At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovative strategies to tackle homelessness and improve housing access in the city.
- Company: Join Hull City Council, a supportive and forward-thinking organisation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, excellent pension, generous leave, and career development opportunities.
- Other info: Dynamic role with potential for significant impact on community wellbeing.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in people's lives by shaping housing solutions.
- Qualifications: Experience in commissioning services within local government or housing-related environments.
The predicted salary is between 26900 - 53460 £ per year.
This is a Full Time Permanent Position. The Housing Access and Wellbeing service is the “front door” service to access housing in the city. We provide a comprehensive housing options service including specific services designed to prevent and alleviate homelessness and rough sleeping.
This exciting new role will lead the development of the strategy for ensuring that there is sufficient, high quality and cost effective permanent, temporary and supported accommodation available to meet the needs of households threatened with homelessness at a time of increasing demand. You will explore and drive forward new, innovative and creative opportunities to create and sustain capacity across the system at a time when affordable supply is increasingly scarce. A key focus of the role is to ensure that the council’s commissioned provision is shaped according to identified need and is designed to work harmoniously as part of the wider system to “design out homelessness”.
The postholder will provide managerial and strategic support to the Housing Solutions and Supply Manager, overseeing the acquisition and management of temporary accommodation, required to enable the Council to discharge its interim homelessness duties, including the development of the Temporary Accommodation Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) and other associated framework arrangements that are procured to support the operation of the service.
As a member of the management team, you will lead and develop your services to ensure performance expectations are met and introduce new ways of working/initiatives that improve the accessibility of good quality temporary and supported accommodation in the city. You will support the continued development of a sophisticated suite of business intelligence data, enabling a “real-time” analysis and interrogation of trends and flows into and out of the homelessness and supported housing system and the identification of barriers and service gaps which will support future commissioning and decommissioning decisions.
With an understanding of the complexities of meeting housing need and a passionate commitment to customer service, the Housing Commissioning Manager will ensure that the Council’s needs and statutory duties are balanced, continuous improvement is part of everyday operations and the Housing Access team is enabled and motivated to deliver excellent results.
We are looking for someone with experience of commissioning services within a local government environment and experience of working in a homelessness or housing-related environment.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES
- Strategy: The postholder will play a key role in understanding the strategic frameworks of health; social care; housing; and the criminal justice system and will use this understanding to build partnerships, identify gaps and evidence the need for change. They will provide expert input into both the development and review of the evidence base and formulation of the Supported Housing Needs Assessment and Strategy, the Temporary Accommodation Acquisition Programme and Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategic plans. They will lead on the submission of funding bids and business case development to support the enhancement of the Housing Access and Wellbeing service.
- Customer Focus: To represent identified programmes, produce papers, briefing notes and reports as required for the Director for Housing and Communities; the Assistant Director for Neighbourhoods and Housing; the Head of Access and Wellbeing; Elected Members; relevant Boards and Fora; Council; and other partners to ensure all are well informed of progress and possess the necessary information to make decisions. The postholder will also work with people with lived experience as well as other stakeholders (for instance the voluntary sector, private sector landlords) to understand system blockages/failures and use this to design and deliver changes.
- Performance Management: The postholder will be accountable for the establishment of the efficient operation of the brokerage arrangements established in the service, developing a single view of accommodation availability and shaping the market as the needs of service users and service areas change over time. The postholder will be required to use a variety of data to procure, commission, vary and oversee a range of service provision. This will involve complex specification development and tender exercises, including seeking feedback from service users, premarket engagement and market shaping activity so that commissioned services best meet the needs of the people who use them.
- Leadership: On behalf of the Access and Wellbeing service, to lead the development and expansion of property procurement, sourcing and management focussed functions supporting the prevention of homelessness; these include the cost effective and compliant delivery of temporary accommodation; private sector access; Dynamic Purchasing Schemes and the Housing Related Support (HRS) commissioning arrangements. Specification development, implementation of complex technical, legal, commercial and financial negotiations to ensure value for money are all essential activities requiring leadership.
- Statutory Obligations: To ensure that programmes meet legal and statutory requirements for Health and Safety, Safeguarding and compliance with the Homelessness Reduction Act. The post will play a key role in ensuring the Council’s statutory obligation for preventing homelessness is discharged.
- Targets: In conjunction with the Head of Access and Wellbeing, establish a framework and support the team to achieve a range of challenging targets in relation to securing appropriate accommodation, reducing the costs of temporary provision procured whilst driving up quality standards. Ensure that income to the service in respect of rents and service charges are maximised and compliant with Housing Benefit requirements whilst ensuring vacancies are minimised across the available stock. Role has overall responsibility for ensuring that national government targets in relation to households placed in temporary accommodation are achieved.
- Housing Related Support: As the lead officer for Housing Related Support (HRS) commissioning, ensure all contractual obligations are met by providers, lead on new commissioning/decommissioning and variation arrangements and ensure effective Key Performance Indicators are established to enable the most effective use of the provision. Develop timely and appropriate “move on” options for people living in supported accommodation and ensure the Single Point of Coordination for placements (SPOC) maximises the benefit of the resources available.
Housing Commissioning Manager employer: Working for Hull City Council
Hull City Council is an exceptional employer, offering a supportive and forward-thinking culture that prioritises the welfare of children and young people with disabilities. Employees benefit from competitive salaries, excellent pension schemes, and ample opportunities for career development through various training courses. Joining our team means being part of a dedicated group committed to making a real difference in the lives of children, all while enjoying a healthy work-life balance in the vibrant city of Hull.
Contact Details:
Working for Hull City Council Recruitment Team
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We think this is how you could land Housing Commissioning Manager
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