EdCity Senior Asset Manager

We are looking for an experienced Senior Asset Manager to oversee the office building and the wider EdCity estate which includes public realm and a shared energy centre. The Senior Asset Manager will be the ‘face’ of EdCity. The Senior Asset Manager will balance strategic leadership with innovation and operational delivery and build strategic partnerships and relationships with internal and external partners.

You will be the first point of contact for the stakeholders and partners involved in the EdCity project – as well as managing multiple outsourced partners to deliver an exceptional environment and visitor experience to both the public realm and the 1EdCity office building.

We are looking for someone who has experience of leading the asset management of one or more buildings (including value-add projects such as major fit outs or refurbishments), as well as commercial contract management. You will have held responsibility for taking a development asset into management, operational management and leasing within a multi-tenanted office environment. Desirable to have experience of owner-occupied office buildings, and/or a mixed-use building or estate.

This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of a high-profile, mixed-use estate with strong social purpose at its core. If you're ready to make a lasting impact in a pivotal leadership role, we’d love to hear from you.

The Senior Asset Manager will report into Director of Projects.

1^st round interviews will be held virtually on Wednesday 4^th June and Thursday 5^th June with 2^nd round interviews taking place in person on Thursday 12^th June at EdCity. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage the overall operations of the 10-story office building, ensuring alignment with Ark’s objectives and standards
• Hold overall responsibility for marketing and leasing remaining vacant floors of EdCity, reporting to the Ark leadership team and boards
• Manage leasing transactions, including new leases, lease re-gears, lease renewals and rent reviews to drive and enhance value in line with the leasing strategy
• Oversee leasing of flex and serviced offices, leading on negotiations depending on the size and complexity
• Oversee the property management company to ensure effective facilities management, security, and maintenance of the building
• Oversee the asset management company to manage the estate common parts, including the public realm, energy centre and service tunnel
• Coordinate with the EdCity finance business partner to review service charge budgets, manage approvals process with relevant stakeholders, and approve invoicing of voids
• Establish and maintain positive relationships with current tenants, addressing needs, inquiries, and concerns promptly
• Coordinate with Ark Communications team to manage and enhance the PR, Comms and Marketing for EdCity to support the leasing campaign, including but not limited to website updates, photography, advertising, speaking on panels, interviews, etc
• Oversee the tenant onboarding process, ensuring a smooth transition for new tenants
• Oversee the operator of the café in the reception area and hospitality throughout the building, ensuring high-quality service and products for tenants and visitors
• Input into the annual operating budget for the building (owned by the EdCity finance business partner) and deliver against the budget
• Work with the EdCity finance business partner to monitor income and expenses, performing regular financial analyses to assess performance and identify areas for improvement
• Take overall responsibility for EdCity reporting to a range of boards and internal leadership team
• Identify opportunities for property enhancements and value-add strategies to increase attractiveness and profitability

Key Requirements:

• Right to work in the UK
• A degree or similar-level qualification in a relevant subject area (desirable)
• MRICS Qualified or equivalent professional experience ideally gained in a property company
• An ability to implement high-level strategic plans, prioritise objectives and contribute effectively to the preparation of such plans
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills
• Experience managing significant budgets and operating with a high degree of autonomy and accountability
• A proven track record of managing a large office building or a portfolio of buildings with day-to-day responsibility for leasing, facilities and customer experience
• Experience in managing capital works projects, particularly refurbishments
• Experience of negotiating leases and core competencies in commercial and legal issues common in property sector. Experience of creating business plans and preparing analysis, setting and managing service charge budgets, capital expenditure, and revenue
• Excellent leadership and management experience and a proven track record in motivating and developing teams
• A high level of communication, advocacy and negotiation skills
• A resilient, enterprising, and ambitious mindset, with a proactive approach to problem-solving
• A strong commitment to customer service in a complex organisation

• Employees can request to work fully remotely for up to 10 working days a year, whether this be in the UK or abroad
• Our flexitime policy allows you to work your hours around our core hours of 10.00 - 16.00, helping you prioritise your work-life balance and personal commitments
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years’ service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays
• Full office closure between Christmas and New Year
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to.
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests

Ark is an education charity that exists to make sure that all children, regardless of their background, have access to a great education and real choices in life. Our network of 39 schools reaches traditionally underserved communities in Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth. We educate 30,000 pupils and have nearly 3,000 teaching staff across our network. We also incubate and scale innovative ventures, which we roll out beyond our network of schools for the benefit of teachers, pupils and the education system as a whole. Current Ventures include Ark Curriculum Plus, which equips teachers with the subject expertise needed to ensure students succeed, and Ark Start, a growing chain of nurseries offering affordable, high-quality early years education.

Recently, Ark moved to new offices at EdCity – a unique not-for-profit development in West London, in partnership with Hammersmith & Fulham council. EdCity is designed to bring mission-aligned organisations together to focus on improving the lives of children, especially through education. It offers leased offices, a range of venues for training and events, and an innovation hub for the education sector to connect, collaborate and learn together.