Housing IT Project Manager

The Housing Systems Team at the London Borough of Havering has a record for commitment to service, high standards and innovation. We are proud of the projects that we have delivered and the contribution we have made to streamline and automate processes for the Housing Systems users. This is an excellent time to work in Housing IT as we are moving towards the procurement and implementation of a new Housing Management System. We are pleased to offer this opportunity to lead the Development side of our team as a Housing IT Project Manager.

The post holder will support us to maintain and drive forward consistent high standards and project delivery in line with service requirements. The work will be fast paced, challenging and results driven. We are looking to recruit a creative and motivated individual with a strong IT background, who thrives in working in an environment where no two days are the same. The Systems Development Team will be working alongside the Application Support Team and collaborating with colleagues in Resources, People and Place to ensure the best possible outcome for the council and the residents of Havering.

About The Job

Reporting to the Housing IT Systems Manager, the post holder will be responsible for the system development and introduction of new Housing IT applications so that they meet the needs of the business. They will identify and manage inter-dependencies including oversight of any governance, risks and issues arising. The role includes the co-ordination of the new capability for the business to enable effective change and associated projected benefits. The post-holder will be leading a team of 3 Business Analysts and one Testing & Training Coordinator in the Development Team, and will coordinate the resources, work streams and timelines for all housing systems development projects.

Main duties and responsibilities

• The creation and management of project teams to achieve successful and timely introduction of software.
• Facilitation of workshops to elicit requirements of the business.
• Production and regular update of project documentation.
• Collaboration with key business partners to identify software solutions that address specific business requirements and deliver the software to meet those requirements.
• Responsibility for data integrity and management in accordance with corporate GDPR and Data Protection policies.
• Establishing and maintaining positive relationships with other Council services and third-party software consultants and contractors.
• Co-ordination of Testing and Training on new software, upgrades and enhancements.
• Representation of the Council at software conferences and user groups.
• Deputising for the Housing IT Systems Manager in their absence.

About You

You will be a Housing IT Project Manager with a commitment to service, who can deliver positive outcomes for the Housing Services, council and its residents.

Experience and skills required

• Successful experience of managing the workload of a team to deliver shared and conflicting objectives.
• Successful experience of project managing and delivering multi-functional software implementations.
• Successful experience of gathering and managing business requirements within a diverse and complicated business environment.
• Successful experience of the application of recognised project management processes and techniques to deliver projects on time with expected outcomes and recording progress on a project management monitoring system.
• Successful identification, enrolment and management of project stakeholders and members of a project team.
• Good organisational and time management skills, in order to prioritise demanding workloads and tight deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Fluent in written English to develop project products, consultant work packages, user documentation and email.
• Successful experience of the preparation of meeting agendas, workshops, chairing meetings and ensuring that they have purpose and productive outcomes.
• Demonstrative experience of leading the implementation of software development, to include leading on systems and integration testing and user acceptance testing activities.
• Fluent in spoken English to develop effective working relationships with both internal and external colleagues, customers and third-party contractors.
• Strong influence and negotiation skills with the ability to present technical information to a variety of audiences.
• Successful use of Project management and business tools e.g. MS Project, MS Excel, MS Teams project applications, to manage and report on the progress of projects.

Experience that would be an advantage

• Knowledge of a relational database architecture with the ability to compose queries, reports and forms using structured query language (SQL), Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) or similar database reporting software.
• Excellent data analyst and interpretative skills.
• Specialist knowledge of business functions associated with ICT systems used within a social housing environment, or similar.
• A formal project management qualification (practitioner level) e.g. PRINCE2, AGILE, Microsoft Office (advanced).
• Specialist knowledge of housing management systems and specifically Open Housing would be an advantage.

Contact and Application

Should you require any help or advice with your online application, please contact the Recruitment Help Desk on: 01708 432770. For an informal discussion about this role please contact Maria Biles: Maria.Biles@havering.gov.uk. The closing date for the receipt of applications is 18/1/26, however interest in this job may be high and we therefore reserve the right to close the vacancy early.

Additional Information

The London Borough of Havering is a Disability Confident employer. Candidates who declare that they have a disability in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and meet the essential criteria as specified in the Job Profile will be guaranteed an interview. Priority consideration on all advertised roles will be given to London Borough of Havering Redeployees. The London Borough of Havering is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable groups and expects staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Please be aware that a Disclosure and Barring Scheme (DBS) check will be required for any position with access to these groups under the provision of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

In addition, the Authority reserves the right to request employees undertake a basic disclosure check (Disclosure Scotland) where required for the role this includes anyone who has access to (or information obtained directly from) a government database, or has a GCSX account. These posts will be required to have a Basic Disclosure Scotland check as per the requirements of BPSS (Baseline Personnel Security Standards).

Employer Information

With its excellent transport links into central London, extensive town centre regeneration and the highest concentration of green space anywhere in London, Havering has a unique offer as a place to live, work and visit. By making the most of its position and opportunities, Havering is becoming a hub for start-ups and expanding businesses, as well as construction, logistics, engineering and manufacturing industries.