Unite Students` highly successful Asset Management team have a fantastic opportunity for a new Asset Manager. This is an exciting role in a high performing team who act as the asset owners of our portfolio, developing key investment strategies.
We plan to invest more than £50m p.a. into our £8.5bn property portfolio to enhance our customer satisfaction and drive financial performance and the asset managers will play a critical part in determining where and how we invest to maximise value creation, prioritise defensive capex and improve the customer experience.
What You`ll Be Doing
- Responsible for the development and coordination of city strategies within your region, which will determine the overall investment strategy for each city
- Flowing from the city strategies, generate a plan for every asset to ensure we are driving rental growth, managing EPC/energy risk and prioritising lifecycle capex to create the best customer experience
- Identify opportunities to reposition assets through refurbishments, reconfigurations, or extensions. Work closely with the commercial and brand teams to understand segmentation opportunities to reposition buildings for targeted customer groups, for example post-graduates
- Work closely with the commercial team to understand the potential for rental growth and associated investment requirements to achieve this growth, seek to adapt refurbishment specifications where required to meet investment return criteria
- Identify assets which may underperform over a given time horizon and working closely with the commercial and investment teams generate a plan to either recover, hold or sell
- With the University Partnership team, review nominations agreements ahead of expiries to identify opportunities to unlock value with further investment through refurbishments and / or amenity improvements. Support discussions with the universities
- Responsible for the commercial portfolio within the regions, seek to maximise rent, whilst where possible, adding to the student experience
- Post completion of asset management initiatives, work closely with the operational and brand teams to understand what elements of the refurbishment students place real value on; where improvements can be made; the operational benefits and challenges
- Work closely with the operational teams to understand local issues and where appropriate factor into investment decisions
- Work cross functionally with the development, project delivery, operations, commercial and university partnership teams to generate investment plans and approvals. Responsible for the creation of IC papers and to secure approvals for all major investment decisions
- Work cross functionally with Development, Delivery, Operations and Sales to generate investment plans/approvals
- Accountable for the delivery of all IC approved projects in line with plan
- Support the investment team in disposals and acquisitions.
What We`re Looking for in You
- Significant property experience, preferably in leasing or asset management, with a clear understanding of the drivers of value in real estate
- Good understanding or Landlord and Tenant law, comfortable with legal documents
- Experience of leading cross functional teams to deliver asset plans
- Experience in presenting ideas and project requirements clearly and eloquently
- Ability to travel frequently across the UK. The role is based in Bond St, London
- Proven ability to influence at Board level and engage practically at all levels
- Evidence of working in a fast paced, high change environment and prioritising multiple demands effectively whilst maintaining a high level of accuracy, quality and attention to detail
- The ability to understand, empathise with and deliver against customer needs
- Willingness to learn about the wider business
- Possesses and promotes a positive attitude, with the ability to adapt swiftly and a willingness to undertake new challenges
What You`ll Get in Return
- An annual bonus so you can share in the company`s success
- 25 days` paid holiday
- Pension - based on how much you save, we`ll contribute 1% more
- Flexible working opportunities
- Shared Parental Leave - 18 weeks full pay
- Other benefits include, ShareSave, Bike to Work, Charity Match, amazing discounts and more!
About Unite Students
Founded in 1991, Unite Students is a FTSE 100 business and the UK`s leading provider of purpose-built student accommodation. You can find us in 25 leading university towns and cities, with 74,000 students calling US home! We are driven by our values, culture, and a commitment to develop diverse and inclusive teams, filled with positive energy and new ideas.
Instinctive inclusion. We know that to create and maintain a happy healthy organisation, we have to work hard to ensure inclusion isn`t just what we do but who we are.
People make Unite Students. Employees, students and neighbours all contribute to building environments where we can all thrive.
Room for Everyone
We`re proud to be an employer that embraces individuality, and we`re passionate about building inclusive teams. We focus on creating a collaborative culture where you can be you, where your voice is heard, and where you can truly belong. We take great pride in being rated Gold Investors in People and are constantly striving to provide the highest standard of learning and development opportunities and professional pathways for our people. Building a home for success, for both our employees and students, requires exceptional people with a passion for creating room for everyone, doing what`s right, keeping US safe, and raising the bar. Join us as we build better experiences for students that live with us.
We are US.