Asset Manager | DEVA | London

Deva-SAI is the Real Estate and Corporate Capital Solutions investment arm within Santander Alternative Investments (SAI). The platform manages €1.6bn across Real Estate Equity, Real Estate Debt, and Corporate Capital Solutions, with €1.3bn deployed (c.€1bn since 2023) across more than ten countries. The team comprises 50+ professionals across London, Madrid, and New York with deep experience structuring, underwriting, and managing complex investments across Europe.

Deva is part of Santander Alternative Investments, the Group’s €10bn alternatives platform supported by over €4.4bn in co-investment from Santander Group. This includes private credit, real assets, infrastructure, private equity, and GP stakes. SAI forms part of Santander Asset Management (SAM), a €255bn global asset manager operating across 10 countries and with more than 50 years of experience. SAM combines the best of complementary worlds, technology and expertise, to provide optimal solutions for clients.

We have an exciting new opportunity for a Real Estate Asset Manager to join us in our London Office. You'll be responsible for the active oversight of a portfolio of real estate investments across continental Europe, with a primary focus on driving performance by holding JV partners accountable for delivery of their business plans. The role is centred on hands-on asset management — closely supervising JV partners, monitoring construction and development programmes, tracking leasing and lease-up, managing refinancing's and assessing the market to optimise exit timing.

To succeed in this role, you will be responsible for:

• Taking ownership of asset-level performance across a portfolio of investments, holding JV partners accountable for delivery of their business plans and intervening proactively where execution falls behind.
• Closely supervising JV partners as they manage construction and development programmes, monitoring progress against programme, budget and quality, and pushing partners to resolve delays, cost overruns and delivery risks.
• Overseeing leasing and lease-up, tracking letting progress against business plan assumptions and challenging JV partners to maintain momentum, secure tenants and protect rental values.
• Leading and managing refinancing processes, working with JV partners, lenders and advisers to put appropriate debt in place, managing maturities and optimise capital structures.
• Continuously evaluating market conditions to inform hold/sell decisions and optimise exit timing, ensuring disposals are executed to maximise value.
• Acting as a key interface with JV partners and local asset managers, setting clear expectations, holding regular performance reviews and maintaining a culture of accountability and close supervision.
• Leading and executing key investment decisions, including hold/sell, refinancing and recapitalisation, grounded in commercial judgement and market insight.
• Supporting transaction processes (including disposals, refinancing and recapitalisations) from origination through to completion, coordinating internal teams and external advisers.
• Contributing to valuation processes drawing on asset performance, market conditions and exit assumptions.
• Maintain disciplined tracking of KPIs, financial performance and market dynamics, ensuring timely and accurate reporting to senior stakeholders.
• Working closely with the real estate portfolio manager to strengthen business plan tracking, reporting frameworks and portfolio-level oversight.
• Supporting the preparation of high-quality investment materials, including portfolio reviews, asset-level updates and investment committee papers.
• Leveraging market intelligence and external relationships to benchmark performance and inform strategy and exit timing.
• Contributing to broader platform initiatives, including ESG delivery, portfolio construction and capital allocation decisions.

The following requirements represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities essential for success in this role:

• Strong experience in real estate investing, asset management, or private equity real estate, with a clear emphasis on hands-on asset management, business plan delivery and value creation.
• Strong financial and commercial capabilities, with the ability to interrogate asset-level performance, challenge assumptions and drive corrective action.
• Demonstrated experience managing and holding JV partners, operating partners or third-party asset managers accountable for delivery, with a focus on driving performance, governance and strategic alignment.
• Experience managing investments across continental Europe, with a solid understanding of local market dynamics and how these impact asset performance and business plan delivery.
• Sector familiarity across industrial/logistics, living (residential / PBSA / BTR) and hotels, with the ability to drive performance and benchmark assets across markets.
• Strong understanding of asset-level business plans, including leasing, operational performance and capex programmes, with the ability to oversee, challenge and drive delivery of these on the ground through JV partners.
• Direct experience overseeing development and construction programmes through JV or operating partners, monitoring delivery against programme, budget and quality.
• Hands-on experience of leasing and lease-up, and of leading refinancing processes with lenders and advisers.
• Experience leading and executing key investment decisions (e.g. hold/sell, refinancing, recapitalisation) through to completion.
• Familiarity with valuation methodologies and the ability to assess valuation drivers, sensitivities and exit assumptions.
• Working knowledge of financing structures and lender dynamics, with the ability to manage debt and lead refinancing processes.
• Strong commercial judgement, with a hands-on, ownership mindset, with the ability to operate effectively in a lean, high-performance environment.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present clearly and credibly to JV partners and senior stakeholders, hold partners to account and influence delivery and decision-making.
• Highly organised with strong attention to detail.

At Deva-SAI, your contribution matters. We recognise the difference you make every day, and we make sure you feel valued, supported and rewarded in return. Here, recognition goes beyond pay. It’s about the pride you feel in your work, the impact you make for our clients, and the opportunities you have to grow and thrive — personally and professionally.

Our commitment at Deva-SAI is to be an inclusive organisation that provides equal opportunities for everyone — regardless of age, gender, disability, civil status, race, religion or sexual orientation. We’re committed to creating a recruitment experience that’s accessible, fair and welcoming for all candidates.