Head of Partnerships

HSPG is a social impact real estate company. Our mission is simple: Building partnerships, creating homes, developing communities. There is a critical shortage of affordable housing across the UK. We partner with Local Authorities and institutional investors to acquire and manage high-quality, demand-driven homes across multiple tenures. Across our Living Sector platforms, we are on track to acquire 12,000 homes by 2030. These homes are grouped into portfolios, professionally managed by our team, and funded by long-term institutional capital. We deliver this through two specialist operating platforms: Seahorse and PPHA.

Seahorse acquires, develops and manages homes for homeless residents across England through its Homeless Affordable Rent product, meeting urgent housing need with professionally managed, high-quality accommodation. North Star: creating over 5,000 homes by 2029. PPHA, the Group’s Registered Provider, partners with local authorities, housebuilders and investors to deliver Section 106 and grant-funded Affordable Rent and Shared Ownership homes, expanding supply and creating lasting social value. North Star: creating homes for over 8,000 families or individuals by 2030. Together, these platforms enable HSPG to meet housing need at scale, creating meaningful social impact for customers and residents, while delivering sustainable, long-term returns for our partners.

ESSENTIALS

• Role: Head of Partnerships
• Platform: Seahorse
• Status: Full time, permanent
• Base: London. We work 4 days in the office, 1 WFH
• Salary: £70,000 to £80,000
• Bonus: up to 20%
• Start: ASAP

CORE MISSION

Your core mission is to originate and secure high-quality, long-term partnerships that grow the Seahorse platform in a way that delivers both real housing impact and commercial sustainability. You are responsible for building and converting relationships with Housing Providers, Registered Providers and Local Authorities across 3PAM, Exempt Accommodation and Project Westminster. This role is not transactional. It is relational and long-term. You will identify genuine demand, structure commercially robust partnership models and close agreements that are operationally deliverable and mission-aligned. You understand the pressures facing Local Authorities and Housing Providers, funding constraints, subsidy rules, operational complexity and reputational risk, and you position Seahorse as a credible, solution-focused partner. You are here to grow the platform from 1500 to 3000 units through disciplined pipeline generation and effective deal closure.

THE BENEFITS

• 25 holiday days per year; 4 ‘Me Days’ per year (take a Me Day – focus on you);
• Team social events and trips;
• Wellness allowance of £70 per month to be used for gym, classes, physio or other wellness costs;
• Private healthcare with Vitality;
• Mintago financial platform;
• Drive Electric salary sacrifice;
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and parental leave;
• Employee referral scheme: £2,000 towards a getaway of your choice.

SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE

• Strong understanding of supported housing, Local Authority pressures or asset management structures.
• Ability to prepare and shape robust contracts and service level agreements with legal support.
• Proven track record of winning new business and delivering profitable outcomes.

OBSESS

You obsess over:

• Winning new partnerships: building trust and converting opportunity into signed agreements.
• Network quality: continually strengthen and deepen your relationships across the sector.
• Negotiation: achieving strong commercial outcomes within long-term, win-win structures.
• Growth with purpose: expanding the platform with momentum, while maintaining credibility and resident impact.

If you are motivated purely by volume without regard for quality and impact, this role is not for you.

EXCEL

You excel at:

• Business development: identifying demand, shaping proposals and converting relationships into contracts.
• Structured negotiation: balancing urgency with patience and emotional resilience to secure commercially sound agreements.
• Stakeholder engagement: building credibility with Housing Providers, Local Authorities and sector leaders.
• Contract preparation: working with legal support to translate agreed heads of terms into robust agreements.

90-day wins

• Early traction and strategic control.
• Clear partnership growth plan aligned with unit target and platform priorities.
• Full mapping of existing stakeholder relationships and new target partners.
• Active pipeline established with defined opportunities across 3PAM, Exempt and Project Westminster.
• At least three meaningful new Housing Provider conversations progressed to structured proposal stage.
• At least three Local Authorities formally engaged and progressing discussions.
• Internal approval structure for new partnerships clearly understood and applied.

12-month impact outcomes

• Material impact and results within first 12 months.
• Platform grown from 1500 to 3000 units under management or secured pipeline.
• Minimum of three new meaningful Housing Provider partnerships signed.
• Minimum of three Local Authority partnerships confirmed and operational.
• New business generating income in line with agreed targets.
• Pipeline in place to support continued growth beyond 3000 units.
• Evidence that Seahorse is viewed as a credible, solution-focused partner across the sector.

These outcomes are bonus-linked and reviewed quarterly.

Core behaviours

ACCOUNTABILITY

You are accountable for:

• Partnership origination and deal closure across Seahorse.
• Pipeline generation and progression.
• Negotiation and heads of terms agreement.
• Ensuring partnerships align with agreed commercial parameters and mission objectives.

You are not accountable for:

• Operational delivery of schemes post-contract.
• Housing management or tenant support delivery.
• Platform-wide financial management.
• Regulatory compliance ownership.