Head of Strategic Property

Job introduction

Brighton & Hove is a fantastic place to live, work and visit. Our city was recently named one of Time Out’s top 50 cities in the world, and in the UK’s top 3.

Our vision as a council is to create a better Brighton & Hove for all - a city to be proud of and a healthy, fair and inclusive city where everyone thrives.

It’s an exciting time to join the council. We now have:

• a majority administration with a clear mandate to improve the city
• a new Cabinet system
• a new Corporate Leadership Team
• a refreshed Council Plan

You’ll be part of a progressive organisation that values creativity, inclusivity, and excellence, and that will invest in your professional growth and development.

We offer a competitive salary, flexible working arrangements, and the opportunity to lead key services that directly support our community.

Ways of working in our learning organisation

As an organisation, we want to be:

• collaborative
• inclusive and diverse
• confident
• innovative and creative
• healthy and safe

We are looking for senior leaders who will support our drive the council to meet these aims.

Be collaborative

• Enable a connected organisation that has a clear One Council mission to create a better Brighton and Hove for all.
• Build a leadership that brings critical resources together to address the challenges we face as a city.
• Create a structure with clear accountability, communication and transparency that empowers Officers to make decisions as close to the front line as possible.

Be inclusive and diverse

• Enable the organisation to become more dynamic.
• Build a diverse workforce and leadership which reflects the communities we serve.
• Support a network of leaders at all career stages.

To find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work, read:

• our fair and inclusive actions
• our anti-racism strategy
• how we create a fair and inclusive workplace.

Be confident

• Build agile, ‘test and learn’ working practices that
• Embed reflective practice and a growth mindset where we all learn from our mistakes and use these to grow as an organisation.
• Build the workforce skill and acumen to be courageous leaders.

Be innovative and creative

• Build the space and capacity for experimentation, reflection, and innovation.
• Enable creative policy development
• Influence and lead in key policy that will change residents’ lives..
• Embrace AI and new technologies to create efficiency and space to deal with the critical challenges our residents face, while recognising their limitations.
• Create space for our great staff to learn and grow with technological change so they can grow their careers with the skills they need.
• Create a culture where focus on efficiency and value for money is embedded in our ways of working.

Be healthy and safe

• Create a trusted environment, enabling everyone to bring their best selves to work.
• Build a resilient workforce that looks after its health and wellbeing.

Find out more about working with us.

About the role

Reporting to the Director of Property and Finance, you will:

• lead our Strategic Property function
• oversee the management and development of a diverse portfolio of assets, including operational and non-operational estates, commercial properties, and education facilities

Key responsibilities

You will be:

• tasked with creating and delivering a unifying property strategy that aligns with our corporate objectives and Medium-Term Financial Strategy
• responsible for asset optimisation, disposals and innovative uses of council resources to deliver value for money, support local businesses, enhance housing solutions and drive city regeneration. 

As a strategic leader, you’ll also manage significant capital and revenue budgets, ensuring funds are available to invest in the city’s future.  

Beyond strategy, you’ll play a lead role in modernising and unifying the team, embedding a collaborative culture, and fostering strong relationships across the council and their partners. 

Your skills and experience

We are looking for a property professional with:   

• proven experience in strategic property management, estates strategy, or asset optimisation
• the ability to navigate political and stakeholder landscapes with confidence and diplomacy
• strong financial acumen, including managing substantial budgets and capital investment programmes
• a commitment to collaboration, inclusivity, and innovation in delivering outcomes

While being a Chartered Surveyor (MRICS or equivalent) may be desirable, we are equally open to candidates from diverse professional backgrounds (including housing, higher education, NHS, and the private sector) who bring transferable expertise and fresh perspectives. 

Additional information

Further information and how to apply 

For more information and to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our retained consultants at Penna:

• Andrew Tromans on 07805 226 301
• Bruna Varante 07858 306 725  

Apply for this role with Penna.  

Key dates

• Closing date – noon Monday 10 March 2025 
• Interviews – week commencing 31 March 2025 

Dates are being finalised and may change. Prospective candidates will be kept updated through the recruitment process. 

This role is politically restricted. For further information on what this means for employees in post, please click on the document attachment below.

Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.

We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team and travel to and from your contractual location would be at your own expense.

Company information

Encouraging a diverse workforce

Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, female or trans.

Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and How we create a fair and inclusive workplace.