Executive Lead of Housing and Assets

Job Title

Executive Lead of Housing and Assets

Department

Customer and Property Services

Location

Leathermarket JMB

Reports to

Chief Executive Officer

Responsible for

one Senior Housing Services Manager; one Customer and Complaints Officer; one Leasehold and Homeownership Manager; one Estates Services Manager; one Head of Asset Management and Responsive Repairs; and one Head of Building Safety and Compliance.

Purpose of Job

The role provides strategic leadership across housing and leasehold services, housing compliance, property services, asset management, building safety, resident engagement, including the strategic direction of customer and resident services.

The postholder reports directly to the CEO and is a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

They present reports to the Board and Sub-Committees and lead the Property and Planning Sub-Committee and the Customer Sub-Committee.

The postholder is accountable for service performance, resident satisfaction, budgets and the strategies that support the JMB’s objectives and build a resident-focused, data-informed culture.

They work closely with the Chief Executive and directors to set the JMB’s future direction and are responsible for the execution.

Strategic objectives

The strategic objectives set the direction for customer and property services and define the improvements the postholder is expected to lead.

The Main accountabilities section sets some of the responsibilities through which these objectives will be delivered.

• Customer experience and culture
• To develop and lead a customer strategy aligned with the JMB’s corporate plan, transforming the resident journey and improving satisfaction.
• To foster a “customer first” culture of accountability, empathy and responsiveness across the JMB, ensuring the resident voice is heard at Board and executive level.
• Operational performance and service delivery
• To lead an exceptional complaints service that complies with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code, using root-cause analysis to prevent recurrence.
• To improve frontline housing management and tenancy sustainment so that services are safe, responsive and efficient.
• To set and monitor key performance indicators for repairs, lettings and rent collection, driving high performance
• To reduce legal disrepair claims through high-quality repairs and improved contractor management.
• To deliver planned investment programmes, such as kitchens, roofs and boilers, on time and within budget.
• Compliance, building safety and risk
• To achieve and maintain 100% compliance across all statutory areas: fire safety (FRAs), gas, electrical, water safety (legionella), asbestos and lifts.
• To lead the implementation of building safety regimes under the Building Safety Act, including safety cases for higher-risk buildings, safety checks and duty-holder responsibilities, working with Southwark Council.
• To implement proactive, data-driven strategies to identify and remediate damp and mould, in line with Housing Ombudsman expectations.
• To ensure all customer services meet the Regulator of Social Housing’s Consumer Standards.
• To identify, assess and manage risks to service delivery and resident safety, escalating issues promptly to the Chief Executive and the Board.
• Strategic asset management and sustainability

To develop an Asset Management Strategy that connects strategic asset management with operational delivery and ensures safe, high-quality and energy-efficient homes.

The strategy will cover compliance and building safety; asset investment and sustainability; repairs and capital programmes; resident engagement; financial and commercial management; and leadership.

• Resident engagement, community and partnerships
• To create a holistic resident engagement strategy inclusive of partnership and community development
• Financial and commercial management
• To maximise value for money in service delivery, procurement and contract management, without compromising quality.
• To manage capital and revenue budgets effectively, complying with financial procedures and mitigating risks from inflation, supply chain issues and material shortages.
• Leadership and culture
• To inspire and develop a multidisciplinary team, creating a high-performance culture of excellence, compliance and safety in a supportive, inclusive and diverse working environment.
• To ensure equality principles are integrated into all service delivery and staff development.
• To role model the JMB’s leadership behaviours.
• Leadership and management
• To lead, motivate and empower teams to deliver customer excellence, continuous improvement and value for money.

To ensure that complaints handling complies with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaints Handling Code and that performance meets expected standards.

To use learning from complaints to improve performance and service delivery.

• To be responsible for the effective leadership of the organisation’s customer-facing services, including all housing management, asset management, income management, lettings and customer services.

To ensure that staff appreciate the importance of customer-first and are sufficiently empowered to deal with issues before they escalat

• Asset Management and Building Safety
• To have overall responsibility for the development, delivery, review and updating of the organisation’s long-term Asset Management Strategy, ensuring the effective stewardship, sustainability and performance of all housing assets.

To ensure effective procurement of services and contracts and value for money in the maintenance and improvement of physical assets.

• Maintain and oversee the 30-year asset investment plan and rolling five-year capital investment programme, ensuring investment decisions are informed by robust stock condition data, asset performance information and organisational priorities.
• Provide strategic oversight of asset lifecycle planning and ensure that investment programmes contribute to resident satisfaction, regulatory compliance, value for money and the long‑term viability of the organisation’s housing stock.
• To be the Responsible Person for building safety for the JMB, ensuring compliance with all health and safety and building safety obligations, including gas servicing, fire safety, asbestos management, lift safety, water safety, electrical safety, lightning conductors and dry risers, as well as the general health and safety of staff, including the DLO.
• To develop a health and safety compliance reporting framework that gives the Senior Leadership Team and the Board adequate assurance.

To work in partnership with Southwark Council to support its regulatory obligations for building safety in JMB homes.

• To ensure effective and timely collection of property‑related data and maintain fit‑for‑purpose asset information that supports accurate cost planning and management over the short, medium and long term.

To use this information to inform asset management plans and the Asset Management Strategy, including stock condition surveys, asset quality standards and Net Zero Carbon initiatives.

To ensure delivery of annual maintenance plans, including day‑to‑day, cyclical and planned maintenance.

• To develop and deliver an annual programme of major (capital) and cyclical works to maintain and improve residents’ homes and the JMB estate, using stock condition and asset data to inform programmes.
• To deliver a high‑quality repairs and voids service through the DLO and external contractors, aiming for top quartile performance and high levels of resident satisfaction, and to oversee the development of the DLO.
• To have overall responsibility for managing external contracts for major and cyclical works, repairs and voids, and building safety and compliance, ensuring adherence to policies, legal requirements and the JMB’s financial regulations.

To continually review service contracts within a performance management framework to deliver value for money and excellent customer service.

To manage suppliers and consultants in line with the business plan.

• To be responsible for the development and review of all property services policies and procedures, with a plan for their regular review to ensure the JMB complies with legislation, regulation and good practice.
• To lead the development and delivery of the JMB’s sustainability and Net Zero Carbon strategy.

To embed decarbonisation, retrofit and energy efficiency within both the Asset Management Strategy and the 30‑year business plan.

• To plan and deliver a retrofit programme to improve the energy performance of residents’ homes, coordinated with major works to minimise disruption and cost.
• To identify and secure external funding for decarbonisation and retrofit, working with Southwark Council, the GLA and other funders.
• To tackle fuel poverty, supporting residents to reduce energy costs and use new heating and ventilation systems effectively.
• To ensure that retrofit, and energy efficiency works reduce the risk of damp and mould, rather than add to it.
• To report regularly to the Board on progress against sustainability targets, including the energy performance of the JMB’s homes.
• To embed environmental sustainability in procurement, contracts and the operation of the DLO, including materials, waste and vehicles.
• To engage residents in the JMB’s sustainability plans, so that they understand and help shape them.
• To use networking and research to identify and promote innovative strategies that improve services and financial performance.

As part of the Executive, to play a full role in developing strategies that ensure the JMB’s continued financial viability.

To support the JMB to understand and respond to emerging opportunities and threats and adopt best organisational practice.

• To improve data management, customer transaction processes and the customer experience by developing and implementing innovative ICT and digitalisation solutions.

To work with Finance and Property Services to progress these improvements, including CRM and mobile application resources, and develop IT systems that enable a digital‑by‑default approach to property services.

• To lead the management and development of the asset management property database(s) and their links to other systems.

This includes stock condition data and programme modelling, planned maintenance, compliance and energy data.

To lead initiatives that use data analytics to inform decision making.

• Stakeholders Relationships
• To lead the development and implementation of customer participation strategies that achieve excellence in customer engagement and meet regulatory standards.

To ensure that the customer’s voice is heard at all levels and informs improvements in performance and service delivery.

To maximise opportunities for residents to shape how housing and property services are planned and delivered and demonstrate the impact of their involvement.

• To seek and develop new business partnership opportunities with peers, corporate organisations, Local Authorities, or similar groups and prepare tenders and bids for new business.
• To develop and maximise relationships with external partners, including local authorities, MPs, commissioners, the Housing Ombudsman, corporate partners and major funders.

To act as an ambassador for the JMB and foster effective relationships with external stakeholders, partners, funders and other agencies to maximise the JMB’s growth and success.

To represent the JMB at a senior level to other organisations, such as Southwark Council and the GLA, as required.

• To ensure timely submission of data for regulatory returns relating to housing, property services and contract services, and reporting to the Executive, Board and Committees.

To prepare and present regular reports to the Board and Committees, keeping them appraised of departmental performance and procedures.

• To lead the property and planning Sub-Committee and the Customer Sub-Committee.
• To look for opportunities to deliver sustainability and social value from the JMB’s contracts and programmes.
• Other duties
• Any other duties as required by the JMB, commensurate with the grade and scale of the post.
• Job Context

A high level of commitment will be needed, and important deadlines will need to be met.

Work outside normal office hours will be required on occasions, including evening Board and committee meetings.

However, the JMB seeks to be a good employer and encourages the postholder to have a good work/life balance.

The postholder participates in the out-of-hours liaison rota for urgent repairs, for which an additional payment is made.

Advice is almost always given by phone, with an evening or weekend site visit very rarely needed.

The postholder may occasionally be asked to stay beyond the working day to help resolve an urgent repair and will be required to attend residents’ meetings outside office hours.

JMB reserves the right to amend this job description as necessary, after consultation with the postholder, to reflect changes to the job.