Head of Property Management and Decarbonisation

We are an ambitious and forward-thinking council. We are committed to making Cheltenham a better place to live and work, enabling communities and businesses to thrive whilst protecting what is good about our town. We aim to be an employer of choice where everyone is treated fairly and feels valued and respected. We aim to provide a stimulating and rewarding working environment that encourages our people to work together, provides opportunities for them to reach their full potential and achieve a healthy work/life balance. Working at Cheltenham Borough Council means working as part of a committed, professional, and friendly team.

About the role

Are you a motivated building management professional seeking an opportunity to be at the forefront of the delivery of our future strategy for the Council’s property portfolio? Cheltenham are an extremely ambitious Council – committed to becoming carbon net zero as well as delivering developments aligned to shaping the future cyber ecosystem of our town to support all our communities and create growth for all our residents. And our ambitions are more than words – we have won national awards for our commercial approach as a Council and our Golden Valley development has recently been named in the Government’s National Cyber Strategy.

Following the Council’s recent organisational change to bring the housing services back into the Council we are looking for a Head of Property Maintenance and Decarbonisation to bring together expertise across two teams previously working for separate organisations. This is a newly created role which also reflects the increasing importance to align our decarbonisation strategies across our housing and non-housing portfolios to maximise the funding available to deliver the biggest impact on our carbon emissions.

You will be responsible for the building management and maintenance team at the Council. This includes the building surveyors who undertake reactive repairs and planned maintenance programme and the facilities management function across our key sites. The Council’s climate change and decarbonisation team will also transition into this team, including the technical and project team responsible for leading the retrofitting programme of our Council housing stock. You will also be the Senior Officer with oversight of the monitoring of key compliance functions across our large portfolio.

We are also preparing for a number of significant changes involving some of our key properties – the sale of our Municipal Offices facilitating a move to alternative premises and a strategic review of our Leisure Centre and sports facilities underway. This is an exciting time to join the organisation and play a key role in shaping both the medium-term future of where and how our staff work and how our customers access our services.

Cheltenham is only one of two District Councils in Gloucestershire who still own their own housing stock. With the proposed changes to Local Government organisation and focus on affordable housing, this provides a unique opportunity to make a lasting difference across both operational and housing portfolios to ensure our properties are fit for the future.

The successful candidate will have an innovative and forward-thinking mind-set, a strong track record in leading teams to deliver new initiatives and ensure that property management decisions are taken safely with all the risks understood.

What can we do for you...

• An excellent pension scheme. You will be eligible to join the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• A generous holiday entitlement of 26 days rising to 31 days (pro-rata excluding Bank Holidays) after 5 years.
• A flexible and agile working environment. We aim to provide opportunities to work from home or elsewhere and offer flexibility in working hours.
• A comprehensive programme of learning and development.
• Two days (pro-rata) paid time off for volunteering.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity schemes.
• Access to a free employee counselling service.
• Upon successful completion of your probation period, you will then have access to our Healthcare Cashback Plan.
• A cycle to work scheme.
• Low-cost town centre parking.
• A commitment to employee wellbeing.

For further information, please visit: To Apply please use the following link: Apply Here. For a confidential conversation about this role, please contact Brian Gallagher via brian.gallagher@penna.com or call 07716 098175.