Gloucestershire Housing Partnership Rough Sleeping Contracts Lead

The Gloucestershire Housing Partnership Team works across the county to implement ending rough‑sleeping plans with local authorities in Gloucestershire. We commission services that offer direct access accommodation, supported housing and other vital support for people facing multiple disadvantage. This role is instrumental in commissioning, managing and monitoring the contracts for those services.

Applications are welcomed from people with lived experience.

About the Job

• Support the contract management of a range of commissioned services as part of the countywide partnership approach to ending rough sleeping, including outreach services, housing‑led services and multi‑disciplinary teams; ensure services are maintained and developed, deliver high quality and value for money and enable partners to understand and evaluate outcomes achieved.
• Maintain and evaluate statistics, reporting and emerging evidence related to the delivery of services for people sleeping rough in Gloucestershire and the wider sector.
• Provide advice and recommendations to partners regarding outcomes achieved, barriers and gaps in provision to inform service and strategy development.
• Ensure operational protocols, pathways and joint policies are in place where required, enabling equitable access to jointly commissioned services.
• Chair or convene panels or stakeholder meetings to coordinate delivery and hold partners to account for shared commitments.
• Manage a personal workload appropriate to the skills and abilities of the postholder, as determined by the line manager.
• Complete accurate and relevant data submissions, including DELTA returns to MHCLG, and act as the named contact for MHCLG regarding rough sleeping support contracts in Gloucestershire.
• Monitor performance and compliance, implement service improvements where necessary, and produce monitoring and performance reports to meet funder requirements.
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships with key partners and stakeholders, championing the voice of lived experience in service review and evaluation and promoting the value of employing people with lived experience.
• Communicate effectively through correspondence, verbal briefings, reports and presentations, explaining statistics, procedures and requirements clearly.
• Coordinate delivery of responses to rough sleeping on behalf of the partnership, including commissioning, monitoring, evaluating and reporting on the impact of emergency provisions during Winter SWEP.
• Identify training gaps across the system, develop and deliver training to meet the needs of professionals working with individuals facing multiple disadvantages across Gloucestershire.
• Work closely with colleagues in the Domestic Abuse (Housing) arm of the team to identify risks and solutions for victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse.
• Use data and other drivers to inform commissioning decisions and revised service approaches.
• Oversee contract management for the Outreach service, Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub, Complex Homelessness Partnership Support Service (Multiple Disadvantage Team) and Enhanced Housing Support Services, including data analysis, issue resolution with stakeholders, and escalation of systemic issues to the Programme Management Group.
• Monitor deaths in services reports from contracted services and maintain a Homelessness Fatality Surveillance procedure for the partnership.
• Work with the Housing Partnership Project Support Officer to develop a database of individuals using services across the system.
• Work in partnership with Gloucestershire County Council's Making Every Adult Matter coordinator to identify barriers and escalated responses for people facing multiple disadvantage.
• Provide recommendations to relevant county groups, including the Oversight Group, on addressing gaps and improving service coordination.
• Support the development of bids for new funding opportunities and provide technical input into the design and commissioning of new services where funding is secured.
• Support partners in responding to requests from councillors, directors, FOI requests and media enquiries, in line with GDPR requirements.
• Oversee and coordinate delivery of the annual statutory street count and estimate undertaken by the six district councils, alongside related statistics.
• Contribute to local homelessness faith and voluntary and community sector forums.
• Explore best practice models of homelessness prevention, including personalisation, assertive outreach and rough sleeping prevention, and provide recommendations for implementation.
• Support the Partnership Manager with income generation and business growth options, ensuring quality, customer‑focused and value‑for‑money decisions.
• Promote a trauma‑informed approach to supporting people facing multiple disadvantage.

Key Competencies

• Successfully leading projects that have resulted in positive change.
• Working with people sleeping rough or facing multiple disadvantage.
• Contract management.
• Budget management.
• Coping well under pressure and managing difficult situations.
• Working with senior personnel within councils or other organisations.

Knowledge, Skills and Understanding

• Ability to oversee and evaluate the work of others, providing advice, guidance, support and challenge.
• Strong organisational and implementation skills.
• Understanding of trauma‑informed, strengths‑based approaches.
• Ability to present complex information clearly in written and verbal formats.
• Experience preparing or presenting material for media use.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, with the ability to accurately interpret, analyse and present data to inform decision making.
• Ability to identify and respond to political context and advise senior officers.
• Strong negotiation and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to work with evolving technology and embrace digital transformation.

Behavioural Attributes

• Efficiency and Value for Money: Takes ownership of work, works flexibly, and delivers high‑quality services.
• Forward Thinking and Innovation: Uses creativity and initiative to improve services and processes.
• Making Residents' Lives Better: Delivers good customer service by listening and raising awareness of services.
• Passionate About the City: Takes pride in work quality and understands its impact on the city's reputation.
• Working Together to Make It Happen: Communicates effectively, adopts a can‑do attitude and works flexibly as part of a team.

Qualifications and Employment Requirements

• At least GCSE level (or equivalent), including English and Maths.
• A relevant qualification or equivalent demonstrable experience in housing, homelessness, commissioning, contract management, public services, or a closely related field.
• It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a ‘customer‑facing role’ must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.