Safety Manager

East End Homes is a community-led and locally based housing association in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Our mission is to provide services that meet the needs and aspirations of local residents. We own and manage over 3,900 homes across five estates - Glamis, Holland, Island Gardens, Mile End, and St George's. We operate from offices in the heart of each of our communities and run four community centres. As a not-for-profit housing association, we reinvest our profits back into improving homes and services for residents.

Key Objectives

• The post-holder will ensure that all fire and building safety duties in all EEH’s high rise and/or higher risk buildings (HRBs) are effectively and robustly carried out.
• Responsible for ensuring that EEH meets its obligations in respect of reporting on compliance and receiving necessary approvals/certification for its HRBs from all relevant regulatory bodies.
• Responsible for creating and maintaining an overarching, robust strategy for managing property compliance with due regard to current and future Legislative and Regulatory requirements.
• Ensuring suitable compliance controls, processes, and procedures are in place and that all identified risks are managed.
• The post holder will lead the compliance team to ensure that statutory compliance obligations and requirements across EEH’s properties are met, and we adhere to all Health and safety requirements, legislations and best practices.

Responsibilities

• To oversee the development of building safety cases for all identified high risk buildings within the scope of the Building Safety Act.
• A comprehensive digital records system is created and maintained as the basis for safety cases and demonstrating building safety compliance.
• The golden thread principle is applied.
• All high risk buildings in scope of the Act identified and in liaison with other departments the necessary digital records for those buildings gathered or created, including any necessary investigations or surveys.
• Maintain and implement a good understanding of all relevant legislation and guidance.
• To ensure that all EEH’s identified high risk buildings are managed and maintained in accordance with the requirements of the Building Safety Act.
• All EEH’s identified high risk buildings have a competent Building Safety Manager function.
• Regular programmes of comprehensive safety checks covering all life safety features and components carried out.
• Safety related repairs and preventative maintenance identified and carried out in a timely manner.
• Resident, contractor and visitor use of building and behaviours monitored and any matters of concern appropriately addressed.
• Work closely with colleagues to develop plans for the delivery of fire safety work and services in high-risk buildings.
• Safety critical maintenance, repairs and servicing works carried out in a timely manner.
• Condition of the buildings and service delivery monitored to ensure compliance with the Building Safety Regulations.
• Actively contribute towards the development of Capital Works schemes.
• Develop and maintain sufficient policies and procedures in liaison with other relevant managers to ensure EEH complies with its statutory and regulatory duties and Health and Safety best practice in maintaining and managing its tall buildings.
• Integrate Building Safety as an integral part of EEH’s wider approach to Health and Safety compliance.
• Formulate and agree sufficient policies and procedures to ensure EEH complies with the Building Safety Act and related Regulations.
• Ensure policies and procedures are reviewed and updated to reflect changes in regulations and recognised good practice.
• Policies and procedures are implemented and adhered to by the Asset Management Team and others working within high-risk buildings.
• To take the leading role in ensuring the delivery of EEHs resident engagement strategies for its higher risk buildings.
• A resident engagement strategy template and procedural guide is created and maintained to ensure a consistent best practice approach to resident engagement on building safety.
• Each individual high-risk building has an appropriate strategy in place.
• Residents provided with relevant information about building safety in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements.
• Where necessary residents are consulted on safety related works and effective liaison with resident associations is maintained.
• Complaints about building safety are promptly and comprehensively addressed in accordance with EEH’s complaints policy and legal and regulatory requirements.
• Liaising with the Building Safety Regulator.
• Regulatory returns made on time and to a high quality without errors or omissions.
• Requests for information or notices from the Regulator are actioned promptly.
• To work with colleagues to ensure new buildings covered under the Building Safety Act are compliant at handover and smoothly transitioned into the management of the Building Safety Team to provide professional advice and support offered to the Development Team on matters of Building Safety during the construction process.
• Working with colleagues to ensure the principles of the golden thread of compliance are embraced.
• New buildings only accepted into management when fully compliant and all relevant information for the safety case secured.
• To manage the Building Safety budget and work with colleagues in Finance and Home Ownership to ensure the proper charging and recovery of costs related to Building Safety.
• Budgets effectively managed and expenditure controlled.
• A clear charging policy formulated and agreed.
• Clear and accurate accounts and records of the costs expended maintained.
• Accurate budget estimates of safety costs prepared and submitted.
• Timely presentation of expenditure records to allow charging in accordance with the Regulations.
• To ensure that exposure to risk from a Health and Safety or Statutory Compliance failure is minimised.
• Monitor health and safety performance of asset management contractors and ensure they are compliant with legislation and EEHs procedures.
• Ensure contractors are aware of the identified risks in EEH properties and adhere to health and safety policies.
• With other members of the Asset Management team ensure compliance with all statutory health and safety duties.
• Carry out all obligations relevant to your role under the internal procedure.
• Responsible for statutory and regulatory compliance across housing stock for Gas Servicing, Lift Maintenance, Fire Safety, Asbestos, Electrical Testing and Water Management and other associated risks.
• Manage the compliance team and their day-to-day duties.
• Through efficient management of maintenance and inspection contracts, you will lead on ensuring our buildings meet the highest safety standards, directly impacting the safety and well-being of our residents.
• Lead and contribute to business planning, budget management, identifying service improvements, and harnessing technology to deliver services that demonstrate value for money, and achieve high levels of compliance and resident satisfaction.

General

• Provide out of hours response to any emergency building safety issue which requires intervention from EEH either on the phone or onsite.
• Deputise for the Head of Asset Management of Eastend Homes in relation to Building Safety Matters when required.
• Able to attend weekend and evening meetings when required.
• Required to attend necessary training to show competence in fulfilling the role, cascading learning to colleagues.
• Thorough understanding of and a commitment to the concept of Equal Opportunities.
• Ability to ensure that Equal Opportunities is integrated into all aspects of work.
• The key tasks listed above are only an indication of the main tasks required to be performed. It is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities and may be subject to amendment to take account of changing circumstances.
• The post holder will remain co-operative and flexible in line with the needs of the post and the post evolving in line with new and revised legislation.

Person Specification

• Significant experience in the housing sector of leading on assets compliance, with direct responsibility for complying with all statutory regulations and Approved Codes of Practice, (ACOP) relating to gas, electrical, legionella, asbestos, fire safety, lifts etc.
• Significant experience of leading high performing Building Compliance functions and/or step changed improvement in such functions.
• A comprehensive understanding of building safety legislation and regulations, inclusive of the Fire Safety Act 2021 and Building Safety Act 2022.
• Experience of developing and implementing best practice Building Compliance policies, procedures and processes.
• Experience of developing and implementing effective compliance data management operations, ensuring accurate data and reporting within reliable compliance systems.
• Experience of effective building compliance contractor management.
• Experience of developing and implementing effective building compliance resident engagement strategies.
• Experience of delivering positive business outputs to timescale and used to operating at a level of seniority that requires minimal day to day management and direction.
• A Technical Qualification of HNC/Degree level with extensive experience to evidence competency within a compliance/building safety management role.

Benefits

• 33 days holiday plus Bank Holidays.
• Pension – Employer Contribution.
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is fundamental to our core beliefs and values, and we have a due regard for the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, promote equality of opportunity, and provide for good relations between people of diverse groups, in particular the characteristics protected by the Equality Act (2010).
• We are committed to achieving greater diversity at East End Homes and welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, identities, and characteristics.