Job Description

Job Title

Real Estate Programme Manager - Transactions (12 months FTC)

Job Description Summary

The Real Estate Programme & Transaction Manager leads the end-to-end delivery of the client’s real estate transactions and associated property projects. The role combines transaction leadership with programme management and acts as the central client-side link between internal business stakeholders, external advisers and outsourced delivery partners.

The postholder will take full accountability from initial requirement and business case through governance, commercial negotiation, approvals, implementation, handover and post-completion review. Managing portfolio wide lease event governance and the transaction pipeline, you will drive a programmatic approach to transaction management, continuously identifying and realising opportunities for efficiency in both execution and the portfolio itself.

Job Description

Key Accountabilities

• Own and lead the complete transaction lifecycle for lease renewals, regears, relocations, consolidations, expansions and other portfolio transactions from initial requirement through completion, mobilisation, handover and post-completion review.
• Translate business requirements into clear property strategies, project scopes, delivery plans, milestones, budgets and decision points.
• Act as the principal intelligent client-side point of contact for all leasehold transaction activity, coordinating

stakeholders across operations, finance, legal, procurement, tax, risk, sustainability, workplace, facilities, IT and senior leadership.

• Lead programme governance, ensuring outsourced providers deliver against agreed service levels, performance measures and strategic objectives including project plans, critical paths, dependencies, risk and issue logs, change control, budget tracking, approvals and executive reporting.
• Develop and present robust options appraisals and business cases that clearly set out commercial, operational, financial, risk and timing implications.
• Lead commercial negotiations and direct external advisers, agents, lawyers, surveyors, project managers, consultants and landlords to secure the best overall outcome for the client.
• Build stakeholder alignment around property strategy and ensure each transaction progresses through the required Property governance, delegation of authority, financial and legal approval processes.
• Lead programme governance and oversee outsourced-provider performance against agreed service levels, governance requirements, performance measures and strategic objectives. Maintain clear plans, critical paths, dependencies, budgets, risks, issues, change controls, approvals and executive reporting, intervening promptly where delivery is at risk.
• Own the portfolio-wide transaction pipeline and lease-event governance, ensuring renewals, rent reviews, break options, regears and expiries are identified early, supported by documented occupancy strategies, appropriately resourced and delivered in line with business priorities.
• Develop forward-looking transaction strategies that identify opportunities to optimise the portfolio, reduce cost, manage risk and support business growth and wider organisational objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement in transaction processes and support the implementation and ongoing development of the Property Operating Model, embedding consistent governance, processes, controls and ways of working across internal teams and outsourced partners.

Core Skills & Experience

• Proven experience delivering complex commercial real estate transactions in a client-side, corporate occupier or advisory environment.
• Strong programme and project management capability, with a track record of managing multiple concurrent workstreams from inception to completion.
• Demonstrated ability to take independent ownership of complex outcomes, exercise sound judgement, drive timely decisions and resolve delivery obstacles.
• Commercially astute, with strong negotiation, financial analysis, options appraisal, business case and risk management skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, including the ability to align diverse internal functions and communicate effectively with senior decision-makers.
• Experience directing multidisciplinary external advisers and outsourced delivery partners, with clear expectations, accountability and performance oversight.
• Experience implementing process improvement, operating model change or business transformation programmes.
• Strong understanding of leases, heads of terms, transaction documentation, property due diligence and the interaction between real estate, legal, finance and operational requirements.
• Knowledge of lease event management, rent reviews, lease renewals, regears and occupier transaction strategy.
• Highly organised and detail-focused, with disciplined governance, reporting and document management.
• Confident using portfolio, project and financial data to support decisions and communicate progress clearly.

Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification in real estate, surveying, business, project management or a related discipline is preferred.
• Typically, at least five years’ relevant commercial real estate transaction or programme delivery experience.

Behaviours & Personal Qualities

• Accountable and delivery-focused, with the resilience to see complex activity through to a clear outcome.
• Proactive, pragmatic and solution-oriented, while maintaining appropriate governance and controls.
• Clear and credible communicator who adapts their style operational, technical and executive audiences.
• Collaborative and able to build trust across internal teams and external partners.
• Comfortable working with ambiguity, competing priorities and time-critical decisions.
• Acts with integrity, sound judgement and a strong client-side commercial mindset.

Cushman & Wakefield is an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, marital status, or any other legally protected characteristic. Cushman & Wakefield is committed to equity in employment, and our goal is to have a diverse, inclusive and barrier-free workplace. If you are a person with a disability and need any other accessible accommodations during the hiring process, you are invited to bring this to the Talent Acquisition Advisor’s attention once they have made contact.

INCO: “Cushman & Wakefield”