Principal Estates Surveyor

Directorate: Place

Service: Growth

Post title: Principal Estates Surveyor

Ref: 001433

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: £47,181 - £51,357

Hours per week: 36.40

Location: Spindles Offices, George Street Oldham OL1 1HD

Closing date: Friday 1st May 2026

Hiring manager contact details: Ben Moorhouse (ben.moorhouse@oldham.gov.uk)

Role overview

To manage, motivate and assist with the leadership of the Estates team delivering a portfolio of estates services in line with the corporate objectives of Oldham Council, working collaboratively across teams to ensure positive outcomes for the Council and the residents it serves.

Key responsibilities

• To be responsible for the day to day running of an estates function working on own initiative and leading a team of professional surveyors and technical support officers.
• Working collaboratively within a team of property professionals to deliver high quality, client focussed estates and valuation services
• Take a lead role in delivering wide-ranging surveying services on a varied portfolio of commercial, residential and specialised premises, schools, and other public buildings and land in line with council policy and procedures.
• To take a lead role in proving professional valuations for various purposes, including for corporate accounting, strategic asset management, readying assets for disposal or acquisition and for general property advice.
• Market vacant land and buildings, analyse offers and negotiate through heads of terms stage, instructing solicitors and managing the whole disposal or acquisition process.
• Support any other areas of estate management across the corporate or commercial (investment estate) such as new lettings, landlord and tenant work or general property management to improve the performance of the estate.
• Carry out day-to-day estate management duties on both vacant and occupied properties including property inspections, rent collection/debt recovery, lease compliance, consents to assign/underlet/improve etc., tenant vacations, dilapidations, encroachments, service charge management and responding to general land and property enquiries and complaints.
• Develop and undertake Strategic Asset Management Plans, Option Appraisals, Feasibility Studies and development appraisals for individual sites and larger portfolios.

About us

We want Oldham to have vibrant, safe neighbourhoods where people are proud to live with opportunities for healthier, more fulfilled lives; and a sustainable, thriving economy. As we look to the future, the challenges may be significant, but so are the opportunities. We’ve identified three missions with our residents and partners, focusing on what will deliver the biggest impact:

A Great Place to Live, Healthier, Happier Lives, and Green and Growing.

We’re looking for candidates who will support us to achieve our ambitions and we encourage you to download our Corporate Plan: Ready for the Future and our Oldham Plan for further information.

Our values and behaviours

By driving innovation, investing in our people, and championing our communities, we will ensure that Oldham continues to be a place where everyone can live their best life. To support this, we have three core values which define who we are and how we operate. These are ‘Proud, Ambitious, and Together’, and they shape our culture, inform our decisions, and inspire us to deliver on our commitments to the people of Oldham.

We have translated these values into five behaviours which guide our actions and are the standards we hold ourselves to, day in and day out:

• Work with a resident focus
• Support local leaders
• Committed to the borough
• Delivery high performance
• Take ownership and drive change

You can find out more about our values and behaviours on our greater.jobs Oldham page

Our benefits package

At Oldham Council we offer a great benefits package for our employees, which includes the following:

• 25 days annual leave which increases after 5 and 10-years’ service
• The option to purchase additional annual leave.
• An attractive LGPS benefit pension scheme with the option to make shared cost additional voluntary contributions.
• Discounted gym membership with Oldham Active.
• Staff discount scheme for shopping, entertainment, eating-out, eating-in, travel, motoring and more.
• Salary sacrifice scheme for home and electronics and Cycle to Work.
• Wellbeing support, including a Mental Health First Aider network and an Employment Assistance Programme that provides 24 hours access to advice and support.
• Staff recognition and celebration events.
• Peer support groups

Inclusive recruitment

We work closely with employees to help them work at their best, including making adjustments such as flexible working, describing available working patterns, providing equipment or making changes to the workplace.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and therefore expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you have lived or worked abroad for 3 months or more in the last 5 years or 12 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the last 10 years whilst aged 18 or over, please refer to the link below for details for how to obtain your Certificates of Good Character. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

Unfortunately, at this time we are not able to offer sponsorship.

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.

If you’re an applicant with disabilities and have previously been in or currently in care, a carer, someone who has served in the Armed Forces, or you’ve participated in the GM Elevate Programme, and you meet the essential criteria of the role, you are guaranteed to reach the first stage of assessment under our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme.

Data and privacy

For details of how we use your data please see our privacy notice.

Important information

Please note that should a vacancy that has been released for internal or external recruitment be deemed suitable for a current employee at risk of redundancy, it can be pulled back at any point, up to the post being formally offered to a candidate who is not at risk of redundancy.