Title:  National Leasing and Property Support Manager

Requisition Details and Talent Acquisition Contact

REQ ID: 148148 - Michelle Thabethe

Cluster: Group Finance - CRE LEASING AND COVERAGE

Location: Sandton

Closing date: 16 October 2026

Role Classification

Senior Manager responsible for a national function and resources

Job Family

Career Stream

Leadership Pipeline

Job Purpose

The National Leasing and Property Support Manager leads the strategic management, optimisation and governance of Nedbank’s national corporate property leasing portfolio. The role is accountable for cost-effective, compliant and business-aligned property solutions across corporate campuses, offices, retail branches, ATMs and Africa operations. It integrates leasing, subletting, occupancy optimisation, transaction governance, financial management, property support, stakeholder engagement, supplier oversight, risk management and operational enablement.

The incumbent acts as a senior property adviser to business, Workplace, Technology, Finance, Procurement, Legal, Risk and Operations. The role maximises value from leased assets, supports workplace and distribution strategies, protects the bank’s contractual and financial interests, and ensures that property decisions are supported by robust data, due diligence and governance.

Key Accountabilities

1. Portfolio Strategy, Leasing and Optimisation

• Develop and execute national leasing, occupancy and portfolio strategies aligned to business, workplace and financial objectives.
• Lead complex lease negotiations, renewals, reviews, amendments, relocations, terminations and consolidations to secure favourable commercial, operational and legal outcomes.
• Optimise space utilisation, occupancy costs and operational resilience across campuses and offices; reduce vacancy exposure through subletting, rationalisation and alternative occupancy solutions.
• Provide specialist property support for branch expansions, relocations, renewals, closures, town-planning requirements and ATM deployments.
• Support Africa operations with leasing and property advice aligned to regional requirements and corporate real estate strategy.

2. Transactions, Contracts and External Parties

• Govern the full transaction lifecycle from requirements definition, market testing and site selection through heads of terms, due diligence, approvals, contracting, occupation and close-out.
• Oversee brokers, landlords, managing agents, attorneys, consultants and other providers through clear service levels, performance standards and value-for-money outcomes.
• Manage lease-related disputes, claims, litigation and contractual risk with internal and external legal advisers.
• Support sourcing strategies, scopes of work, tender evaluations, commercial negotiations, supplier appointments and transformation objectives in partnership with Procurement.

3. Financial, Data and Lease Governance

• Own lease budgets, forecasts, accruals, cash-flow projections, rental escalations, operating-cost recoveries, municipal charges, cost allocations and variance reporting.
• Prepare and assure investment and occupancy business cases using total occupancy cost, net present value, scenario and sensitivity analysis.
• Maintain complete lease records, critical dates, notices, options, guarantees, insurance requirements, landlord obligations and supporting evidence in an auditable repository.
• Define portfolio data standards and executive reporting covering occupancy, vacancy, lease expiries, cost per square metre, savings, recoveries, utilisation, transaction pipeline, supplier performance, compliance exceptions and forecast accuracy.

Governance and Operational Enablement

Risk, Compliance and Municipal Processes

• Maintain the property risk and control framework, delegated-authority compliance, audit action plans, remediation evidence and regulatory controls.
• Coordinate compliance relating to municipal, zoning, building control, signage, wayleave, fire and life-safety, accessibility, environmental, privacy and records-management requirements, while specialist functions retain their accountabilities.
• Lead council applications and engagement with local authorities to secure timely approvals for office, campus, branch and ATM projects.
• Promote OHS compliance and support risk identification, remediation, incident management and safe, fit-for-purpose workplaces.

Systems, Processes and Digital Enablement

• Act as business owner for property-related systems and workflows, including SAP approvals, controls and data integrity.
• Lead process mapping, re-engineering, automation and digitisation across Leasing, Coverage and Property Support.
• Maintain standard operating procedures, governance frameworks, user guides and management information.
• Drive training, change management, system adoption and continuous improvement with Technology, Finance, Procurement and business teams.

Sustainability, Readiness and Continuity

• Embed energy and water efficiency, waste reduction, green lease provisions, building performance and climate-resilience considerations into property decisions.
• Coordinate occupation and exit readiness, including landlord works, handovers, snag resolution, access, utilities, reinstatement, dilapidations, asset removal and final accounts.
• Support business continuity and emergency response through critical-site assessments, alternative accommodation, landlord escalation and tracked recovery actions.
• Protect confidential property, financial, litigation and personal information through appropriate access, privacy, security and retention controls.

Leadership and Stakeholder Management

• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across Retail, Commercial, Distribution, Operations and support functions, translating business needs into practical property solutions.
• Prepare concise decision papers and recommendations for property, investment, procurement, risk and execution forums.
• Lead geographically dispersed property resources, set clear objectives and operating standards, and ensure consistent national execution.
• Manage performance through agreed goals, regular feedback, recognition, corrective action and transparent accountability.
• Create a collaborative, high-performance environment; develop team capability through coaching, training and exposure to market practice.
• Maintain current industry knowledge and use market intelligence, benchmarking and commercial due diligence to support negotiations and decisions.

Required Experience and Professional Knowledge

The successful incumbent should have substantial senior-level experience in corporate real estate, commercial leasing and national or multi-regional property portfolio management. Relevant experience should include complex negotiations, transaction and contract management, branch or distribution property support, occupancy optimisation, cost-reduction initiatives, supplier governance, procurement, legal disputes and cross-functional stakeholder engagement.

Demonstrated capability is required in lease financial modelling, budgeting, forecasting, accruals, payments, recoveries and executive portfolio reporting. The incumbent should be able to prepare and present investment or occupancy business cases, manage critical-date and lease-administration controls, improve data quality, remediate audit findings and operate effectively within delegated authority and governance forums.

Advanced knowledge should cover:

• Corporate real estate strategy, commercial leasing, property transactions, property law and contract management.
• Financial analysis, lease accounting principles, portfolio economics and commercial due diligence.
• Risk, compliance, audit, OHS, municipal approvals, building control, fire and life-safety requirements.
• Supplier governance, procurement processes, transformation and responsible sourcing.
• Portfolio analytics, KPI design, data governance, market benchmarking and executive reporting.
• Sustainability, green leasing, climate resilience, business continuity and operational readiness.
• Privacy, information security, records management, change management, process improvement and digital enablement.

Indicative Performance Measures

• Occupancy cost savings, avoided cost and value realised against approved business cases.
• Portfolio utilisation, vacancy and subletting performance, and management of lease-expiry exposure.
• Timely completion of renewals, notices, transactions, council approvals, handovers and exits.
• Accuracy of budgets, forecasts, accruals and recoveries, with prompt resolution of billing exceptions.
• Lease-data completeness, critical-date accuracy, control effectiveness and closure of audit actions.
• Landlord, broker and supplier performance, transformation outcomes and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Closure of safety, regulatory, sustainability and operational-readiness actions within agreed timelines.
• Improved process cycle times, automation benefits, system adoption and team capability.

Behavioural Competencies

The role requires strategic leadership, commercial acumen and the ability to influence senior stakeholders. The incumbent must demonstrate sound judgement, resilience, ethical leadership, customer focus and a strong governance mindset. Success also depends on analytical and financial literacy, disciplined execution, skilled negotiation, change leadership, talent development and the ability to translate complex property data into clear executive recommendations and sustainable business outcomes.