Land and Rural Group Estates Manager

Careersatstaffordshire; Stafford; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the United Kingdom seeks a motivated individual for the role of County Farms Service Manager. This position requires leadership in managing a substantial agricultural estate, with responsibilities for budget oversight and team leadership. Candidates should have a strong background in rural estate management, possess strong negotiation and communication skills, and be a chartered member of RICS. An exciting competitive salary and benefits package is offered in a supportive team environment.

Benefits

Competitive salary and benefits package

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Significant experience in managing rural estates.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage budgets.
• Experience working with public, private, and commercial partners.

Responsibilities

• Manage the County Farms Service and its budget.
• Lead and develop a high-performing County Farms team.
• Network with local, regional, and national partners.

Skills

Leadership skills

Negotiation skills

Planning and organizational skills

Strong communication

Flexibility

Education

Fully chartered member of RICS

Fellow of the CAAV

Job description

We're seeking a motivated and flexible individual with the leadership and management skills to manage and lead it’s County Farms Service, which is primarily responsible for the management of a predominantly agricultural let estate of 6,500 acres with 63 equipped farm holdings.

The County Farms service forms an important part of the wider Business and Enterprise team which delivers a range of projects and services to support Staffordshire’s £18 billion economy.

You'll have substantial experience of strategic and practical Rural Estate management with strong professional and technical knowledge to effectively and efficiently run a high performing service.

The role will involve a significant amount of on site work, as well as office based work in collaboration with the County Farms team (based in Stafford) and the opportunity to work from home subject to business requirements.

Hosted within the Business and Enterprise Team of Staffordshire County Council, you'll work collaboratively as part of a broader team and will be responsible for leading the high performing County Farms team which generates a net income of £700,000 per annum to the County Council and provides a ‘farming ladder’ for numerous starter and progression tenants.

Being accountable for the strategic management of the estate you will have direct responsibility for the service area’s budget and will lead on and provide advice to other members of the team to ensure that the estate and tenancies within it comply with relevant statute and legal frameworks.

The role will involve working in partnership with a range of organisations, private, public and commercial partners at a local, regional and national level to realise Staffordshire’s economic vision and you will be expected to network and negotiate to maximise opportunities for Staffordshire.

Your negotiation skills will also be important in ensuring the best value for the estate in terms of rental values and through potential land and property acquisition and disposal activities.

You should be a fully chartered member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers.

You should also be able to demonstrate:

• a significant amount of experience in managing rural estates.
• excellent communication, planning and organisational skills,
• be self-motivated and able to work under pressure.
• ability to work flexibly and creatively to tackle challenging and changing priorities working towards the economic vision of Staffordshire.

“We’re happy to talk flexible working”

If this sounds like a good match to your skills, we look forward to hearing from you. In return we can offer you an exciting and diverse role which is rewarded with a competitive salary & benefits package within the high performing and supportive Business and Enterprise Team.

Interviews are proposed to be held during the week starting 26th January 2026. Our Recruitment Process: We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you’ll bring to the role.