Chartered Surveyor – Technical Lead

Job summary

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This role is part of HMRC Valuation Office, formerly known as the Valuation Office Agency. We have recently integrated into HMRC.

HMRC Valuation Office are the public sector’s property valuation experts and advisers with a vision to be a world-leading provider of public sector valuations. Our work is vital to the collection of over £60 billion of revenue which goes back into communities, touching every citizen and every business across England and Wales.

Job description

There is also a Technical Lead vacancy available in an alternative region (VACANCY REF: 481023). If you would like to be considered for both roles, please submit a separate application for each vacancy.

Role Overview

The Council Tax Unit plays a vital role in delivering fair and consistent Council Tax valuations across England and Wales. As a Council Tax Technical Lead, you will be at the forefront of this work, providing expert technical leadership on complex valuation, legislative and procedural matters.

As a recognised specialist in Council Tax valuation, you will provide authoritative advice on complex proposals, appeals and emerging technical issues, helping to ensure technical decisions are robust, evidence-based and applied consistently across the Council Tax Unit.

Working closely with operational leaders, quality colleagues and Chief Valuer Directorate teams, you will help shape valuation practice, strengthen technical capability and drive continuous improvement across a nationally dispersed operation.

Join a highly skilled professional community where your expertise will influence decision-making, support the development of others and contribute to the delivery of a trusted and high-quality valuation service.

Key responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership, guidance and support to colleagues across the Council Tax Unit.
• Act as a recognised technical expert, providing authoritative advice on complex technical cases.
• Interpret and apply Council Tax legislation, case law and wider legal principles to support consistent operational decision making.
• Support litigation by preparing and presenting cases before the Valuation Tribunal and assisting in the preparation of appeals to High Court and higher where required.
• Undertake horizon scanning activities to identify issues, assessing potential impacts and developing appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Build effective working relationships with operational leaders and stakeholders to support the delivery of accurate, consistent and customer focused outcomes.
• Contribute specialist Council Tax expertise to wider business improvement, transformation and change initiatives.
• Lead the development, review and maintenance of technical guidance and instructions for the Council Tax Unit.
• Design and deliver technical learning that strengthen technical knowledge and promote consistency.
• Coach, mentor and support colleagues, helping to develop capability and improve quality across the Unit.

Person specification

We are looking for an experienced Council Tax valuation professional with the technical credibility to provide authoritative advice on complex valuation matters. You will be confident in applying legislation, case law and professional judgement to support sound decision-making and consistent valuation practice.

You will be an effective communicator with the ability to influence others, build strong professional relationships and share specialist knowledge to support the development of colleagues and the wider Council Tax Unit.

Essential Requirements

• MRICS / FRICS or IRRV (Hons) in the valuation or real estate pathway.
• Advanced technical expertise in Council Tax valuation and associated legislation with the credibility to provide authoritative advice and guidance on complex matters.
• Significant experience of Council Tax valuation with the ability to interpret and apply legislation, case law and wider legal principles to complex circumstances.
• Experience of providing technical leadership, sharing specialist knowledge and supporting colleagues to build capability and promote consistent valuation practice.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to evaluate complex evidence and reach sound, balanced and well-reasoned technical conclusions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical matters clearly and confidently to a range of audiences.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships.

Licences

A full UK Driving Licence is essential to this role This role requires regular travel to inspect specialist sites Surveyors are also required to transport PPE and surveying equipment to and from sites. A full UK driving licence is considered necessary for this role. However, if you are disabled within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010 and do not hold a full driving licence, please contact the vacancy holder. We will discuss your circumstances with you and consider whether any reasonable adjustments or alternative arrangements can be made to enable you to undertake the role Please contact vacancy holder before you start/submit your application with your details to discuss this further.

Qualifications

Full RICS Professional membership (MRICS or FRICS) or IRRV

Memberships

Full RICS Professional membership (MRICS or FRICS) or IRRV

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• You will be asked 2 technical questions at interview to assess your professional knowledge and experience of Council Tax.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £59,342, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £17,191 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance that starts at 25 days, increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days and a Civil Service Pension with