£80,687, (plus a flexi-pot of £4,609)

Ashington

Bernicia is all about helping people in need of housing.  We believe a good home makes lots of other things possible, so we provide great homes and services that do just that.  We’ve built Bernicia to be a business that people want to be a part of.

We’re one of the North East’s largest and most successful housing providers; building, renting, selling and managing homes as well as providing services to over 60,000 customers. Everything about Bernicia is people focused, that’s why we’ve held the Investors in People Gold Award since 2010.

We operate within a set of simple, but effective values, which blend perfectly to create our unique ‘Bernicia Way’ culture. This ensures we are customer focused, through working together, respecting each other, being accountable for our actions and demonstrating integrity and leadership.

We are now seeking an exceptional Assistant Director of Housing and Neighbourhood Services to provide strategic leadership across our general needs housing portfolio, neighbourhoods and communities. This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for ensuring our homes, estates and services are safe, sustainable, compliant and customer-focused, while delivering strong performance, value for money and positive outcomes for residents and communities.

About the role:

• As Assistant Director, you will take the strategic lead for housing and neighbourhood services, including estates and voids, tenancy and neighbourhood management, income and allocations. You will ensure maximum occupancy, tenancy sustainment, rent collection and customer satisfaction, while meeting regulatory, legislative, performance and budgetary requirements.
• You will lead the design and delivery of high-quality, value-for-money services, embedding a customer-centred approach and ensuring our estates and neighbourhoods are well maintained, safe and contribute positively to wider communities. Working closely with colleagues and partners, you will ensure services are joined-up, responsive and aligned to our Housing and Communities Strategy.
• You will play a key role in shaping the strategic direction of housing and neighbourhood services, researching best practice, responding to changes in the operating environment and leading improvement initiatives that support long-term sustainability and return on investment. You will also provide expert advice and high-quality reports to senior leaders, the executive team, board and committees.
• Crucially, you will lead, develop and motivate a high-performing, professional workforce, creating a collaborative, accountable and customer-focused culture and acting as a visible role model for inclusive, values-led leadership.

About you:

• You are a senior housing professional with substantial experience in social housing and a strong track record of leading complex services at scale. Educated to degree level or equivalent through experience, you bring comprehensive knowledge of housing regulation and legislation, including the Regulator of Social Housing’s Consumer Standards, alongside a deep understanding of housing good practice.
• You are an inspirational and credible leader, able to motivate teams, manage change and maintain performance during periods of challenge and transformation. You combine strategic thinking with operational understanding, ensuring effective governance, risk management, health and safety compliance and value for money.
• You communicate with impact and confidence, building strong relationships with colleagues, partners and stakeholders, and influencing positive outcomes. You are resilient, solutions-focused and comfortable taking considered risks to improve services and outcomes for customers.
• Above all, you are committed to customer-centred service delivery, equality, diversity and inclusion, and the highest standards of integrity and accountability, with a clear personal commitment to delivering results for residents, communities and the organisation.

The Benefits: 

• 36 days annual leave (including bank holidays)
• Opportunity to work from home up to 2 days a week, where applicable to your post
• Make big savings on day-to-day expenses with discounts on shopping, groceries, holidays and days out.
• Health cash plan
• Generous pension scheme

Please note you will be required to drive for business, you will therefore be required to hold a current and valid driving licence.

The closing date is the 26th January and interviews will occur the week commencing 16th February.

For more information regarding this role, please contact our retained consultancy Castle Peak Group.

James.carss@castlepeak-group.com

The Group is fully committed to the promotion of equal opportunities and we particularly welcome applicants from groups who are currently under represented at Bernicia.