Heating & Hot Water Operations Manager

Contract Details

• Contract Type: Permanent, Full Time, 35 hours per week
• Salary: £48,691 to £53,725 per annum (London weighted salary) dependant on experience. Plus £1,300 Essential Car User Allowance
• Grade: 9
• Reporting Office: London, Stratford
• Agile Worker: 20% - 40% of contractual hours to be worked from reporting office/working location (hybrid working)
• Working Pattern: Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm, and on call when required
• Closing Date: 11th May 2026 at 11pm
• Interview Dates: 18th May – Face to Face at our Stratford office

Benefits

• Excellent pension plan (up to 6% double contribution)
• 28 days Annual Leave rising to 31 days with length of service + Bank Holidays
• Westfield Health Cash Plan
• Non-contributory life assurance
• Up to 21 hours volunteering paid days
• Lifestyle benefits
• Employee Assistance Programme

Overview

This is a high‑impact leadership role within L&Q’s evolving Heating & Hot Water function, offering the opportunity to shape how we deliver services across a large and diverse housing portfolio. As our estate continues to evolve, we are moving away from a traditional gas‑focused model towards a more integrated, system‑led approach covering heating, hot water and ventilation. This role sits at the centre of that transition — leading operational delivery across a safety‑critical service that directly impacts residents’ homes and wellbeing. Reporting to the Heating & Hot Water Compliance Manager, you’ll be part of a forward‑thinking team focused on strengthening governance, improving contractor performance and delivering consistently high‑quality, safe and compliant services. This is a visible and accountable leadership role, offering the opportunity to influence service delivery, drive continuous improvement and make a tangible difference across the organisation.

Your Impact in the Role

• Lead the operational delivery of heating, hot water and ventilation services across the L&Q portfolio
• Manage contractor performance, ensuring services are delivered safely, compliantly and in line with contractual standards
• Chair operational and contract performance meetings, holding contractors to account and driving service improvement
• Take ownership of complex cases, including complaints, MP enquiries and Housing Ombudsman investigations
• Ensure effective escalation and resolution of operational, safety and performance issues
• Oversee data quality, compliance reporting and system accuracy to support governance and audit requirements
• Lead and develop a team of operational and administrative staff, promoting a culture of accountability and continuous improvement
• Work collaboratively with compliance, technical and customer teams to improve resident outcomes and service delivery

What You’ll Bring

• Proven experience managing operational service delivery within housing, property or a compliance‑led environment
• Strong understanding of heating and hot water services, including contractor management in a safety‑critical setting
• Experience managing contract performance, KPIs and driving service improvement
• Strong leadership, decision‑making and escalation management capability
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities
• Intermediate IT skills, including experience producing reports and working with compliance or asset management systems

Desirable

• Experience working within a regulated or compliance‑driven environment
• Knowledge of gas safety, communal heating or building services operations
• Experience managing complex complaints, MP enquiries or Housing Ombudsman cases

If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage during this process, including application stage, please email lqcareers@lqgroup.org.uk.

About L&Q

We’re one of the UK’s leading housing associations and developers. We were founded on a simple belief: high quality housing is vital for people’s health, happiness and security. Everyone deserves a quality home that gives them the chance to live a better life. 250,000 people call our properties ‘home’, and we’re proud to serve diverse communities across London, the South East and North West of England. People are at the heart of our business and our success depends on employing the best people and getting the best from them. The foundation of everything that we are is built on our corporate values and behavioural framework, which outlines our core expectations and should be demonstrated at all times, and all levels, when representing L&Q.

Diversity and Inclusion

At L&Q, we know that diversity and inclusion make us stronger – and they’re at the heart of everything we do. When we recruit, we look at what really matters: your skills, experience, and potential. We’re proud to be recognised for creating an inclusive workplace. We’re a Disability Confident Leader (Level 3) and we’ve introduced our own Recruitment Advocate scheme to make sure every step of our hiring process is fair, transparent, and consistent. It’s all part of our commitment to ending discrimination and making L&Q a place where everyone feels welcome.