Estate Manager

**Job Title**

**Estate Manager**

**Type**

**Permanent - Ongoing**

**Location**

**Geneva**

**Department**

**DFAT - Geneva**

**Contract: Permanent, Ongoing**

**Full-time: 37.5 hours per week, 20 days annual leave, 14 days public holiday**

**Classification: LE5**

**Salary: CHF 100,841 p/a, 50% employer contribution to health and accident insurance and to a pension fund**

**About the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)**

The role of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is to advance the interests of Australia and Australians internationally. This involves strengthening Australia’s security, enhancing Australia’s prosperity, delivering an effective and high-quality overseas aid program and helping Australian travellers and Australians overseas.

The department provides foreign, trade and development policy advice to the Australian Government. DFAT also works with other Australian government agencies to drive coordination of Australia’s pursuit of global, regional and bilateral interests.

In Geneva, DFAT is represented by the Australian Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization, Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations and the Conference on Disarmament and the Australian Consulate-General.

**About the Position**

The Estate Manager manages the Australian Permanent Mission's property estate in Geneva, within the framework of Swiss and Australian policies and procedures.

**Under the direction of the Consul-General the key responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to**:

- Manage the Mission’s property portfolio estate which includes 25+ executive residences and diplomatic staff residences and an office building in Geneva.
- Provide property management support and advice to the corporate services team at the Australian Embassy, Bern.
- Manage the Mission’s large portfolio budget, including the annual asset management plan and approve property-related expenditure.
- Manage a small team. Organise workloads and allocate resources to complete tasks, assignments and projects in a timely and accurate manner. Provide assistance and support to team-members, as required.
- Liaise directly with diplomatic staff regarding property matters, co-ordinate the preparation of properties for staff and families residing in Geneva.
- Manage property furniture and fittings and repairs and maintenance programs.
- Search for and evaluate residential properties for suitability for the portfolio, against Australian and Swiss standards.
- Negotiate property leases with local agents and landlords, ensuring value for money and compliance with Australian standards.
- Liaise with and maintain a large network of property-related contractors and companies.
- Manage residential security alarm contracts and services.
- Manage office building services including cleaning, maintenance, gardening, service personnel and purchasing of supplies.
- Prepare financial and procurement documents for contracts, leases, rent payments ensuring it is in accordance with policies and procedures.
- Liaise with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Overseas Property Office in Canberra, as required.

**Qualifications/Experience**
- Language skills: fluency in written and spoken English and French;
- Demonstrated ability and experience in managing a large property portfolio;
- Strong sense of client service and service delivery with strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to cultivate collaborative working relationships with clients, contractors and stakeholders at all levels.
- Sound working knowledge of the laws, customs, guidelines, policies and regulations governing property management in Geneva;
- Highly-developed ability to assess, communicate and mitigate risk in property portfolio management;
- Ability to operate flexibly and dynamically, adjusting workload and priorities in response to unforeseen events;
- Excellent organisational, planning and project skills with the ability to co-ordinate and manage multiple tasks in a high-pressure, client-focused environment;
- Ability to work independently and exercise good judgement and escalate issues to senior management in a timely manner.
- Strong negotiation ability when dealing with landlords, agents, contractors and technicians. and client service skills
- Effective people management and leadership skills and ability to work productively with internal and external stakeholders.

**Selection Criteria**

Please respond to the Selection Criteria in the given space. In your written statements, you must include succinct, high-level relevant examples that support your claims against the role. The word limit is strictly 250 words per response. Responses which exceed this word limit will not be considered.

A. Experience managing property portfolios, preferably within the framework of Swiss and/or Australian policies and procedures.

B. Strong decision-making skills, and the ability to develop and execute