authorities. Serve as the Real Estate functional expert in support of company initiatives aimed at driving cost effective incremental growth. Provide leadership, coordination, and communication with all departments involved in the property process, including (but not limited to) Retail, Legal, Finance, Facilities, Operations, IT, Press Relations and Loss Prevention. Person Profile Well versed on market dynamics across the UK, including current and future changes to public infrastructure, competition and demographics. Excellent working relationships with landlords across the retail industry. An ability to operate both at a strategic level but also comfortable being hands on to support a lean property team. Proven negotiating skills and judgement. Demonstrated understanding of basic sales forecasting methodologies and ROIU models. Successful track record in building, scaling, and managing the varied property portfolio of a business. Ability to travel. Why work for Waterstones At Waterstones, everything we do is about our customers, and we work hard to provide them with the best possible shopping experience, one that will make them want to visit time and time again. We strive to consistently deliver fantastic customer service, whether recommending a book or a gift, keeping our shops beautifully stocked, helping out in our lovely Café W’s, or keeping the wheels turning efficiently behind the scenes. Working with us, you will get to use your expertise and enthusiasm to bring to our customers the irreplaceable pleasures of a good bookshop (including a virtual one). In return, you will be working in a role that can make a real difference to Waterstones, work in a friendly and dynamic team and get to benefit from our excellent discount in shops and waterstones.com. If you have the relevant essential experience and you are interested, we would love to hear from you.