Service Charge Manager, Home Sales / Leaseholders

We’re looking for an experienced Service Charge Manager to take responsibility for Birmingham City Council’s housing service charges across both tenanted and leasehold properties. This is a newly created role combining strategic leadership with hands-on operational responsibility. You’ll lead the accurate calculation, construction and issuing of estimated and actual service charges, ensuring they are transparent, timely and compliant with legislation, contractual requirements and Council policies.

You’ll also lead and develop the Service Charge Team, working across the Council and with residents to ensure all appropriate costs are identified and recoverable charges are applied correctly, helping to maximise income to the Housing Revenue Account (HRA).

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of service charge and major works calculations, invoicing, estimates and final accounts, ensuring statutory and contractual compliance.
• Manage the annual service charge budgeting, estimation and year-end reconciliation process across all tenures, including new-build properties.
• Identify service-chargeable costs and maximise legitimate income to the HRA by ensuring all appropriate recoverable charges are applied.
• Lead, manage and develop the Service Charge Team, creating a high-performing, customer-focused and process-driven service.
• Act as the lead officer for service charge matters, working collaboratively with residents and teams across the Council and responding effectively to enquiries from homeowners, tenants and their representatives.
• Maintain transparent service charges and ensure policies and procedures remain aligned with legislation, government guidance and wider best practice.
• Support the development of housing IT systems and work with internal and external auditors, using service charge performance information to drive continuous improvement.

What we’re looking for:

• A qualified accountant or appropriate relevant experience supported by evidence of continuous professional development (CPD), together with a management qualification.
• At least three years’ experience within a social housing environment in a similar or related role, including experience in a management position.
• In-depth knowledge of rent and service charge legislation, with a good understanding of residential leases and freehold transfers.
• Strong management and leadership skills, with the ability to develop and motivate an effective team.
• Excellent customer care skills and the ability to deal professionally with residents, colleagues and other stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the confidence to communicate effectively at all levels and in a range of situations.

Why join us?

Birmingham City Council is one of the largest local authorities in Europe, giving you the opportunity to work at significant scale and make a tangible difference to housing services across the city. This newly created role provides an opportunity to shape how service charges are managed, strengthen transparency for residents and improve the systems and processes supporting the service. You’ll work across City Housing and the wider Council, combining your technical expertise with leadership and service improvement to help deliver an accurate, compliant and customer-focused service.

You’ll join an organisation committed to equality, inclusion and providing high-quality services to Birmingham’s residents. Birmingham City Council is an accredited Disability Confident Leader employer, and we are committed to employing, retaining and developing all of our people.

We want to ensure your recruitment journey with us is a positive and equitable one, so please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments, additional support, accessibility needs, or if there is any way in which we can support you through your application.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be undertaken. Proof of Right to work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed.