Job Title: Housing Services Manager
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary: £58,093.34 per annum
Working Hours: 35 Hours per week
Working Pattern: Monday-Friday/Hybrid
Location: Arlington, London
If you share our values and are excited about making a significant impact at Riverside, please ensure you attach a current CV and covering letter. At Riverside we recruit to potential not just on skills and experience, so we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all the essential criteria on the job description.
Please note that whilst we will accept applications on the basis of any form of valid legal permission to work in the UK, we will be surrendering the Riverside Sponsorship licence, so for the avoidance of doubt, we are unable to apply for any further sponsorships whether on behalf of existing colleagues or candidates.
The difference you’ll make as a Housing Services Manager
The Riverside Group provides homes for over 140,000 people across the UK, from Scotland to Kent. Our Homes & Communities Directorate is responsible for letting homes, managing tenancies, and working with our communities to deliver lasting improvements to neighbourhoods.
Our Housing Services Teams are our ‘feet on the street’ – they deliver our face-to-face interactions with customers, whether that is viewing a property, discussing rent arrears or dealing with a tenancy matter. You will lead this team to build trust with our customers and our communities, delivering a visible service which reflects local needs and aspirations, to drive up customer satisfaction within a specified geographical area.
About you
We are looking for someone with:
- Proven track record of managing a high-quality customer service function, preferably in the housing sector.
- Experience of successfully leading, managing and motivating teams, including managing team performance.
- Customer focused with excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to work at all levels within the business.
Why Riverside?
At Riverside, we’re a housing association with a difference – enhancing the everyday for all our customers. For 90 years, we’ve been revitalising neighbourhoods and supporting communities by providing the homes they need to live full, fulfilling and rewarding lives.
We have a portfolio of over 75,000 affordable residential and retirement homes across the UK. Our work ranges from homelessness services to social care, employment support to retirement living, and we need the best people on board to help us.
Working with us, you’ll enjoy:
- Competitive pay & generous pension
- 28 days holidays plus bank holidays
- Flexible working options available
- Investment in your learning, personal development and technology
- A wide range of benefits
Diversity and Inclusion at Riverside:
We are inclusive. At Riverside, we value diversity in all its forms. We foster a workplace where all individuals are respected, empowered, and heard. Our commitment to inclusivity drives our success and enriches the lives of our customers and colleagues.
Riverside is a Disability Confident Employer and operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for any applicant who declares they have a disability. If the applicant meets the minimum requirements for the role (as set out in the role profile and/or person specification) they will be guaranteed an interview.
Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to avoid disappointment.
Role Profile
- Champion the customer, leading by example to create a strong customer-centric culture, ensuring colleague behaviour reflects our values, and that local service delivery remains responsive to the diverse needs and experiences of customers.
- Lead, motivate and engage with the Housing Services Team, to ensure the delivery of a high-quality service, developing and implementing operational objectives to support the strategic objectives of the Housing Services team and the wider business.
- Manage the performance of the Housing Services Team, using mentoring and performance coaching techniques, ensuring a quality service is provided, resources are flexible and deployed effectively and targets, key performance indicators and service agreements are developed and implemented effectively, ensuring underperformance is identified and addressed promptly and effectively.
- Manage a mobile team of Housing Services officers, role modelling agile/flexible working to deliver a highly proactive service to customers.
- Managing a housing sustainment officer, whose role is to help residents sustain their tenancy, offering practical support and advice to signposting to outside agencies to ensure support is provided. This includes, but not limited to, financial, substance misuse, hoarding, mental and physical health.
- Monitor, review and report progress to the Head of Housing Services, Regional Director and other governance bodies, on the performance and cost effectiveness of the service, analysing relevant data to identify performance against targets and key performance indicators, escalating findings and recommendations and ensuring appropriate actions are implemented to address under performance.
- Contribute to the development and review of relevant budgets, ensuring income and expenditure is robustly managed in line with Group financial controls.
- Assist the Head of Housing Services and Regional Director to champion strong customer engagement to ensure service delivery remains responsive to the needs and experiences of customers.
- Work with customers to minimise and resolve issues and complaints, liaising with Regional
- Colleagues and the Customer Complaints Team to resolve escalated complaints as required.
- Maximise income within a defined geographical area, taking responsibility for income collection activity and rent loss on void properties, working with Shared Services to ensure effective and timely resolution as necessary.
- Devise, implement and review effective internal business processes to support the delivery of the Housing service ensuring adherence to statutory and regulatory policies and frameworks, including safeguarding, safety first and equality and diversity.
- Contribute to regular reviews of the Housing service, collaborating with and seeking feedback from internal and external stakeholders, to identify efficiencies and continually improve the service provision and customer satisfaction. Improvement opportunities identified and realised should be in accordance with change management protocols.
- Manage internal and external stakeholders effectively, including Directors, Senior Managers and regional colleagues, building constructive relationships to deliver the Housing service and associated business objectives by creating an inclusive, supportive and professional environment.
- Provide a consultative service to management colleagues, including the Regional Director, on sensitive and complex matters regarding Housing services.
- Accountable for the publication of service information for stakeholders, determining the most appropriate method of communications including maximising the usage of the external website and the intranet site.
- Work collaboratively with the management team to ensure effective delivery of the wider service.
- Ensure that all data protection requirements are met in accordance with the Group’s policy, procedures and statutory requirements.
- Ensure that health and safety requirements are met in accordance with the Group’s policy, procedures and statutory requirements.
- The Group has offices across the UK and on this basis, there may be the requirement to travel to other locations to effectively perform this role, albeit that regular support will be required to teams in Camden and Dartford
- The role will be exposed to sensitive information; therefore, the role holder is expected to maintain levels of confidentiality at all times.
- In order to fulfil the requirements of this role, you will be required to work flexibly during the hours of operation.
- The role holder is expected to be committed to equal opportunities and to promote non-discriminatory practices in all aspects of work undertaken.
Person Specificition
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Essential
- Proven track record of managing a high-quality customer service function, preferably in the housing sector.
- Experience of successfully leading, managing and motivating teams, including managing team performance.
- Customer focused with excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to work at all levels within the business.
- Excellent attention to detail with the ability to work under pressure, deliver to strict deadlines and manage conflicting priorities.
- Up to date knowledge of legislation, regulations and standards relating to Social Housing, Non Social Housing and Care and Support.
- Effective stakeholder management, both internally and external to the organisation.
- Results driven with strong analytical skills and experience of providing meaningful management information.
- Ability to remain calm in a pressurised environment
Desirable
- Experience of managing an agile/flexible working front-line housing service.
- Experience of matrix management arrangements.
- Professional housing qualification
