Manage business rates across a large commercial property portfolio, ensuring accurate liabilities, compliance, billing, valuations, appeals, forecasting and cost mitigation. Liaise with the Valuation Office Agency, local authorities, consultants and internal property and finance teams. Analyze property and financial data, advise stakeholders on rating implications, support transactions and redevelopment, maintain governance and records, and identify risks, savings and process improvements.
Business Rates Manager
The Arch Company | London (Hybrid)
About The Arch Company
The Arch Company is one of the UK’s largest owners of commercial property, managing a unique portfolio of railway arches and associated properties across the country.
Our properties provide space for thousands of businesses across a diverse range of sectors, from independent retailers and creative businesses to logistics, automotive and industrial occupiers.
We're passionate about creating places where businesses can thrive. Through proactive investment, expert asset management and a long-term approach, we're helping thousands of SMEs grow, invest and succeed in some of the UK's most distinctive commercial spaces.
The Role
We're looking for an experienced Business Rates Manager to take ownership of business rates across our unique and diverse portfolio.
This is far more than an administrative role. You'll be responsible for overseeing a significant rates liability, identifying opportunities to reduce costs, challenging valuations where appropriate and ensuring our portfolio is managed as efficiently as possible.
Your work will have a direct impact on both The Arch Company and the hundreds of SMEs that operate from our properties. By ensuring liabilities are accurate, reliefs are maximised and costs are managed effectively, you'll help create the right conditions for businesses across our portfolio to succeed.
This is a rare opportunity to become the recognised business rates expert within a large property company and shape how rates are managed across an estate that spans thousands of properties nationwide.
Key Accountabilities
Key Responsibilities
- Take overall responsibility for the management of business rates across the portfolio.
- Manage the relationship with external business rates consultants, valuers and other professional advisors.
- Manage and monitor business rates liabilities, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
- Review rates assessments, bills and valuations and identify opportunities for savings and mitigation.
- Liaise with local authorities and the VOA on rating matters.
- Review and challenge assessments where appropriate, including appeals and reductions in rateable value.
- Monitor changes to business rates legislation, government policy and valuation methodology and assess their impact on the business.
- Provide expert business rates advice internally.
- Review the business rates implications of vacant properties, occupation changes, refurbishments and redevelopment.
- Maintain accurate business rates records and ensure relevant property and rating data is up to date.
- Monitor expenditure and identify opportunities to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the rates function.
- Prepare regular reports, forecasts and analysis for senior stakeholders.
- Support annual budgeting and forecasting for business rates expenditure.
- Identify risks and opportunities within the portfolio and proactively recommend and deliver solutions.
- Ensure appropriate governance and controls are in place around business rates management.
- Work collaboratively with Finance, Property Management, Asset Management, Leasing and other internal teams.
Skills, Knowledge and Experience
About You
We're looking for someone with strong technical knowledge of UK business rates and experience managing rates across a commercial property portfolio.
You'll have:
- Significant experience in business rates within a commercial property environment.
- Strong understanding of the UK business rates system, including rateable values, multipliers, reliefs, appeals and billing.
- Experience working with the Valuation Office Agency and local authorities.
- Experience managing external consultants and professional advisors.
- Experience managing business rates appeals and negotiations.
- Experience of working through changes to the UK business rates regime.
- Strong analytical and numerical skills, with the ability to interrogate large datasets and identify anomalies or opportunities.
- Experience working with property, finance and asset management teams.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex rates issues clearly to non-specialists.
- Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities across a large portfolio.
- A proactive approach, with the confidence to challenge existing processes and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Strong attention to detail and a high level of commercial awareness.
Desirable
- Experience working within a large commercial property portfolio.
- Relevant professional qualification or membership
- Experience with property management or business rates software and large property datasets.
What You'll Bring
Technical expertise – You understand business rates and can act as the internal subject-matter expert.
Commercial thinking – You can identify opportunities to reduce costs and understand the wider commercial implications of rating decisions.
Influence – You're comfortable working with senior stakeholders, external advisors, councils and the VOA.
Ownership – You take responsibility for the rates position across the portfolio rather than simply managing individual cases.
Analytical thinking – You can work with large amounts of property and financial data and turn it into meaningful insight.
Collaboration – You enjoy working across property, finance and wider business teams.
Why Join The Arch Company?
This is an opportunity to join a distinctive UK real estate business with a highly diverse property portfolio.
You will have exposure across the organisation and the opportunity to make a tangible commercial impact through effective management of the business rates position.
The role offers the opportunity to work alongside experienced property, asset management and finance professionals while developing your expertise within a unique commercial property environment.
EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
At The Arch Company, we are on a mission to make our workplace as welcoming and inclusive as possible. We believe that our differences make us stronger, and we are committed to providing everyone with a fair chance of success, no matter where they come from or who they are.
We take pride in celebrating what makes each of us unique. When you join our team, you are not just getting a job; you are becoming a part of our friendly and open-minded team, with a key role to play in creating a more inclusive and diverse future.
The Arch Company is an equal opportunity employer, so if you are excited to be part of a company that champions diversity and inclusion, we invite you to explore our job opportunities.
For more information on Benefits, DE&I and open Vacancies, please visit our careers page Careers | The Arch Company
EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
At The Arch Company, we are on a mission to make our workplace as welcoming and inclusive as possible. We believe that our differences make us stronger, and we are committed to providing everyone with a fair chance of success, no matter where they come from or who they are.
We take pride in celebrating what makes each of us unique. When you join our team, you are not just getting a job; you are becoming a part of our friendly and open-minded team, with a key role to play in creating a more inclusive and diverse future.
The Arch Company is an equal opportunity employer, so if you are excited to be part of a company that champions diversity and inclusion, we invite you to explore our job opportunities.
For more information on Benefits, DE&I and open Vacancies, please visit our careers page Careers | The Arch Company
About
The Arch Company offers more commercial space for small and medium-sized businesses to rent than any other provider in the UK, supporting thousands of business owners who play a vital role in the UK economy. Established in 2019, our spaces are deeply connected to the rich history and heritage of the railway. Our portfolio spans 24.8 million sq. ft. and includes 5,300 properties, such as railway arches, former station buildings, and parcels of land, many situated in prime urban locations.Our mission is to create environments where businesses can thrive. As a values-led company, we are dedicated to accountability, making a positive impact, fostering strong business practices, and unlocking potential. We play a crucial role in local economies by supporting job creation and driving economic growth. Backed by our shareholder, Blackstone Property Partners, we have ambitious plans to invest £200 million to revitalize 1,000 previously empty and derelict spaces by 2030 as part of our 'Project 1000' initiative.Through our ESG Strategy we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. We are a member of Real Estate Balance, who help us benchmark ourselves within the industry, and we have a staff DE&I Board to champion DE&I in the company. We are open to flexible working arrangements and offer a comprehensive benefits package, as outlined above.We believe that our differences make us stronger, and we're committed to providing everyone with a fair chance at success, no matter where they come from or who they are. If you're excited to be part of a company that champions diversity and inclusion but don’t meet every requirement in the job description, we still encourage you to apply. You might be the perfect fit for this role or for other opportunities within our organization.For more information on Benefits, DE&I and open Vacancies, please visit our careers page.
The Arch Company London, England Office
London, United Kingdom
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