Asset Management Director (Shopping Centres) in City of London

We are currently seeking an Asset Management Director for our client, an investment and real estate development group operating across Europe and the United Kingdom. Established in 2020, the Group's UK business has quickly established itself as one of the leading investors and operators of Retail Led Destinations in the UK. In this role within their established Asset Management team, you will take responsibility for a portfolio of Shopping Centres across the UK.

You will play an essential role in making key decisions for shopping centre management, identifying opportunities to enhance cash flow and asset value, with a particular focus on driving NOI growth across the portfolio, and assisting in the full investment lifecycle. You will be expected to deliver concise, accurate and impactful reporting, present confident pitches to both internal and external stakeholders, offer top-tier asset management insights, and drive the profitable revenue growth and development of your assets to new highs.

You are looking for someone who understands that these are complex, evolving investments that require resilience, creativity and a hands-on approach. Each has its own challenges and strategic opportunities, and we want someone energized by the chance to reposition and unlock value where others might see obstacles. You will have complete ownership of your Assets’ performance and are expected to coordinate and direct the in-house teams (FM/Leasing/Marketing/Operations) to ensure delivery.

• Devise and implement the agreed annual business plan to deliver targets for net operating income (NOI), occupancy rates, transaction flow and ERV growth.
• Lead the team to deliver the business plans for the assets under management.
• Advise the Board and JV partners on Asset Management needs in relation to the assets under your management.
• Identify and deliver asset enhancement initiatives, including the implementation of value-add strategies.
• Liaise with the Leasing Director to lead, manage, deliver and execute all leasing and major lease events in line with the annual business plan, including the reconfiguration of available space.
• Responsible for improving and achieving the net income target across your assets by leasing vacant space, removing breaks, extending leases, implementing rent reviews/lease renewals etc.
• Oversight and ownership of the full P&L and Service Charge budget, as well as close monitoring of the in-house PM and FM resource, ensuring cost and operational-effective site management.
• Full responsibility for PPM and Capex.
• Support the Company with acquisition and disposals and due diligence.
• Lead the team in completing and presenting detailed, accurate and effective reports.
• Lead UK Asset Management function including delivery of: Preparation of 5 year Business, Preparation of weekly, monthly and quarterly reporting, Review of business plan strategy implementation, Analysis of new leasing operations, Implementation of asset management initiatives, Monitoring of debt and discount petitions, Coordination of projects and capex, Monitoring of asset KPIs, Financial reporting to investors and lenders, Coordination of external valuations.
• Help manage the external service providers in charge of invoicing, rent statements service charge, insurance, rent collection, etc.
• Monitor cash flow.
• Regularly and efficiently communicate with all parties involved in a project (i.e. JV partner, Centre Management Team, stakeholders, team members, etc).
• Support the leasing process, leasing legal and the leasing agents.
• Analyse the terms of lease agreements and necessary legal documents and report status compared to Business plans.

• Previous experience (>10 years) with Retail Property Companies, Funds or Agencies in the Retail/Shopping Centre Sector is welcome.
• Resilient and pragmatic, with the ability to balance long-term strategic vision with the day-to-day realities of managing challenging retail environments.
• Solid Retail Asset Management (shopping centres) working experience.
• Proficient understanding of how to best manage expectations, and deal with demanding Partners.
• Demonstrable expert report-writing and presentation skills.
• Advanced ability across MS Office packages.
• Ability to combine property knowledge with professional presentation and report writing skills.
• Commercial awareness, industry knowledge and competitor analysis.
• Strong initiative and ability to work autonomously and manage own time.
• Able to think creatively about repurposing and regeneration of real estate assets.
• Excellent interpersonal and team management and leadership skills.
• Solid administrative skills for effective, accurate report writing.
• Decisive, confident and calm under pressure.
• A solid, resilient work ethic.
• Able to focus on key issues and prioritise work whilst multi-tasking.
• Self-management of personal performance standards.
• Positive approach, commitment, and reliability.
• Attention to details.
• Strong leading, influencing and persuading skills.
• Ability to support colleagues at all levels within a high-performance function.
• Show initiative and creativity to achieve business results within an entrepreneurial business.

A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Marketing, or Real Estate is required, but possessing an MBA is an added advantage.

Current knowledge of industry trends in retail real estate and development, and a natural desire to understand specific market characteristics; experience of retail real estate analysis/asset/investment management experience with an emphasis in UK retail.

Entrepreneurial spirit: the role requires the candidate to be entrepreneurial with many of the activities involved, such as negotiations and lease analysis, requiring that risks be analysed and forecasts made.

Strong analytical skills. Interpersonal skills required for establishing and building and maintaining relationships with relevant parties (management, investors, property managers, tenants, etc.). Strong organizational skills to effectively coordinate and manage multiple assignments, as well as prioritise tasks and efforts.