Job Introduction
Job Title: Senior Rural Estates Officer
Starting Salary: £48,225 opportunity to progress to £53,460 per annum (pro rata for part time)
Hours: 37
Location: Stevenage
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Resources
About the team
Our Rural Estates team is responsible for the management of a diverse and evolving 10,500‑acre estate with over 1,000 buildings and 450 lettings. As a team of 12 within the wider Property service, we manage everything from arable and dairy farms to woodlands, a country park, commercial units, and land ahead of development.
This is an Estate that is continually moving forward, with biodiversity projects, tenancy re‑organisations, strategic land work, and innovative re‑lettings creating a dynamic, exciting environment. You’ll join a supportive, collaborative team of Rural Surveyors and Estates Officers, where knowledge is shared and professional growth is encouraged.
About the role
As a Senior Rural Estates Officer, you’ll play a key role in delivering high‑quality estate management across an exceptionally varied rural portfolio. You will work both independently and alongside the wider team, contributing to strategic decisions, supporting estate projects, and delivering a professional, tenant‑focused service.
You’ll enjoy a genuinely varied workload across our estate, where proximity to London has enabled many tenants to diversify into exciting and unique enterprises. No two days will look the same: you’ll be out on farms meeting tenants, progressing rent reviews, shaping new lettings and working with colleagues to move repairs and maintenance issues forward. You’ll contribute to tenancy re‑organisations and play an active role in biodiversity and environmental projects underway across the Estate. Alongside this you’ll prepare reports and updates for senior managers and Members, helping inform long‑term decisions about the future of the Rural Estate. This blend of autonomy and teamwork provides a rewarding environment where your professional judgement truly makes an impact.
About you
Essential:
- Degree‑level qualification (or equivalent experience) in a relevant rural/property discipline
- Professional membership such as MRICS (or equivalent relevant experience)
- Strong track record in estate or property management
- Excellent interpersonal skills, able to build positive relationships with tenants, contractors and colleagues
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with confident problem‑solving ability
- Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle
Desirable:
- Experience of rural property management, agricultural tenancies, and associated legislation
- Understanding of budget management
- Knowledge or training in H&S areas such as asbestos, CDM, NEBOSH or IOSH
This is an exciting opportunity to join a forward‑thinking Rural Estates team entering a new phase of strategic development. The scale, diversity and momentum of the Estate mean you will be involved in everything from farm management and tenancy restructuring to environmental projects, commercial lettings and strategic planning work. If you are looking for a role that is professionally stimulating, people‑focused and varied, we would love to hear from you.
We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.
This job role is within the Corporate Services, level 12 job profile. Please locate this via:
Job profiles - Corporate services
To hear more about this opportunity please contact
Emma Chapman
01992 556246
Emma.chapman@hertfordshire.gov.uk
for an informal discussion about the role.
Interview Date: to be confirmed
How to apply
As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.
Additional information
Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.