The Whiteley Homes Trust “the Trust” is a charity that manages Whiteley Village in Surrey. The purpose of the charity is to provide homes for older people of limited means from all over the country. Founded over a hundred years ago in Walton on Thames, Surrey, the Village is located in 225 acres of beautiful grounds and is a very special place to live and work.
Established in 1917 the village has many Grade 2 listed buildings and provides housing for nearly 400 older people of limited means. There are 265 Almshouses and 51 extra care apartments and the Village also has a church, social and leisure club, shop and café.
We became a Registered Provider in 2024 and the Head of Housing will lead on the Trust’s strategic and operational delivery of our housing management services.
You will have a strong background in in housing management and will lead a small team to deliver an efficient, professional and cost-effective service with high levels of customer satisfaction. You will understand the support needs of our residents whilst meeting regulatory requirements of the Regulator for Social Housing, the Care Quality Commission and upholding the standards set by the Almshouse Association.
Reporting to the Director of Operations, you will be responsible for all aspects of housing management including applications, allocations and lettings, income collection, managing antisocial behaviour and other breaches and supporting residents to manage their licences or tenancies. The position will be accountable for making business decisions that align to the Trust’s strategic goals, vision and objectives.
The role will have line management responsibility for the Housing Team and a close working relationship with the Head of Property, Head of Community Services and the Registered Manager of the Extra Care facility.
What will you be doing?
Main Responsibilities
* Leading and developing the Housing team to ensure they provide an excellent service for residents.
* Ensure the Trust’s housing management systems and controls are effective and robust, and that the Trust is fully compliant with all Landlord obligations, relevant laws, regulations and quality standards of the Regulator of Social Housing, the Care Quality Commission and the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023.
* Line Manage the Housing team with responsibility for recruiting, training, motivating, performance management and absence management ensuring an efficient, professional, responsive and customer led service.
* Maximise the Trust’s income by effective management of arrears associated with licence agreements, maintenance charges, rents and service charges and to take appropriate action to recover debts incurred.
* Manage antisocial behaviour and other breaches in line with the Trust policy as well as taking a proactive approach to resolving neighbour disputes and anti-social behaviour.
* Work with the Head of Property to develop an effective void strategy that ensures properties are let to a good standard while minimising void times and costs.
* Record KPIs and report to the Leadership Team monthly and implement processes to ensure targets are met.
* Review and update Housing policies where required.
* Develop and maintain good working relationships with residents, managers, colleagues and external stakeholders.
* Investigate and respond to all Housing Services complaints within set timescales and proactively deal with issues prior to becoming a complaint.
* Work with the Head of Community Services to develop services to enhance the health and wellbeing of residents.
* Develop the use of the specialist IT system (Pyramid) to deliver robust housing and property management.
* Develop and manage the budgets for Housing Services, ensuring efficient allocation of resources while maintaining a high standard of service delivery.
* Work with colleagues to set service charge budgets to maintain affordability while effectively providing services.
* Ensure all annual maintenance charge, rent and service charge increases are communicated and implemented on time.
* Work with the Health and Safety adviser to ensure full completion of risk assessments, inspections and audits as required. Ensure any accidents, incidents or near misses are reported in line with the Trust’s policies and appropriate action taken.
General
* It is the duty of all employees to ensure that a safe working environment and safe working practices are maintained at all times. It is also the responsibility of management team to ensure full compliance.
* Undertake any other duties which may be reasonably deemed to come within the scope of the post, relating to the activities of the department.
* Full compliance with all the Trust’s Policies and Procedures.
* To complete mandatory and job-related training as required.
* You will be responsible for the confidentiality, integrity and availability of all data which you have access to in the course of your work. You must not disclose any information of a confidential or sensitive nature about the Trust, any or our service users or any of our employees. There is an exception if you need to share this information as part of your job or if you are made to by law.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Experience & Knowledge
Required
* Proven experience (5+ years) in housing management at a Registered Provider
* Experience of meeting regulatory, statutory and legal requirements in housing management
* Experience of delivering a robust housing management service with high levels of customer satisfaction
* Strong understanding of the needs of elderly residents and a commitment to enhancing their quality of life
* Excellent leadership, organisational and interpersonal skills
* Line management experience including the management of poor performance
* Ability to manage budgets and resources effectively
* Demonstratable track record of meeting targets and key performance indicators
* Strong conflict resolution and problem-solving abilities
* Ability to build strong relationships with residents and their families, colleagues and external stakeholders
* A passion for creating a positive and inclusive community environment
Desirable
* Experience working with older people
* Experience of managing or working in an Almshouse, charity or volunteer-led organisation
* Understanding of the principles of CQC regulations in extra care housing
Personal skills/qualities
Required
* Delivering on commitments within agreed/appropriate timeframes
* Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team and be a role model for the values of the Trust
* Able to work under pressure and manage conflicting priorities
* Good organisation skills, flexible and self-driven to achieve
* Excellent written and verbal communication and the ability to adapt to a range of audiences
* Strong interpersonal and team-building skills
* Commitment to training and development
* Flexible and innovative approach to working
* Decision-making and problem-solving skills.
* Strong general IT skills
* Honesty, reliability and trustworthiness.
Desirable
* A sense of humour
Qualifications
* CIH Level 5 qualification or the willingness to study for this
The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its staff and older people. We expect all our staff to be aware of their responsibilities to protect staff and residents from abuse or harm. Successful applicants will be required to undertake a DBS check and to provide proof of their right to work in the UK.