What is an Estates Manager?
Estates Managers are responsible for estates teams which manage property and land for public, private and heritage organisations.
In your role as an Estates Manager, you will preserve historical or private sector sites to ensure they run as effectively and efficiently as possible. A typical working day will be coordinating your team and workmen, problem-solving and using careful management to maximise any financial returns the estate can accrue. You may also be tasked with improving social integration and health outcomes – depending on the nature of the estate.
Your duties as an Estates Manager will vary drastically depending on your employer. For example, the tasks of an NHS Estates Manager are vastly different to those of an Estates Manager employed by the National Trust or a similar organisation. However, with most employment contracts, it is expected that your work will contribute to solving longer-term issues. To improve estates, you may be expected to oversee accessibility enhancements or accommodate additional services without adding more property to the estate.
Responsibilities
Depending on your employer, you may need to:
- Manage volunteers, staff, and contractors
- Oversee the management of residential or commercial buildings, rural land, or healthcare settings
- Organise maintenance and repairs
- Work collaboratively with external and internal staff
- Be the sole project manager for renovations and the construction of new buildings
- Commission and plan contractor work
- Manage contracts
- Work in line with regulations and legislation
- Ensure the estate’s development is in line with the primary objectives
- Organise the redevelopment and repurposing of sites
- Work with the local community to inform them of new changes
- Play an active role in improving visitor numbers
- Use social media marketing and other modes of marketing to drive community engagement and build a more positive public image
- Keep senior leadership members and landowners up to date on progress and potential issues
- Plan and control financial budgets for projects
Salary
- The starting salary of an Estates Manager is £21,000 – £25,000
As an experienced Estates Manager, you could expect to earn up to £35,000
The salary potential for senior Estates Managers is £55,000
Some employers may also provide employee benefits such as company vehicles, health insurance, and bonus schemes.
Working Hours
Commonly, you will work a regular Monday – Friday week. However, this can depend on your employer, the sector you are employed in and whether you need to oversee any weekend events or the work of contractors.
The majority of positions are full-time; however, part-time and short-term contracts are available, typically through recruitment agencies.
What to Expect
- Your average working day will comprise working on the estate you are managing and in office.
- You need to be able to work strategically and practically to improve a project overall, which often involves balancing several issues which may contradict each other. For example, you may need to increase profitability without spending additional money on the estate.
- You will be working towards short and long-term objectives, ensuring that both needs are met.
- Experienced Estates Manager can apply for vacancies overseas
- In the UK, there are job vacancies in rural, suburban, and major cities.
Qualifications
Candidates who hold a degree or HND in the following subjects will have a competitive edge when applying for positions:
- Physical education
- Leisure studies
- Health and exercise science
- Sports science
- Sports studies
- Sports in the community
- Recreation management
- Sport development
For candidates who don’t have a relevant degree or Higher National Diploma, coaching qualifications or similar work experience could be enough to get you through the first stage of the recruitment process. It is uncommon for employers to ask for a postgraduate degree, however, for some specialist positions, a postgraduate degree in sports development will put you in good stead with the recruitment team.
If your position will see you working with children or vulnerable members of the community, you may also be asked to pass an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check to safeguard the members of the community you will be working with.
Skills
- An efficient project manager to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of an estate and keep on track when working towards specified aims.
- A creative problem-solver with confidence in your decision-making skills.
- Comfortable with outside-of-the-box thinking.
- Organised with exceptional prioritisation skills to juggle issues which vary in importance and urgency.
- Exceptional with budgeting and financial management to ensure all work is being carried out in line with the budget while maximising the profitability of the site.
- Adept with delegation.
- Comfortable with negotiating deals to minimise expenditure and maximise profitability.
- In possession of a clean driver’s licence and vehicle – unless a company car is provided.Clued up on health and safety matters to keep your team, visitors, and service users safe.
Work Experience
There are two main criteria all Estates Manager candidates must fulfil with their work experience; relevant sector knowledge and the ability to prove organisational skills. Candidates can expect the candidate criteria to be marginally stricter for farm and rural work.
If you want to pursue a career in commercial, residential, or private estate management, your CV should exhibit your awareness of regulatory and commercial legislation. For candidates wanting to take a strategic approach to accrue experience for more senior or high-paying roles, short-term contracts are often one of the best ways to do this. Alternatively, if you are starting from scratch, you can pick up internships or shadowing opportunities to prove your commitment to your career path.
Career Prospects
Many Estates Managers progress through the teams and organisations they are already employed within. It is a highly scalable career ladder, which also provides opportunities for specialisation in particular areas.
For example, The National Trust and the NHS offer positions suitable for graduates and allow them to gain experience within different aspects of estate management before giving them the option to apply for senior-level positions and higher management roles, which carry more responsibilities.
Employers
Estates Manager roles are commonly advertised by:
Local councils for public sector jobs
NHS trusts
Housing associations
The National Trust and English Heritage
Farm and rural management companies
Surveyor practices
- Property investment companies
For graduates, some recruiters will liaise with university careers services to fill their vacancies, especially if the university offers a relevant degree.
Related Courses
By enrolling in this degree with UWS London, you will learn from industry leaders who will share their real-world experience with project management through practice-based lectures, allowing you to get hands-on project management experience to take with you into the field. 97% of graduates from this program gain employment within the field or further their higher education within six months. The degree modules comprise strategic management and sustainability, and project management fundamentals.
MSc Project Management International
If you want to take your career as an Estates Manager overseas, the international project management MSc degree from the UWS Paisley campus can equip you with the knowledge and experience to cross borders with your vocation as an Estates Manager. After studying on the Paisley campus, you will undertake study on a French campus before being awarded a dual degree from UWS and the University of Angers.
