Assistant Director of Housing (Community) in Walsall

The Opportunity: Avalon Housing, a specialist social housing recruitment firm, are delighted to once again be partnering with whg on a fantastic 12 month FTC for an Assistant Director of Housing. We are seeking an ambitious senior leader to step into the role of Assistant Director of Housing (Community) on an interim basis. Reporting directly to the Director of Housing and Customer Services, you will provide strategic direction and effective operational leadership to our Community Housing, Community Safety, and Neighbourhoods teams. Your primary focus will be embedding our Community Housing Model, ensuring complete regulatory and legal compliance, and utilising robust data analysis to drive a proactive "Customer First" culture change across all regions. This senior role is a fantastic opportunity to lead critical business change, manage substantial budgets, and collaborate with key partners to deliver meaningful impacts for our communities.

Key Duties:

• Provide senior, strategic leadership within the Housing Directorate, working closely with the Assistant Director of Housing (Customer) to align services and tackle emergent issues quickly.
• Lead and be accountable for the Community Housing, Community Safety, and Neighbourhoods teams, driving continuous professionalisation, innovation, and digital transformation.
• Embed the core principles of our Community Housing Model, using detailed data analysis to proactively identify and rectify service delivery gaps.
• Drive major strategic change initiatives and develop performance metrics for reporting directly to the Group Executive Team and the Board.
• Robustly manage budget performance, identifying areas for cost reduction while maximising efficiency and value for money.
• Oversee effective anti-social behaviour (ASB) investigations, ensuring multi-disciplinary collaboration to safeguard residents and maintain external ASB accreditation.
• Balance tenancy sustainability with robust tenancy enforcement, implementing proactive strategies to manage risk and protect community interests.
• Represent and promote the interests of the organisation at local, regional, and national levels, building strong partnerships with external stakeholders to meet community needs.

Benefits:

• Senior Executive Impact: A high-profile interim assignment with accountability for shaping service culture, organisational structure, and community safety policies.
• Strategic Autonomy: Empowered to flex, deploy, and mobilise resources across multiple regional teams to address emerging operational priorities.
• Values-Driven Culture: Join an ambitious workplace that actively prioritises being an exceptional, respectful, and collaborative environment for sector talent.
• Agile Leadership Scope: Lead broad corporate transformation programmes, directly tracking cultural shift through robust modern data matrices.

Requirements:

• Qualifications: Educated to degree level (or equivalent) alongside a Level 5 Certificate in Housing.
• Experience: A proven track record of managing multi-disciplinary housing, community safety, or neighbourhoods teams at a senior level.
• Technical Knowledge: Deep, up-to-date knowledge of statutory and regulatory requirements relevant to housing management and resident safeguarding.
• Change Management: Demonstrable experience successfully delivering value for money, cost reductions, and complex business efficiency or culture change programmes within the housing arena.
• Leadership Skills: Outstanding leadership and advocacy capabilities, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders, negotiate effectively, and inspire frontline staff.
• Core Attributes: High levels of self-awareness, empathy, and integrity, with a calm, positive approach when navigating high-pressure or sensitive situations.
• Collaboration: A highly flexible and collaborative worker capable of aligning strategic corporate plans with day-to-day service delivery.

How to Apply: Please apply for this role online or contact Matt Baird at Avalon for a confidential discussion. Avalon, trading name of Spirehouse Recruitment Limited, is an equal opportunities employment business and employment agency. We practise a diverse and inclusive recruitment process that ensures equal opportunity for all individuals.