CRES UK&I Real Estate Manager
Permanent Contract
Edinburgh/Glasgow/Elgin/Remote, Scotland
Closing Date 10th July 2025
About Us
With over 200 brands sold in nearly 180 countries, we're the world's leading premium drinks company known for our wonderful collection of iconic brands such as Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray, Guinness and more. Bring your passion and use your curiosity as you explore, collaborate and innovate to build brands consumers love. Together with passionate people from all over the world, you'll test new ideas, learn and grow, and unlock a brighter, more exciting future. Join us to create a career worth celebrating!
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About the Function
With over 200 brands and sales in more than 180 countries, our portfolio has remarkable breadth across spirits and beer. From centuries-old names to the latest innovations, we're building the very best brands.
The Global Corporate Real Estate portfolio consists of a mixture of office locations, supply and manufacturing sites, and land - 123 offices and 130+ supply sites (breweries, distilleries, packaging and bottling sites, brand homes) totaling 100m sq. feet. We run an outsourced/thin client model, with Regional CRES teams that are aligned with our markets and a Global Centre of Excellence.
About the Role
Diageo's Global CRES portfolio includes over 765 sites worldwide, consisting of a mixture of office locations, supply/manufacturing sites, and land assets. This role will lead the regional UK&I portfolio of approximately 140 sites including around 20 office locations, 54 supply/manufacturing sites and 67 land/other assets.
The CRES UK&I Real Estate Manager will focus on delivering the UK&I Portfolio & Value Optimisation Strategy, with a strong emphasis on supply assets and business-led initiatives such as:
- Offices, distilleries, packaging sites, breweries, maturation facilities,
- R&D, warehousing, land management, retail, residential, empty building property management, subtenants and vacant sites
- Sub-tenancy and empty building management
Key Responsibilities will include:
Building Outstanding Relationships
- Develop and maintain trusted, productive relationships with business and market stakeholders, Global and Regional CRES teams, and Performance Partners
- Actively participate in stakeholder and team meetings to align on goals and initiatives
- Build strong networks to gather insights, share standard process, and act as an ambassador for CRES
- Showcase CRES achievements and innovations through regular stakeholder engagement
Real Estate and Projects Performance & Outcomes
- Ensure real estate and project delivery drives value through cost savings, carbon reduction, and cash optimisation
- Be responsible for the UK&I Real Estate and Projects OPEX budgets, identifying efficiencies and savings opportunities
- Coordinate long-term real estate planning to ensure continuity of operations with minimal disruption, in partnership with the Global CRES team
- Align with all Diageo and supplier systems to uphold health and safety obligations
- Support delivery of Diageo's Society 2030 Sustainability targets (carbon, waste, water), aligning real estate and project activities accordingly
Team & Third-Party Delivery
- Ensure key supplier real estate and project contracts deliver against business needs and unlock value
- Be responsible for day-to-day issue resolution and handle escalations related to supplier and third-party performance
Governance, Risk & Performance Reporting
- Promote and embed standard process in CRES operations across the UK&I portfolio
- Ensure full compliance with CRES standards, policies, and internal governance frameworks
- Take ownership of all CRES-related real estate and project risks, ensuring effective mitigation
- Supervise and report real estate and project performance metrics to the CRES Senior Leadership Team and key UK&I stakeholders
- Establish and lead steering groups - particularly within Supply - to ensure robust governance of decisions and change programmes
- Maintain compliance with Diageo's Risk Management Standards, CARM controls, and Statement of Accountability (SOA) requirements
About You
We are looking for an experienced and strategic real estate professional, confident in handling complex portfolios across the UK & Ireland. With strong commercial competence and the ability to influence at all levels, you'll thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
Key skills and experience we're looking for:
- Significant experience leading diverse real estate portfolios, including supply/manufacturing and office sites
- Strong background in client-side CRES, ideally with a focus on industrial or manufacturing sectors
- Ability to lead complex property transactions - freehold, leasehold, land acquisitions, multi-site contracts
- Commercial and financial competence, with strong negotiation skills and attention to detail
- Effective stakeholder management engaging, influencing and aligning senior leaders and cross-functional teams
- Track record in delivering real estate strategy, project outcomes, and portfolio performance
- Familiarity with outsourced real estate models, programme/change management, and performance metrics
- Understanding of CRES risk, governance, and compliance standards
Working with Us
Our purpose is to celebrate life, every day, everywhere. And creating an inclusive culture, where everyone feels valued and that they can belong, is a crucial part of this. We embrace diversity in the broadest possible sense. This means that you'll be welcomed and celebrated for who you are just by being you. You'll be part of and help build and champion an inclusive culture that celebrates people of different gender, ethnicity, ability, age, sexual orientation, social class, educational backgrounds, experiences, attitudes, and more.
Our ambition is to create the best performing, most trusted and respected consumer products companies in the world. Join us and help transform our business as we take our brands to the next level and build new ones as part of shaping the next generation of celebrations for consumers around the world.
Feel inspired? Then this may be the opportunity for you!
If you require a reasonable adjustment, please ensure that this information is collected when application is submitted.