Opportunity Description
Role Overview
Savills works on many of the leading residential and mixed use development proposals in the UK and prepares and negotiates planning applications. Our Economics team carries out social and economic impact assessments and analysis and negotiation of social infrastructure requirements. We are looking for a specialist with knowledge of education needs assessments and negotiations to join the Economics team to help expand this significant area of work.
This position of Associate Director is to play a leading role in expanding Savills services covering education and social infrastructure needs assessments and negotiations including S106 social infrastructure requirements. There is also the opportunity to work on associated business planning and market assessment.
Team Overview
Savills culture is one of trust and respect, teamwork and collaboration. Our teams and our clients benefit when we work together, listening to and learning from each other. Above all, we value the motivation of our people. This is evidenced by our wellbeing offer, our capability to facilitate flexible working and our support to enjoy a healthy work life balance.
The Savills Economics team has established a reputation as one of the leading players in the UK covering property and development related economic and social analysis and research. We work on the interface between economics, property, society and infrastructure.
The remit of the Economics team is to lead on work in the field of property, planning and economics, covering:
• Carrying out social and economic impact assessments, including EIA chapters, health impact assessment, equalities impact assessments and social infrastructure needs analysis and negotiations
• Establishing the economic, financial and business cases for projects and programmes, including major proposals and estate/property initiatives.
• Preparing and influencing economic, planning, property, regeneration, and infrastructure development strategy, policy and research at national, sub-regional and local levels.
• Market research, including preparing the case for development proposals and planning applications and appeals
• Low carbon research and environmental economics.
Examples of our education and social infrastructure related work includes:
• Edmonton Green education needs assessment for Crosstree Real Estate
• Hemel East education and social infrastructure needs assessment for The Crown Estate
• Bridge Close education needs assessment for First Base
• Lucan Place former police station social infrastructure needs assessment
• Preparation of Trinity East new academic and commercial quarter business plan for Trinity College Dublin.
The team draws upon and works with other teams in Savills, including planning, development, research and sustainability.
Key Responsibilities of the Role
The role of the Associate Director is to:
• Assess education and social infrastructure needs associated with new development
• Negotiate S106 packages of education and social infrastructure provision on behalf of developers/land owners
It could also cover leading on market/needs assessment and business planning for new education and social infrastructure provision including school, further education and higher education provision.
Key activities:
• Marketing
• Draw up, present and negotiate competitive proposals
• Liaise and cultivate good relationships with clients and fellow professionals
• Builds relationships with other divisions with a view to create joint business development opportunities
• Take responsibility for projects from the earliest stages through to completion
• Undertake research and analysis
• Develop creative and original solutions to satisfy all parties
• Write complex reports, interpreting data and making clear and relevant recommendations
• Prepare/make presentations at meetings
• Communicate and negotiate effectively with clients and colleagues
• Effective financial management of projects to ensure profitable delivery
• Team building
• Management of junior staff (with successful growth of the team)
• Maintain an awareness of market conditions and the impact of government policies
• Keep informed about documents relating to relevant policy and practice
• Attends external events to create local contacts and identify business opportunities.
Skills, Knowledge and Experience
• Knowledge of UK education sector
• Experience of education needs assessments
• Experience of negotiating education and social infrastructure S106 packages
• Market assessment and business planning experience
• Excellent written and communication skills
• Detail conscious, accurate
• Thrives under pressure, can work to tight deadlines
• Team player
• Strives to deliver an exceptional level of service to clients at all times
• A good knowledge of the UK planning system
• Numerical and analytic skills, preferably including modelling expertise (usual in Excel) and ability to carry out property appraisals
• Expertise in successfully managing projects and teams to budget and programme (essential).
• Consultancy experience (strongly desirable)
• A degree in town planning, geography, property surveying, economics, or a related discipline, or equivalent experience
• An MSc/MBA/equivalent qualification in a relevant field (desirable), or overall equivalent experience
• Membership of an appropriate professional institution such as the RTPI and/or RICS (desirable).
Assessment applicants can expect during selection
• Review CV
• At least two sets of interviews
• Presentation
• Examples of work