Head of Communities in Rochdale

We have an exciting opportunity for a Head of Communities to join our Customer and Communities directorate. Reporting to the Director of Neighbourhoods, the Head of Communities has accountability for delivering and continually improving our approach to providing high quality general needs and older persons housing management services, including ensuring these deliver positive outcomes for our customers and the communities which we serve. This includes our community safety and tenancy support services ensuring these deliver meaningful outcomes for our customers and the communities we serve.

A key feature of the role is to drive improved efficiencies, value for money, and business performance to support robust tenancy related relationships with our customers. The role provides leadership and direction for our Neighbourhood Housing Teams instilling a culture of improvement, financial management, control and integrity. The Head of Service provides expertise to the Senior Leadership Team and Executive team to shape policies and service delivery.

The role leads the service to ensure the operating culture and processes maximise productivity and quality, and that services are characterised by flexibility and innovation to meet the changing expectations of our customers, stakeholders and regulators. As a leader in RBH, the Head of Service works collaboratively across the organisation, building strong relationships with colleagues. Externally the role is a strong RBH Ambassador, building meaningful and productive connections with a range of partners. As a visible and engaging leader, the role ensures strong leadership throughout the service area, setting clear direction, with a focus on high performance, identifying areas for improvement and development and celebrating success.

What are we looking for?

• Proven track record in managing or delivering neighbourhood or tenancy management services.
• Proven track record in managing or delivering community safety or support services.
• Understanding of the delivery of tenancy sustainment and neighbourhood services and the impact of these on customers and the communities in which they live.
• Significant experience in the social housing sector and a thorough understanding of regulation, compliance and legislation that affects the delivery of housing services by registered providers.
• Proven experience of leading and managing teams through cultural change and business transformation.
• Experience of managing complex budgets and a robust approach to risk management.
• Experience of stakeholder management across all levels.
• Experience of engaging with customers and colleagues to shape services and strategy.
• Experience of implementing positive service improvements in the delivery neighbourhoods services, which have engaged service users, stakeholders and colleagues and have achieved corporate and customer outcomes and improved performance and/or assurance.

Please refer to the attached Job Description upon completing your application. We shortlist and interview for our roles throughout the duration of the advert. Therefore, we would encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. We reserve the right to close any of our adverts prior to the stated closing date should we have a high volume of appropriate candidates.

Closing date: 29th April, 2026. Interviews will take place in early May 2026.

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing Limited (RBH) is the UK’s first tenant and employee co-owned mutual housing society, with over 12,000 homes throughout the local area. As we’ve refocused our strategy back to our core housing role, we’ve taken the opportunity to work with our customers and colleagues to review and modernise the values that motivate us and will underpin everything we do. Our mutuality is focused on bringing genuine voice and influence to our customers and our colleagues in how we deliver our services. Our values get to the root of who we really are and what we stand for.

• Putting People First: We listen with empathy, respond with compassion, and make it easy for our customers to access our services.
• Doing What We Say: We earn trust through honesty, integrity, caring and keeping our promises.
• Working As One: We embrace our mutuality and work together to deliver great outcomes for the people living in our homes and communities.
• Delivering Quality: We invest wisely in our people and make it easy for them to deliver services and create places that our customers are proud to call home.
• Open & Transparent: We are curious, embrace diverse ways of thinking and seek feedback to help us improve.