Executive Director of Public Impact in London

Salary: £118,750 per annum

Hours: Full-time

Contract: Permanent

Benefits:

• 27 days annual leave + statutory holidays + three closure days over the Christmas period
• Flexible working for all staff including working from home/hybrid working, and flexitime/TOIL scheme
• Attractive family-friendly policies
• Private healthcare cover
• Season ticket loans
• Employee awards, and training and development opportunities

Office locations: London-based but with extensive travel around England. Please note, the successful candidate will be expected to carry out two days in-person working per week on average, which will include attending the office.

An exciting opportunity has arisen at the National Housing Federation (NHF) for an Executive Director of Public Impact. The NHF is the voice of housing associations in England. We are the trade body to almost 600 housing associations, who have grown from philanthropic roots to provide 2.6 million homes to around six million people. You can find further information about the NHF on our website.

After years of campaigning, the government's recent Spending Review delivered a transformational package of funding for social housing. It will enable us to deliver the biggest social housebuilding programme since the post-war period and to better protect our existing social homes. It couldn't be a more exciting time to join our organisation.

Over the coming years, we'll be a key partner in helping the government achieve its housebuilding targets, delivering long-term benefits to residents and communities. We also have exciting plans to boost the public's understanding of our sector and ensure that housing associations are seen as an employer of choice.

This is a chance for someone with significant leadership experience and a real interest in social housing, public affairs and policy to join us and help make those ambitions a reality. You will find great colleagues and a brilliant team, and you will get the opportunity to work on some of the toughest (and most interesting) social, economic and policy issues in the country.

Quite simply, this role is one of the best jobs in housing! It's challenging, rewarding and thought-provoking, giving you the chance to make a real difference.

If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you.

Please apply demonstrating the following:

• Significant leadership and management experience as part of a senior leadership team
• In-depth understanding of the political environment and how this impacts housing
• Proven track record of developing relationships with government and associated bodies at a senior level
• Understanding of policy development and how it can be supported by research to influence and change the operating environment for housing associations
• Experience in developing successful organisational strategies and translating those strategies into actionable plans to deliver results
• Confident media spokesperson with experience of giving high-profile interviews
• Proven track record of delivering high performance through management, coaching and driving culture change
• Ability to manage budgets effectively and deliver value for money
• Ability to work flexibly to meet the requirements of the job role
• Experience of working in a membership organisation/trade body (desirable)

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are proud to be an inclusive workplace, and we value the contribution each individual makes to our work. We are champions of diversity and encourage and welcome applications from people with the widest possible range of backgrounds, personal or professional.

Disability confident employer

We are a disability confident employer, and if you are a disabled person who meets the skills and experience we consider essential for the role, we will offer you an interview. Please note: there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job. In certain recruitment situations such as high volumes of applications, we may be required to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. In these circumstances, the NHF will select the disabled candidates who best meet the minimum criteria for the job rather than all of those that meet the minimum criteria, as we would do for non-disabled applicants. This is in line with the Disability Confident guidelines.

We are happy to consider reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process if you have a disability or have a condition that you feel may affect your performance during the recruitment process. Please email the People team with your request or to arrange a time to discuss in more detail.

Our role profile and job advert can also be requested in large print or in an accessible format via this email address.

Uploading your CV and cover letter

If you decide to apply for this role, when requested, please upload a version of your CV that does not include any personal details, such as name, gender, age, etc. You should also ensure that you do not add your name at the end of the cover letter. This will help us to shortlist candidates for interview based solely on their knowledge, skills and experience. Please also ensure that your cover letter is no longer than one side of A4 and includes a clear explanation of why you are applying for this role and the skills and experience you would bring.

Right to work in the UK/UK VISA sponsorship

You must have the right to work in the UK, and it is important to note that the NHF does not sponsor individuals to work in the UK.

Closing date for applications: 31 August 2026

First interview date: 17 and 18 September 2026

Second interview date: 1 October 2026