Head of Customer & Communities

Are you a curious, values‑driven leader with a passion for creating exceptional customer experiences and strengthening communities? Do you thrive in a role where you can influence strategic direction, innovate boldly and lead teams to deliver accessible, fair and high‑quality services? If so, this is an outstanding opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

As our next Head of Customer & Communities, you’ll work closely with the Assistant Director of Customer Experience, gaining senior exposure across the organisation and helping shape how customer experience, community engagement and complaints resolution evolve in a fast‑changing environment. This role sits at the heart of our commitment to putting customers and communities first — and offers the chance to lead transformative service improvements across all customer‑facing areas.

You’ll play a pivotal role in modernising how we listen, learn and respond to customers. With curiosity and creativity, you will champion new ways of working, support innovation and digital transformation, and ensure our services reflect the diverse needs of the people and places we serve. From improving customer journeys to shaping community‑based support and strengthening neighbourhood wellbeing, your work will be felt across the organisation and beyond.

You will champion our values — Belong, Own It, Be the Change, Think Customer and One Team — bringing passion, integrity and inclusivity to everything you do. Your leadership will empower teams, elevate service standards and embed a culture where customer voice, fairness and continuous learning drive meaningful change.

Above all, this is a role for someone who wants to make a difference — someone who is energised by collaboration, motivated by challenge, and committed to delivering services that genuinely improve lives and strengthen communities. If you bring curiosity, passion and a genuine commitment to our values, we’d love to hear from you. Interested? Apply now or contact Tom Dyson confidentially.

At Freebridge Community Housing, our mission is clear: to provide safe, affordable, and high-quality homes for those who need them—now and for generations to come. As one of the largest housing providers in Norfolk, we own and manage around 7,500 homes across west and north Norfolk, and we’re continually investing in new developments to meet local needs.

Established in 2006, Freebridge has grown into a forward‑thinking organisation with a strong community focus. We’re proud to be making a real difference—not just through bricks and mortar, but by creating vibrant communities and supporting our customers in meaningful ways.

Our values—Belong, Own It, Think Customer, One Team One Purpose, and Be the Change—guide everything we do. From improving existing homes to developing new ones for social rent and shared ownership, we’re committed to delivering excellent services and shaping our work around what our customers truly need.

With a dedicated team of over 220 colleagues and a turnover of £30 million, we’re not just a housing provider—we’re a community partner. We work closely with local organisations to tackle wider social issues, promote engagement, and ensure our homes meet the Decent Homes Standard. At Freebridge, our people are our greatest asset, and together, we’re building a better future for Norfolk.

What you’ll be doing:

• Provide visible, inspiring and values‑led leadership across all Customer & Communities services, empowering teams to deliver accessible, fair and high‑quality customer experiences while championing dignity, transparency and respect at every touchpoint.
• Transform and elevate the customer journey, using insight, feedback and performance data to drive continuous improvement, strengthen service consistency, and ensure customers feel listened to, informed and genuinely supported — particularly in moments of vulnerability or complexity.
• Lead community engagement and neighbourhood initiatives that help customers thrive, strengthening local partnerships, supporting tenancy sustainment, and ensuring communities feel safe, connected and confident in the services we provide.
• Oversee customer experience, complaints and community teams, ensuring strong quality assurance, high performance, timely complaint resolution and a culture that values learning, collaboration and customer voice.
• Champion innovation and digital transformation, promoting modern, inclusive and accessible ways for customers to interact with us, while ensuring digital tools improve efficiency, insight and service transparency.
• Act as a senior ambassador for customer and community issues, influencing organisational direction, shaping strategic decisions and ensuring our values and customer insights are embedded across the whole organisation.

What we’re looking for:

• Proven senior leadership experience in customer‑focused, community‑based or housing environments, with the ability to lead diverse teams, drive performance, manage risk and deliver consistent, high‑quality services in a regulated setting.
• Exceptional communication, relationship‑building and influencing skills, with the confidence to engage at senior levels, collaborate across directorates, resolve complex issues, and inspire teams through change with clarity, empathy and resilience.
• A strong commitment to values, inclusion and continuous improvement, with the ability to use data, insight and customer feedback to inform decisions, shape service design and ensure outcomes are fair, transparent and responsive to customer and community needs.

What’s in it for you:

At Freebridge, we’re appreciative of our team and we believe in empowering you to achieve your aspirations and dreams, both in your work and in your life. To help you achieve your goals, we offer a variety of core benefits.