Deputy Director Property & Assets

Job summary

As the Deputy Director for Property & Assets, you will lead a key function in the Estates and Locations Directorate responsible for HMRC’s and VOAs Estate. You will have responsibility for the strategic Estates Asset portfolio management, that delivers a great place to work for our people with maximum efficiency, sustainability and flexibility for the HMRC estate that meets our future workforce needs.

Job description

Applying professional skills and experience, you will manage more complex property activities with precision on the legacy estate including lease events, dilapidations, service charges and rates appeals.

You will be responsible for:

• Ensuring that HMRC and VOA are using their estate in the most efficient way, including changes to locations strategy and accommodating other government departments, and that property is acquired and disposed of in accordance with HMRC’s needs and at best value, considering future needs.
• Providing balanced expert advice to senior leaders in respect of key property decisions affecting the HMRC and VOA Estate and where necessary prepare briefing papers for Treasury Select Committee and Public Accounts Committee and to attend at such committees, as required.
• Managing and overseeing a delegated budget, working collaboratively with finance colleagues to identify risks and opportunities.
• Leading on lease events with a focus on business needs for space and its suitability, managing complex stakeholder needs and understanding the big picture..
• IFRS16 reporting and accuracy for all property transactions working collaboratively with finance colleagues to ensure forecasting and budgeting of lease events which affect CDEL are impacted appropriately and in a timely fashion.
• Ensuring that HMRC and VOA property outgoings including landlord service charges, business rates and rents are assured and cross checked and any savings identified at an early stage.
• Leading engagements with wider government to sublet surplus accommodation, allowing wider government to benefit from our award-winning estates. Close collaboration with strategic performance teams on capacity data and ensuring alignment with workforce planning, collaborating with wider HMRC functions ensure consistency and reporting with alignment to our future workforce needs.
• Leading the Insights & Partnering team to ensure that business group needs are understood and managed, that Other Government Department requirements are understood, recorded and OGDs enjoy the use of quality workspaces. Management of ongoing relationships both within HMRC and OGDs.
• Leading in the development of an interoperable estate across Government, liaising with OGP and GPA. Developing HMRC policies in relation to sharing of secure space, flexible use of the civil estate and implementation of GovPass to ensure that HMRC estate is protected but seamless access is available to OGD colleagues.

Person specification

We are seeking a visionary property leader who combines technical mastery with the "political savvy" required to operate at the heart of Government.

You will be a member of the Government Property Profession, with benefits including opportunities for Government and industry-led CPD events; access to a diverse community of property professionals across government for sharing best practice; and a comprehensive career framework and learning and development curriculum to support your career journey.

Essential Criteria:

• Professional Eminence: You are MRICS/FRICS qualified (or hold an equivalent professional degree) equivalent in a related technical field (e.g., surveying).
• Commercial Negotiation: A track-record of leading high-value, complex property transactions, including leasehold/freehold acquisitions and arbitrations, often within a high-pressure or politically sensitive context.
• Transformational Leadership: An experienced people leader who can pivot between managing technical property experts to driving broad cultural change to strategic thinking and execution, ensuring the team remains engaged and resilient with a high focus on precision and detail.
• Strategic Relationship Management: The ability to build trust, relationships and influence at the highest levels—from Landlords and Developers to Director Generals and wider government — ensuring HMRC’s interests are protected while fostering "One Government" collaboration.
• Analytical & Financial Acumen: Proficiency in managing large multi-million-pound budgets and using complex data sets (Strategic Property and Asset Management) to drive long-term investment and divestment decisions.

Qualifications

You are MRICS/FRICS qualified (or hold an equivalent professional degree) equivalent in a related technical field (e.g., surveying).

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Pension​

Your Civil Service pension is a valuable part of your total reward and is one of your biggest benefits.

When you join the Civil Service, you get access to the alpha pension with a generous employer contribution of 28.97% and some of the lowest member contributions in the public sector.

Please visit Civil Service Pension Scheme for more information.

Annual Leave and Bank Holiday Allowance​

25 days annual leave, increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service (allowance pro-rata for part-time colleagues).

This is complemented by one days paid privilege leave to mark the King’s Birthday and is in addition to your public holidays.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion ​

The Civil Service values and supports all its employees. At HMRC we want to create great places to work that are welcoming to all – where there is a strong sense of belonging and community.​

We embed inclusion in everything we do. Senior Civil Servants play a crucial role in promoting and maintaining inclusive behaviours, addressing disparities and reporting progress.

Our HMRC equality objectives 2024-2028 describe how we are working to become a more inclusive and representative organisation reflective of our values.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Application

This campaign is being managed by HMRC’s Executive Resourcing team. All applications should be submitted via Civil Service Jobs no later than 23:55 on Monday 13th April 2026 and must include:

• A CV detailing your career history, key responsibilities and achievements accounting for any employment gaps within the last two years.
• A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 2 pages) demonstrating how your experience meets the essential criteria.

Your CV and suitability statement will be assessed against the criteria set out in the person specification. Please include your full name on both documents.

Shortlist

The panel will assess the evidence provided in your CV and statement. Candidates whose applications best meet the essential criteria will be selected for interview.

Interview

You will attend a panel interview for a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence. This will include a 5-minute verbal presentation (further information will be issued in advance).

Interviews are expected to take place virtually via Microsoft Teams.

All Criminal Record Checks applications are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Louise Nisbet
• Email : scs.resourcing@hmrc.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : scs.resourcing@hmrc.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly with the department concerned. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

Attachments

Deputy Director Property and Assets - Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1037kB)