Job Details
Job Title: Housing Income Manager
Directorate: Housing, Communities, Environmental & Planning
Grade: 9
Responsible to: Housing Services Manager
Responsible for: Rents Team Leader
Charges Team Leader
Rent Officers
Charges Officers
Charges Advisor
Housing Services Assistant
Apprentice
pay rate: £35 per hour (umbrella)
Location: Woodrow Office Redditch Duration of assignment: Unknow as it is to cover long term sickness, but roughly 2 months with possible extension Dependant on needs of the team, expected to work agile but minimum in office 2-3 days per week
Strategic purpose
- Be committed to the Council’s Vision and carry out work within the spirit and intention of its core values of Pride, People, Purpose and Performance
Operational purposes
- Support and collaborate with the strategic and operational managers in delivering the vision, strategies and goals for the Housing Income and Tenancy Sustainment services, deputizing for managers where reasonably requested to maintain smooth operations
- To develop, lead and manage a team of specialist expert officers and advisors, working in partnership with all relevant agencies and organisations to support residents in meeting their obligations to pay rent and other housing charges.
- Balance support and sustainment activities with enforcement, so that legal action and threat of homelessness becomes a very last resort.
- To effectively lead, manage and develop the operations of the Housing Revenue Service to achieve continuous improvement in performance against national and local performance indicators effectively and efficiently.
- Maximise established and develop potential new income streams and recovery of charges and costs, to protect the Housing Revenue Account and the wider provision of all Housing Services.
- Provide leadership and direction to ensure development and implementation of projects, strategies, initiatives, and incentives that enable and empower customers to live independently, sustain their tenancies and reduce and prevent homelessness.
- Ensure the teams are focused and committed to working in partnership with all relevant agencies and organizations for the mutual benefit of improving the communities we serve.
- To fulfil the Local Authorities legal obligations to provide professional housing services as set out in relevant legislation and regulation, notably the Housing Act 1996.
Main duties
- Support and collaborate with the strategic and operational managers in delivering the vision, strategies and goals for the Housing Income and Tenancy Sustainment services, deputizing where reasonably requested to maintain smooth operations.
- Be responsible and accountable for delivering a compliant and seamless technical and customer service under the legislative and regulatory framework, with a firm focus on sustainment, engagement and satisfaction, with eviction as a last resort.
- Through your Team Leaders, be responsible and accountable for leading, managing and developing your team in the positive and effective delivery of services that maximise revenue to the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) including dwelling and garage rent collections and primary debt recovery, service charging to tenants and leaseholders, section 20 consultation collections, and recharging that is customer centric, with regard for equality and diversity, and with the highest degrees of integrity and professional standards.
- Through your Team Leaders be responsible for the collection and minimization of former tenant debts, to meet or exceed targets for bad debt provision set by the Councils Corporate Management Team.
- Collaborate closely with landlord services Managers and Team Leaders to take the lead on key decision making around service of relevant legal notices and actions, ensuring compliance with pre-action protocols and legislative requirements, and that eviction is a last resort.
- Collaborate closely with Neighbourhood and Tenancy Manager to continually improve shared processes between both teams and ensure Officers understand the importance of collection of rent and take action to ensure they do not impact negatively on rental income.
- Be proactive in identifying other sources of additional income to develop and support new services and initiatives that support the maximization of income into the HRA.
- Be responsible and accountable for the data driven performance of your teams, based on agreed targets, and performance indicators, ensuring performance is monitored, controlled, continuously improved, and reported on with a high degree of integrity and transparency, so that positive and adverse variances that impact the service are celebrated, or mitigated against risk and service failure through clear proposals for action.
- Be responsible and accountable for the prudent management of finances, funds, budgets, and grant funding. Responsible for robust control of expenditure, cost reductions and identification of sources of additional income to develop and support new services and initiatives. Always act with integrity and transparency in managing and reporting on all financial matters.
- Be responsible for ensuring all team members receive regular one to ones and conversations with their line managers regarding performance and expectation of the role. Provide clarity of all regulatory KPI’s and internal improvement targets to ensure the teams have the appropriate clarity and focus on their role.
- Be responsible and accountable for leading and championing compliant and high performing housing teams, using agreed targets and data to deliver effective and efficient services that are customer centric, equitable, engaging and satisfying to customers.
- Operate all Council policies on the employment of staff, including recruitment, terms and conditions of contract, discipline, grievance, sickness absence, equalities, performance management, compliments, and complaints.
- Support the team’s in achieving their personal and professional aspirations and ensure success is celebrated.
- Share up-to-date knowledge and experience of housing legislation, regulations, standards, protocol, guidance, policy, and practice including the Housing and Welfare Reform Acts, Service Charging Regulations, Rent Standard, Leaseholder Reform and any other relevant legislation or regulation in operation at the time.
- Maintain excellent working relationships with partners and key stakeholders to ensure inclusive, consistent and robust decision making is delivered across the services.
- In support of Team Leaders, ensure Officers recognize all emerging safeguarding risks in adults and children and are active in prioritising safeguarding cases and driving responses to successful outcomes.
- Be responsible for all risk management, including assessments and measures to ensure safe delivery both within your team and across the service generally.
- Nurture and maintain partnership work and collaborations with all internal and external teams, agencies, and partners relevant to successful delivery of your service and the wider housing service.
- Be responsible and accountable for effective development implementation and operation of relevant IT systems in relation to delivery of services.
- Act as a second line of support and reference for Officers/Managers operating any relevant duty system as and when required.
- To think critically and share ideas, and ways of working to achieve a culture of continuous improvement and efficient and dynamic service delivery.
Generic duties and responsibilities
- Take responsibility for, or support managers with formal complaint investigation and response, Ombudsman interventions and legal challenge where appropriate.
- Have a broad understanding of public policy issues affecting local authorities, social housing, and social landlords, and contribute to enquiries in accordance with the prevailing culture and policy of the organisation.
- Engage and communicate with all calmly, clearly, and respectfully, even when the situation is complex and sensitive, acting to deescalate and meaningfully engage people in the process of resolution, learning and service improvement as is regulatory requirement.
- Support apprenticeship schemes, training and self-development.
- Ensure performance targets are met and a culture of performance management, customer care, value for money, sustainability and empowerment is embedded within the service area.
- Work flexibly within the scope of the role.
- Take shared responsibility for ensuring the working environment operates in a healthy and safe way and upholds the council’s legal duty to ensure the health and safety of people and premises.
- Have appropriate personal transport to be able to perform an agile role across multiple locations.
- Be responsible and accountable for effective and accurate operation of relevant IT systems that you use.
- Keep thorough, factual accurate and readily auditable case files on all appropriate matters and be capable of producing high quality reports and statements as required.
- To be an active member of a team that strives for a culture of continuous improvement and dynamic service delivery.
- Nurture and maintain partnership working and collaboration with appropriate internal teams.
- Ensure you follow all legal requirements set out in the Safeguarding Policy and ensure you report and follow up on any emerging safeguarding risks, attending case conferences as required.
- Ensure you follow all legal requirements set out in the Data Protection Act, Equality Act and operate in accordance with all council policies and codes.
Person Specification
The specific skills, knowledge, abilities, qualifications, and behaviours which are needed to effectively undertake the main duties and achieve the roles’ purpose.
These will be assessed using the information available from:
- Application form
- Interview
- Exercise (Presentation)
- Evidence (Certificates, registrations, and memberships)
| Qualifications & professional memberships | Essential
Desirable |
Assessed
by |
| Min Level 4 qualification related to housing management and social housing practices
And to maintain annual CIH membership
|
E | 1,4 |
| At least 5 years demonstrable experience specific to the role, or demonstrable experience, with transferable skills within the social housing sector | E | 1,4 |
| At least 2 year relevant and recent experience in a senior or managerial role | E | 1,4 |
| Knowledge and experience | ||
| At least five years demonstrable experience of working in the provision of Housing and Advice Services, with at least two of those years at managerial level | E | 1,2 |
| Knowledge and experience of the Housing Act 1996 and relevant associated legislation in managing, controlling and maximizing income to Housing Revenue Accounts, and the control and recovery of housing related debts | E | 1,2,3 |
| Demonstrable experience of process and service improvement delivered through project management
Methods |
E | 1,2,3 |
| Demonstrable experience of leading and championing
successful culture change |
E | 1,2,3 |
| Demonstrable experience of staff management, including dealing with conflict, resistance, complex and contentious issues and performance | E | 1,2,3 |
| Experience of managing performance, monitoring
compliance, and taking corrective action |
E | 1,2,3 |
| Experience of monitoring of SLA’s | E | 1,2,3 |
| Demonstrable experience of collaboration and partnership working that has achieved excellent outcomes or better performance | E | 1,2,3 |
| Demonstrable experience of managing a wide variety of
enquiries and complaints to satisfactory outcomes |
E | 1,2,3 |
| In depth knowledge of experience in the application of
legislation, regulation, and policy in relation to the provision of relevant services |
E | 1,2,3 |
If you think this job role is for you, please send your CV to rebeccabentum@carringtonblakerecruitment.com
