Job Description
Role Title: Director of Resources
Reporting To: Chief Executive
Grade: EVH Senior Manager SM20–SM22
Job Purpose:
To be an effective member of the Executive Management Team, working collaboratively with the Board, Chief Executive, Director of Operations and colleagues on all matters of corporate strategy. To provide strategic direction and leadership for the delivery of Financial, IT, Factoring and Procurement services at Maryhill Housing. To drive forward service improvements through innovation, partnership working and empowering colleagues to make a positive difference for our customers and communities. To ensure Maryhill Housing is a customer-focused, ambitious, dynamic and sustainable organisation.
The following list is typical of the level of duties which the post holder is expected to perform or be responsible for. It is not necessarily exhaustive and other duties of a similar type and level may be expected from time to time.
Key Responsibilities:
Leadership
· Work with the Board, Chief Executive and Director of Operations to set a clear strategic direction for Maryhill Housing, supported by an effective Business Plan
· Effectively promote and act as an ambassador for the culture and values of the Association
· Lead and inspire change and the development of a performance and customer focused culture across the Finance, IT, Factoring and Procurement teams.
Service Delivery
· Ensure compliance with the Scottish Housing Charter, the Property Factors Act, the Scottish Housing Regulator’s Standards of Governance and Financial management and other relevant thematic enquiries, legal and statutory frameworks
· Act as an ambassador for the importance of effective financial planning and management and the value for money agenda across the Association.
· Ensure all services within remit are outcome focused, deliver on our values, contribute towards achieving our strategic objectives and are oriented towards improving the customer experience by streamlining processes and empowering frontline teams.
· Lead the development of the Association’s financial business plans including annual, medium term and long term financial plans, forecasts and sensitivity analyses
· Ensure the financial implications of changes to the operating environment, service priorities or development forecasts are appropriately modelled and reported.
· Ensure the Association has in place an appropriate Treasury Management policy, procedure and strategy and that all funds and borrowings are managed in the best interests of the Association and that risks are minimised
· Ensure that effective relations are maintained with our lenders and that loan requirements are monitored and complied with.
· Oversee the commissioning of regular stock valuations and monitor asset cover
· Ensure all intra-group transactions are managed appropriately and to benefit the aims and objectives of the Association
· Represent the Association in negotiations with third parties around the sharing or selling of services and assess any tax, legal or regulatory implications of any such arrangements
· Work with the Head of Asset & Investment to feed into the five year investment plan to deliver on residents’ priorities, and ensure compliance with externally set standards such as the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) and any Scottish Government energy efficiency and net zero requirements. Lead the working group on this throughout the year.
· Work with the Head of Asset & Investment to review the Life Cycle Costing approach, component lives and costs as part of financial business plan preparation.
· Have a role in identifying potential external funding sources to support Investment Programme
· Oversee the procurement, management and regular review of the Association’s insurance arrangements.
· Lead the development and implementation of the Association’s Value for Money Strategy including overseeing the achievement of a significant savings programme across the organisation.
· Ensure customers actively feed into the organisation’s value for money agenda, including leading the process of determining a rent increase proposal or options for consultation with tenants.
· Ensure feedback from Factoring customer is utilised to enhance service delivery
· Ensure stretching performance targets are set, met and owned by Finance, IT, Factoring and Procurement teams.
· Oversee the Association’s Finance functions, ensuring that key functions are delivered efficiently and effectively, including: payroll, invoice processing, banking, cashflow management, rent processing, factoring invoicing, monthly and quarterly management accounting, and year end accounts.
· Oversee the Association’s IT and business transformation functions, ensuring that key functions are delivered efficiently and effectively, including: business resilience and cyber security; connectivity and networking; hardware provision and management; software and services management; IT support and data management and reporting.
· Oversee the Association’s factoring function, ensuring delivery of an excellent, value for money, factoring operation that provides a responsive customer focused service.
· Have strategic oversight of procurement for the organisation, ensure the Association complies with legislative requirements for the publication of procurement strategies and reports, ensure the Association has effective procurement policy, procedures and guidance for staff, ensure there is provision of ongoing training and advice to staff across the organisation in regard to procurement, community benefits and contract management.
Innovation & New Opportunities
· Develop and maintain external networks, effectively promoting the Association to external bodies
· Act as an ambassador for the organisation with a positive attitude with partners, contractors, stakeholders and the wider housing sector
· Manage the Association’s membership of Scottish Housing Network or other benchmarking agencies and oversee the use of cost benchmarking data to suggest and explore value for money opportunities
· Lead the appraisal of new business opportunities such as the establishment of subsidiary companies, growth opportunities including new build viability assessments, increased delivery of in-house services and partnership working.
Management Systems
· Ensure effective management of budgets across the Association and any subsidiary companies overseeing the production of accurate, timely monthly and quarterly management accounts including financial projections using efficient accounting systems
· Oversee the production of annual audited financial accounts in accordance with statutory requirements and recommended practice
· Review and ensure implementation of detailed financial regulations and procedures
· Lead the operation of Brixx financial management for effective business planning
· Leading the Association’s programme of internal and external audit including procurement and management of auditors.
· Lead on risk management systems across the organisation and reporting on risk to the Audit and Risk Committee and Board.
· Lead the development and implementation of the Association’s Value for Money Strategy including overseeing the achievement of a significant savings programme across the organisation.
· Ensure that statutory and regulatory returns are prepared and submitted to Communities Scotland, Office of Scottish Charities Register (OSCR), Financial Conduct Authority, Lenders, Inland Revenue, Scottish Housing Regulator, and relevant others.
· Ensure regular review of the Factoring Policy is undertaken and that appropriate systems and processes are in place for the effective delivery of the factoring service
· Ensure annual update of Property factor Register is submitted
Effective Team Working
· Empower managers and team members to act with minimum supervision needed to ensure probity and efficiency.
· Ensure all teams share a common vision and are oriented towards delivering outstanding customer service
· Create a coaching culture that supports all team members to realise their potential
· Actively break down organisational barriers to deliver better outcomes for customers and get the best out of people
Effective Governance
· Lead the Audit and Risk Committee ensuring the committee is provided with plans, policy proposals, financial, performance, internal and external audit outcomes and other information necessary to take appropriate strategic decisions
· Provide the Board and committees with high quality information, presented in a user- friendly format to allow strategic decisions to be made
· Ensure systems, policies, records and procedures are in place across the Finance, IT, Factoring and Preocurement functions of the Association to achieve compliance with regulations and guidelines.
· Deputise for the Chief Executive as required
Organisational
· Ensure implementation of the Association’s Equality and Diversity Strategy.
· Be outward looking and apply new ideas and best practice from inside and outside of the sector to Maryhill.
· Build excellent rapport and effective partnerships with customers, stakeholders and contractors
· Actively break down organisational barriers to solve problems and deliver the best possible service for customers.
· Identify potential cost saving opportunities and deliver value for money efficiencies for the Association.
· Actively seek ways to engage customers in shaping and influencing our services.
Manager role
· To lead the Resources directorate effectively, monitor and supervise work allocations, undertake resource planning, and establish and monitor performance targets
· To motivate staff to achieve the best possible results and deliver excellent service to both internal and external customers.
· To ensure staff are supported and developed in line with the Achieving Excellence policy through effective induction of new staff, regular 1-1 meetings, coaching, mentoring and training
· To produce accurate and timely performance information, data and reports as required for senior staff or Board, including information required for regulatory and statutory returns and agreeing and implementing actions arising from internal and external audits
· To be outward looking and ensure that the Association’s Resource directorate seek continuous improvement and learn from best practice from within and outside the sector.
· Produce clear and concise reports for the Senior Management Team and Board to facilitate appropriate strategic decisions.
· Actively seek ways to engage customers in shaping and influencing our services, seek and use feedback, including working positively to support our tenant scrutiny group and Registered Tenants Organisations.
· Investigate and respond to stage 2 complaints in line with the Associations policies and procedures and current guidance of the SPSO, ensuring learning is captured and implemented into processes and procedures going forward.
Corporate Responsibility
· As a member of the Association’s Executive and Senior Management Teams, act as a role model for the Resources directorate, living our values on a day to day basis
· Ensure compliance with all regulatory, statutory and legal requirements and other directives
· Comply with MH’s policies including our code of conduct, health and safety, anti-fraud and bribery and equalities policies
· Ensure effective communication in plain language, both internally and externally; to ensure people are informed, engaged and find it easy to access our services and contact us and understand our information and the decisions we make
· Maximise the use of IT to improve efficiency, increase productivity and develop new and existing services and actively promote the interests and activities of the Association through digital and social media.
· Produce accurate and timely performance information and data, including information required for regulatory and statutory returns and agreeing and implementing actions arising from internal and external audits