Senior Property Manager

Estates

With responsibility for acquisitions, disposals, estate transactions, landlord and tenant matters, and stakeholder engagement, this role provides a varied and influential portfolio. 

Job details

Responsible to

Assistant Director of Estates (Property & Development)

Location

Kedleston Road, Derby Campus

Closing date

Sunday 8 February 2026

Salary

£50,832 to £63,540 per annum (for exceptional performers, there is scope for further progression up to £73,071 per annum).

Job grade

Leadership – E

Reference

0097-25

Contract type

Permanent

Post type

Full-time

Adaptive working type

Hybrid
This role will be based on site, primarily in the named location with the opportunity to work remotely available in line with our Adaptive Working Framework.

We have one simple promise – to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes.

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.

The University of Derby Estates Department is dedicated to cultivating a vibrant, innovative, and sustainable campus environment, that supports our passion for delivering world class education and ground-breaking research.

The Estates team has over 250 colleagues; a broad mix of professionals who work closely together to create and manage exceptional environments for Students, Staff & Industry. The team has helped deliver bespoke Research environments with Industry partners, Inspiring learning spaces and Award-winning Halls of Residence.  

This role sits within the Estate Management Team and plays a key part in the proactive stewardship of a diverse and high-profile University estate, encompassing academic, commercial and student residential spaces. The postholder will lead on the effective management of externally let University space, ensuring robust governance of leases, rent reviews, service charges and tenancy agreements while maintaining full contractual, financial and legislative compliance.

The role offers a strong commercial focus, identifying and maximising income-generating opportunities across short-, medium- and long-term lettings, and providing expert property advice to support strategic decision-making. Working closely with senior leaders, external consultants, legal advisers and public-sector partners, the postholder will contribute directly to the delivery of the University’s masterplan and long-term Estate Strategy.

With responsibility for acquisitions, disposals, estate transactions, landlord and tenant matters, and stakeholder engagement, this role provides a varied and influential portfolio. It requires strong professional judgement, collaborative working and a commitment to continuous professional development, making it an excellent opportunity to shape and enhance the performance, value and impact of the University of Derby Group estate.

The successful candidate will be highly motivated and be able to demonstrate an outstanding level of Property Management skills acquired across multi-faceted organisations. You will have experience of working within a large organisation and have developed an in-depth knowledge and experience of acquisitions, disposals and leasehold management. 

A customer service ethos which matches the University’s values and behaviours is essential; outstanding communication, persuasion and influencing skills are a must, as is a commitment to continuous improvement and a determination for excellence. 

You will demonstrate an ability and genuine interest in keeping abreast of the external environment with regards to relevant industry and higher education developments. 

You will have a minimum of a Degree in a relevant discipline and have excellent organisational, IT and property management skills.

  1. Manage all University space let to external parties overseeing rent agreement, service charges, rent reviews and assume responsibility for management of tenancy agreements.
  2. Identify and exploit commercial opportunities associated with the University estate from short-, medium- and long-term rentals, providing expert advice and knowledge in agreeing lease arrangements.
  3. Oversee contractual, financial and legislative compliance associated with leases and tenants across the University of Derby Group estate including Academic, Commercial & Residential properties.
  4. Lead on procurement and appointment of specialist consultants across a range of Property related matters from Regional and National organisations. Ensuring accurate and timely advice is available to the Leadership team on a range of topics relating to Corporate Real Estate Management at all times.
  5. Provide expert advice and guidance on estate matters where the University Group enters into partnership or funding agreements with Government bodies, other universities, funders and where the University applies for grant funding.
  6. Contribute to the strategic direction of the University of Derby estate to maximise potential and ensure transactions support the University masterplan and overall Estate strategy.
  7. Lead on timely negotiation and agreement of real estate acquisitions and disposals, along with leading on rent reviews, managing break clauses and entering/exiting lease arrangements.
  8. Liaise with a range of external consultants and legal advisors on a wide variety of property related issues.
  9. Instruct Business Rates advisors on Rating valuations & appeals, manage & monitor valuations.
  10. Assume role of Landlord or Tenant (as appropriate) regarding obligations for repairs, dilapidations etc.
  11. Estate management including land ownership and land registration, managing wayleaves and licenses.
  12. Build & maintain strong working relationships with a range of key external stakeholders including Local Authorities and neighbouring landowners/agents.
  13. Preparation of a range of reports relating to the University property portfolio.
  14. Participate in continuous professional development, keeping a detailed log of all training courses undertaken and retaining certificates to be able to evidence development upon reasonable request.
  15. Maintain positive and regular close working with Estates colleagues, working collaboratively to manage effective service delivery.
  16. All other duties and responsibilities commensurate with the post and the salary range of the grade.

Essential Criteria

Qualifications

  • Educated to degree level or equivalent in a construction or surveying discipline

Experience

  • Client-side experience of working within a large and varied public sector estate portfolio
  • Significant experience of working within a property management role within the commercial property industry or Public Sector
  • Experience of leading on successful property negotiations with business partners and senior stakeholders
  • Proven ability to design and implement financial and administrative processes
  • Working in a financial environment producing budgets, forecasts and financial information for decision making and business planning
  • Management and procurement of external consultants within a public sector body
  • Leading multi-disciplinary meetings with internal & external stakeholders

Skills, knowledge and abilities

  • High level written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to communicate at different levels and negotiate successful outcomes
  • Creation of reports and presentation (in a variety of formats) of complex information to senior Colleagues & Academic leadership
  • Ability to lead a team, set objectives and motivate others
  • Strong IT skills, in particular with the use of project-related software (eg MS Project, Excel)
  • Strong commercial acumen and an ability to undertake contract negotiation
  • Strong knowledge of property lease administration and contract law (around acquisitions and disposals)
  • Ability to manage a portfolio of property and align workload to often competing priorities

Business requirements

  • Able to work flexibly, responsibly and effectively to deadlines with minimum of supervision
  • Have a flexible attitude to multi-skilled tasks to maximise operational effectiveness
  • Excellent communication skills and be able to effectively build and maintain both relationships and trust

Desirable Criteria

Qualifications

  • Current IOSH and/or NEBOSH certificates
  • Fully qualified Chartered Surveyor (RICS) in the relevant professional discipline

Experience

  • Property management in a higher education institution or similar large organisation

Skills, knowledge and abilities

  • Use and experience of AutoCAD
  • Knowledge of Autodesk Revit and other BIM software platforms
  • Generous annual leave entitlement of 42 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata)
  • Local Government Pension Scheme
  • Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family-friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
  • Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers
  • Discounted onsite gym
  • Access to employer-funded Private Health Insurance
  • Holiday purchase
  • Cycle to Work scheme
  • A flexible working environment
  • A commitment to personal and professional development

Find out more about rewards and benefitsFind out more about rewards and benefits

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Dan Illsley, Assistant Director of Estates via d.illsley@derby.ac.uk

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk.

Visa Sponsorship Eligibility

The University is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers under the Skilled Worker route for this role; however, applications are welcome from candidates who are able to demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.

 

Equity, diversity and inclusion

The University of Derby is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion, regardless of age, disability, trans status, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief (or none), sex and sexual orientation.

We are Disability Confident Employers, demonstrating our commitment to disability inclusion, and invite applicants to highlight adjustments they may require to ensure equitable participation in our recruitment processes.

Further, we are committed to ensuring an environment which is trans and non-binary-inclusive for all our staff, students, partners, and visitors, and continuously review our policies, guidance and training.

When applying to join the University, you can choose your preferred title, including the gender-neutral title 'Mx'. We also ask our candidates if they would like to share their preferred pronouns. This is voluntary but demonstrates our commitment to inclusivity for trans and non-binary candidates. Once employed, you can add pronouns and preferred names onto our system.

The University of Derby undertakes anonymised shortlisting during the staff recruitment process. This means that, when shortlisting, panel members will not be able to see an applicant’s name and will see an applicant number instead. This demonstrates the practical steps we are taking to remove barriers to recruitment by minimising the possible impact of our unconscious bias.

However you identify, we actively celebrate the knowledge, experience and talents each person brings. Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds; therefore we are particularly interested to hear from applicants who will help our leaders and teams be more reflective of our student population.

Read more about equity, diversity and inclusion at the University of Derby.

 

Environmental Sustainability

At the University of Derby, we are passionate about embedding sustainability into everything that we do. We aim to bring environmental sustainability into all aspects of the University, including teaching, research and operational activities. In line with the University's strategic framework, we expect all our staff to embed sustainability into their working practices and support the University's objective to reach net zero carbon by 2050.

 

Apply today to invest in your career with University of Derby.

How to apply

You can apply by submitting an online application. Once you have signed in or registered with us you will be able to begin your application. If you are creating an account for the first time, please ensure you provide an email address that you access regularly as this will be our main means of contacting you regarding your application.

The University reserves the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you require any assistance, including the provision of any documentation in an alternative format, please contact the Recruitment team at recruitment@derby.ac.uk.

Please note all applications must be submitted online by Midnight GMT on the closing date of the vacancy.

Further details

Download Senior Property Manager job descriptionDownload Senior Property Manager job description

The University of Derby is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our staff, students and children. At the University of Derby, safeguarding is everybody's concern.

Please find our Safeguarding pages including our Safeguarding Policy.