Head of Workspace and Property

Job Description

Job Type: Permanent

Location: This role could be based in either our London, Birmingham or Edinburgh offices with time spent working in the office and at home as well as travel between sites.

Flexible working: All of our roles are open to part-time, job-share and other types of flexibility. We will discuss what is important to you and balancing this with business requirements during the recruitment process. You can read more about Phoenix Flex here.

Closing Date: 4th April 2025

Salary and benefits: £120,000 – £150,000 depending on experience plus indicative bonus range of 30-60%, private medical cover, 38 days annual leave, excellent pension, 12x salary life assurance, career breaks, income protection, 3x volunteering days and much more.

We have a fantastic opportunity for an experienced people leader to join the Phoenix People team as Head of Workspace and Property. The world of work is constantly changing, and we’re looking for someone to join us to help us shape the strategy and vision for the future of our workspace. If you’re passionate about creating the workspace of the future and want to create spaces where colleagues love to work, this one could be for you!

Who are we?

We want to be the best place that any of our 6,600 colleagues have ever worked.

We’re the UK’s largest long-term savings and retirement business. We offer a range of products across our market-leading brands, Standard Life, SunLife, Phoenix Life and ReAssure. Around 1 in 5 people in the UK has a pension with us. We’re a FTSE 100 organisation that is tackling key issues such as transitioning our portfolio to net zero by 2050, and we’re not done yet.

The role:

You’ll play a key role in driving the next phase of our growth, shaping the strategy and workspace experience for our colleagues across the UK and Europe. You will ensure that our offices are not just functional but are truly inspiring places to work. You’ll lead the transformation of our 1 million sq ft property portfolio, which represents an asset valued at c.£32m, creating state-of-the-art facilities that reflect our ambition to be the best place that any of us have ever worked.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer for the People Function, you’ll lead all elements of our Property Strategy and function. You will drive innovation, manage sustainability goals and create workspaces that meet the expectations of our diverse workforce and enable our colleagues to thrive.

You Will:

• Deliver all property and workspace requirements, working closely with Exco to understand and support business needs. Lead all Property and Facilities activities, working closely with senior leaders and the Board.
• Develop and inspire a high-performing team to deliver exceptional workplace experiences for all colleagues.
• Shape and execute a property & workspace strategy that supports diverse ways of working and meets current and future business & workforce demands.
• Explore opportunities to generate income from our property portfolio.
• Develop technology used to improve efficiency and customer service.
• Manage third-party suppliers to ensure excellent service and contractual compliance.
• Take financial accountability for property capital and revenue budgets.
• Champion our sustainability goals, driving the transition to carbon neutral by 2025.

What are we looking for?

• We’re looking for an experienced people leader to lead and drive change and transformation.
• You will have significant experience of creating a strategy & vision through collaboration with colleagues and stakeholders to drive our property & workspace strategy for now and the future.
• Extensive experience managing large corporate property portfolios in a complex, matrixed environment.
• Commercially savvy, with a deep understanding of cost management and property trends across the UK and Europe.
• A track record of successfully delivering £10m+ property & workspace projects.
• A visionary leader focused on creating exceptional customer experiences and developing high performing teams.
• A collaborative and enthusiastic approach with a real passion for delighting customers.
• Extensive experience of managing & influencing stakeholders at the most senior levels in an organisation.

If you’re ready to lead the way in Workspace & Property and want to help us create the best workplace possible in an ever-changing world of work, we’d love to hear from you.

We Want To Hire The Whole Version Of You.

We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels accepted and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. If your experience looks different from what we’ve advertised and you believe that you can bring value to the role, we’d love to hear from you.