Salary: £73,770
Location: Oldham, with hybrid working
Hours: 37 hours per week
At First Choice Homes Oldham, we’re investing millions into our homes to ensure they remain safe, sustainable and fit for the future.
We’re looking for an experienced Head of Asset Strategy to lead the development of our long-term asset management, investment planning and sustainability approach.
This is a key leadership role where you’ll use high-quality asset data, insight and your knowledge of social housing to shape how we invest in more than 11,500 homes.
Leading our Asset Planning, Asset Surveying and Sustainability teams, you’ll ensure we have robust short, medium and long-term investment plans that deliver value for money, meet regulatory requirements and respond to the needs of our customers.
Please see the full Job Description below for further information.
The impact you’ll make
Reporting to the Director of Assets & Sustainability, you’ll lead the development and delivery of FCHO’s Asset Management Strategy and our strategic approach to sustainability.
You’ll be responsible for ensuring our asset information is accurate, reliable and used effectively to identify investment priorities and support evidence-based decision making.
You’ll:
-
Lead the development and delivery of FCHO’s Asset Management Strategy.
-
Lead our approach to sustainability, energy efficiency and decarbonisation.
-
Develop robust 1, 3 and 5-year investment programmes and our 30-year investment plan.
-
Lead our stock condition surveying strategy, ensuring asset data is accurate, comprehensive and used to drive active asset management.
-
Use asset, repairs and maintenance data to identify trends and shape future investment priorities.
-
Lead the ongoing improvement of our Asset Database and associated asset information.
-
Ensure investment planning supports the Decent Homes Standard and wider statutory and regulatory requirements.
-
Lead FCHO’s asset performance assessment approach, including NPV and ROI analysis.
-
Support our approach to tackling damp and mould through policy development and leadership of the internal surveying team.
-
Use asset and sustainability data to support our ambitions around EPC C and Net Zero.
-
Identify and secure relevant grant funding opportunities.
-
Manage team budgets, financial performance and forecasting.
-
Lead, motivate and develop high-performing Asset Planning, Asset Surveying and Sustainability teams.
What you’ll bring
We’re looking for an experienced strategic asset leader who combines strong technical knowledge with commercial awareness and the ability to turn complex data into clear investment priorities.
You’ll have:
-
Extensive senior leadership experience within an asset strategy role.
-
Strong experience working within or for a social housing provider.
-
Strong knowledge of asset strategy and investment planning within social housing.
-
Experience managing significant budgets, programmes and multidisciplinary teams.
-
Strong experience of managing and interpreting large and complex asset datasets.
-
Knowledge of planned, cyclical and responsive maintenance programmes.
-
Strong knowledge of energy efficiency and decarbonisation.
-
A good understanding of the regulatory framework affecting social housing assets.
-
Experience presenting reports and recommendations to Boards and Executive Teams.
-
Excellent stakeholder management, influencing and communication skills.
-
Strong financial, analytical and problem-solving capability.
-
A degree or equivalent professional qualification in Building Surveying, Construction or a related discipline.
Membership of RICS, CIOB or another relevant professional body and a CSCS card would be advantageous.
Why join FCHO?
First Choice Homes Oldham is a housing association providing safe, affordable and high-quality homes across Oldham and the surrounding areas. We own and manage more than 11,500 homes and have the highest regulatory G1/V1 rating.
Every day, we’re proud to make a real difference in our communities.
Our work is guided by our Corporate Plan, focused on quality homes, excellent services and strong communities. We care deeply about our customers, colleagues and neighbourhoods and are committed to improving lives across Oldham.
What’s in it for you?
We offer a fantastic range of benefits designed to support your wellbeing, work-life balance and career development, including:
-
A salary of £73770 per annum.
-
A 37-hour working week with hybrid working options.
-
30 days’ annual leave plus 8 bank holidays.
-
Option to purchase additional annual leave.
-
Defined contribution pension scheme with up to 10% employer contribution and salary exchange option.
-
Death in service benefit.
-
Healthcare cash plan covering dental, optical and physiotherapy treatments.
-
Private health insurance.
-
Employee Assistance Programme offering 24-hour confidential support.
-
Doctorline, giving you and your family 24/7 GP access.
-
Access to our colleague benefits platform, including retail discounts and wellbeing tools.
-
Discounted gym membership.
-
Professional subscriptions paid where essential for the role.
-
Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and sick pay.
-
Access to our on-site wellbeing room and café.
-
Long service awards.
Interested?
If you’re an experienced asset leader who wants to shape the long-term future of our homes and make a real difference for customers and communities, we’d love to hear from you.
Please submit your application before 28/08/2026
Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.
We are committed to building an organisation that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. As an equal opportunities employer, FCHO is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective colleagues and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership.
We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join us.
We care that you have a great experience with us at FCHO. If you need us to make any reasonable adjustments to make your experience smoother, please let us know and we’ll do all we can.
