Assistant Director of Repairs & Planned Works

Public Sector; Epping Forest; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

London Borough of Waltham Foreston seeks a senior leader to direct Housing Repairs, Planned Works and maintenance across a large housing portfolio. You will translate political priorities into clear strategies, ensuring service delivery is efficient, compliant and focused on residents’ outcomes.

You will lead five Heads of Service, drive value for money, manage a £20m budget, and partner with elected Members and senior colleagues to shape the future delivery model.

Qualifications

• Significant senior housing/property services experience in a large public-sector setting.
• Experience leading strategic management across housing repairs, asset management and planned works.
• Proven ability to deliver value for money in capital programmes and service improvement.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership across Housing Repairs, Maintenance and Planned Works.
• Lead development and delivery of service strategies aligned with council objectives.
• Oversee a £20m service budget and major programmes to meet outcomes.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Public sector leadership

Budget management

Stakeholder engagement

Governance & risk management

Communication & influencing

Education

Degree level or equivalent

Postgraduate qualification desirable

Tools

Contract management

Procurement

Asset management

Job description

Assistant Director – Housing Repairs & Planned Works

The Opportunity

Goodman Masson is delighted to be partnering with the London Borough of Waltham Foreston the appointment of an Assistant Director – Housing Repairs & Planned Works.

This is a significant senior leadership role with strategic, operational and financial responsibility for the Council’s housing repairs and maintenance service.

Reporting to the Director of Housing Management & Assets, the Assistant Director will lead a major service area with responsibility for a £20m budget and five Heads of Service, providing strategic direction while ensuring high-quality operational delivery to residents.

The role will also play a key role within the wider Directorate Management Team, supporting the Council’s strategic priorities across Housing, Regeneration and Growth.

The Role

As Assistant Director, you will be responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of responsive repairs, planned works and maintenance across the Council’s housing stock.

You will translate corporate and political priorities into clear service strategies, plans and outcomes, ensuring that services are delivered effectively, efficiently and within agreed resources.

You will provide expert advice and challenge to the Council’s Chief Executive, Senior Leadership Team, Directors and elected Members, while acting as a senior professional representative for the Council with external stakeholders and partners.

This is an opportunity for an established housing leader to influence a large and complex service, drive meaningful improvement and shape the future delivery model for repairs and planned investment.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Provide strategic policy direction and leadership across Housing Repairs, Maintenance and Planned Works.
• Lead the development, implementation and delivery of service strategies aligned with the Council’s wider corporate objectives.
• Establish service priorities and anticipate changing political, regulatory and operational requirements.
• Provide strategic advice, challenge and professional leadership to Members, the Chief Executive, SLT and senior colleagues.
• Contribute to the strategic direction and corporate management of the Council as part of the Directorate Management Team.
• Lead significant strategic programmes, projects and initiatives across the Council and its partnerships.

Repairs & Planned Works

• Take overall responsibility for the delivery of responsive and planned repairs across the Council’s housing stock.
• Ensure repairs and planned works are delivered to agreed specifications, standards and timescales.
• Ensure the Repairs & Maintenance programme is informed by robust asset management data and a coherent strategic approach.
• Drive improvements in service quality, performance, customer satisfaction and value for money.
• Ensure effective resources, communication and engagement strategies are in place to support large and complex programmes.
• Oversee the delivery of major programmes and ensure they achieve agreed outcomes.

Financial & Commercial Management

• Have overall responsibility for a £20m service budget.
• Ensure effective financial management, cost control and income maximisation.
• Drive value for money across the service and ensure resources are deployed effectively.
• Identify opportunities for external funding where appropriate.
• Lead effective commissioning, procurement and contract management.
• Oversee long-term strategic framework contracts and ensure delivery partners achieve agreed outcomes.
• Ensure robust financial planning, monitoring and reporting across major programmes.

Performance, Governance & Risk

• Develop and maintain robust performance and quality management frameworks.
• Ensure service delivery meets all relevant legislation, regulation, codes, standards and best practice.
• Establish clear governance arrangements and accountabilities across programmes and partnerships.
• Identify and manage operational, financial, regulatory and political risks.
• Ensure underperformance and deficiencies are identified and actively addressed.
• Provide clear performance reporting to senior leadership and Members.

Leadership & Transformation

You will lead a senior management structure comprising five Heads of Service, creating an environment where managers and teams can perform, innovate and continuously improve.

You will:

• Set clear strategic direction and expectations.
• Develop a high-performing and accountable management culture.
• Drive organisational change and challenge traditional ways of working.
• Develop new approaches to improve service outcomes.
• Ensure appropriate workforce structures and resources are in place.
• Lead performance management and address underperformance effectively.
• Create the conditions for innovation and continuous improvement.

Stakeholder & Political Engagement

This role requires exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills.

You will build and maintain effective relationships with:

• Elected Members
• Chief Executive and Senior Leadership Team
• Directors and Heads of Service
• Residents and community representatives
• Contractors and delivery partners
• Government and public bodies
• Housing and property sector partners
• Private, voluntary and community sector organisations

You will need to operate confidently within a politically complex environment, managing sensitive issues and providing credible advice to Members and senior stakeholders.

About You

We are looking for an established senior housing professional with significant experience leading large and complex services.

You will ideally bring:

• Significant experience across housing property, asset management, repairs, planned works or maintenance.
• Proven senior strategic management experience within a large public-sector organisation, ideally local government.
• Experience leading multiple professional service areas and senior management teams.
• Strong knowledge of the major issues facing local government, particularly across housing, planning and regeneration.
• Strong understanding of the national policy and regulatory environment affecting housing and property services.
• Experience commissioning and clienting significant programmes of work.
• Strong procurement, construction and contract management knowledge.
• Experience leading funding bids, options appraisals, financial modelling and scenario testing.
• Experience of commercialisation, registered providers and different housing delivery routes would be advantageous.
• Proven accountability for significant budgets and delivering services within agreed resources.
• A strong track record of performance management and service improvement.
• Significant experience developing and sustaining internal and external partnerships.
• The credibility and authority to operate effectively with elected Members and within a political environment.
• Excellent communication, presentation, influencing and negotiation skills.
• Proven experience operating strategically across corporate projects and policy development.

Qualifications

You will ideally be educated to degree level or equivalent, with a postgraduate or relevant professional qualification desirable.

More important than qualifications alone will be your demonstrable experience of successfully leading significant housing and property services at a senior strategic level.

Why This Opportunity?

This is not simply a Repairs management position.

With £20m of budget responsibility, five Heads of Service and accountability for a major Council service, this is an opportunity to influence the strategic direction and future delivery of housing repairs and planned works across a significant housing portfolio.

You will have direct exposure to the Council’s most senior leadership, elected Members and external stakeholders, while playing a central role in wider Housing, Regeneration and Growth priorities.

The successful candidate will bring the ability to combine strategic vision with operational grip — setting the direction for the service while ensuring residents receive an effective, high-quality and value-for-money repairs service.