Business Services Manager

Ealing Council (London Borough of Ealing); London; Hybrid; GBP 59,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading council as a Business Services Manager, where you will lead a dynamic team to tackle homelessness and ensure residents have access to secure homes. This role involves operational management, collaboration with various stakeholders, and continuous improvement of housing services. You will play a pivotal role in addressing housing challenges while fostering a positive work environment. If you are passionate about making a difference in the community, this is your opportunity to drive transformative change.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in housing or related fields.
• In-depth knowledge of housing legislation, including the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
• Experience of leading, managing, and motivating a team.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and management to the Business Services team.
• Collaborate across teams to ensure best outcomes for residents.
• Manage and motivate the workforce, ensuring effective team management.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Stakeholder Engagement

Project Management

Education

Degree level or NVQ Level 4 or 5

A Level 4 or 5 Certificate or Diploma in Housing

Job description

Salary package

£59,739 to £63,159 pa inclusive - Grade 15

Job reference

#EJR013119

Application Closing date

08/06/2025

Job Description

Monday to Friday, hybrid working. Reports to:Head of Housing Solutions, Direct Reports:Up to 15 officers

Are you passionate about tackling homelessness, providing strong operational management, and leading a dynamic team to make a lasting impact on people’s lives?

If so, this is your opportunity to join Ealing Council, who Adecco is delighted to be working in sole partnership with as they look to recruit for a Business Services Manager on a permanent basis. As part of a wider Housing Solutions team, you will provide leadership and management to the Business Services team. Reporting directly into the Head of Allocations and Accommodation, you will play a pivotal role in addressing housing challenges and ensuring residents have access to secure and stable homes.

Your role will include:

Working collaboratively across teams within Housing Demand, the directorate, council and with partners delivering seamless end to end outcomes for residents. Including matrix management of services/projects.

Delivering services across the full range of settings and channels to ensure best outcomes for residents, including face-to-face and home visits.

Ensuring the provision of a comprehensive administration and support services within the Housing Demand division.

Providing the administrative support for file management and IT scanning.

Being responsible for the allocation and management of service enquiries including, but not limited to, members, MPs, complaints ombudsmen and SARs.

Undertaking regular liaison across all brought in temporary accommodation provision, to ensure correct occupancy and payment, and monitoring council spend on accommodation types.

Being responsible for managing the council’s administrative functions in relation to s202 and 204 review requests, social welfare panel and any other forums to support service delivery.

Ensuring a timely process is in place to facilitate rent accounts creation, invoice & purchase order processing and temporary accommodation suppliers are onboarded in accordance with the council’s statutory requirements.

General knowledge of housing related legislation, best practices and adapting to changing housing demands, regulatory and legislative requirements as well as leading the service in relation to the discharge of homelessness duties from temporary accommodation.

Collaborating with internal departments, government agencies, non-profits and community groups to build strong relationships, enhance service delivery and ensure housing needs are understood and addressed.

Contributing to the development of strategies to prevent and reduce homelessness within the borough.

Delivering operational excellence in the services, leading continuous improvement efforts and collaborating with other departments to support new property acquisition and supply projects.

Key Responsibilities:

Contributing and leading as directed in ensuring that service policies, procedures, and processes are continuously developed to reflect legislative and regulatory changes, guidance, and best practices, with a strong emphasis on adhering to legislation affecting the service, and ensure all working practices are compliant and efficient.

Contributing to a culture of continuous improvement and innovation by supporting the development of and implementation of service improvements, service planning, including clearly communicating goals and expectations to enhance service delivery, processes, and outcomes, ensuring alignment with the organisation’s and directorate’s overall objectives, industry trends and best practice.

Being responsible for managing and motivating the workforce, ensuring effective team management, professional development, and fostering a positive and productive work environment in line the council’s employment policies, procedures and practices.

Ensuring that regular 1-2-1s, team meetings and individual annual reviews are undertaken supported by a clear individual and team plans.

Leading and managing assigned projects ensuring all allocated resources are organised effectively and efficiently throughout the life span of the project, ensuring all objectives are achieved.

Participating in the Allocations and Accommodation duty rota as directed by the Head of Service.

Working out of hours on a rota basis to manage out of hours service.

Representing the department and Council at relevant meetings and as appropriate engaging with community stakeholders and partners, ensuring collaboration and co-creation on joint initiatives and integrating community and partnership working into service planning and delivery.

Managing and monitoring budgets, interrogate financial records, authorise expenditure, supporting the compliance with financial and procurement rules, policies and processes, proactively managing risks and overspends, and maximising income, funding opportunities and efficiencies.

Fostering effective communication with staff, ensuring they are well-informed and actively involved. Clearly articulating service objectives, development of team plans, and ensuring that corporate messages are effectively cascaded.

Ensuring continuous professional development and mandatory training for staff, fostering a culture of ongoing learning and compliance.

Supporting the Head of Service in identifying, assessing, and managing risks, as well as managing relationships with members concerning service delivery and politically sensitive issues.

Ensuring complaints, Members Enquiries and FOIs are completed within required timeframes and active reviewing of complaints is undertaken to improve service delivery.

Key performance indicators:

Delivery of statutory and local performance reporting to agreed timescales and quality standards

Reduction of costs in the service.

Timely identification and notification of applicants to properties

Delivery of improvement projects within agreed timeframes and budgets

What We’re Looking For:

We’re seeking a results-driven leader with:

Significant experience in housing or related fields, with a proven track record in homelessness services.

In-depth knowledge of housing legislation, including the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement abilities.

Strong understanding of local and national housing policies, strategies, and best practices related to homelessness and how it influences service delivery.

Experience of leading, managing, and motivating a team, ensuring high performance and effective service delivery. Excellent self-management skills including ability to plan, deal with complexity, prioritise workloads and work effectively to often fluctuating and shifting priorities.

Strong project management skills, with experience of successfully delivering complex projects from inception, through delivery to agreed time, cost, quality parameters.

Essential Qualifications:

Educated to degree level or NVQ Level 4 or 5, or equivalent work experience.

A Level 4 or 5 Certificate or Diploma in Housing, or a foundation degree from the Chartered Institute of Housing, or a willingness and ability to work towards obtaining this qualification.

Membership in a relevant professional body, such as the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Evidence of Continuous Professional Development, for example, formal management training and development programmes such as ILM Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management, or Project Management training such as Prince2 or Project Management Professional certification.

Why Join Ealing Council?

This is your chance to make a meaningful difference in the lives of residents, driving forward innovative housing solutions while working in a collaborative and supportive environment. Ealing Council are committed to fostering diversity, inclusion, and excellence in service delivery, and strive to create communities where everyone can live a long, happy, and healthy life, full of pride and identity. They aim to create an environment where every child can reach their potential and achieve their dreams.

“Ealing Council is committed to creating good jobs and delivering on its connected communities’ agenda. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive.

We therefore welcome applications from all residents of the borough, we particularly welcome applications from candidates who are entering the employment market in the early stages of their career and mid-career professionals, who are currently underrepresented in Ealing’s workforce.

Please note all applications will be determined on merit.”

This role is subject to Ealing Council’s enhanced vetting process.

Closing date for applications: Midnight on Sunday 08 June 2025.

Interview & Assessment dates: Week commencing Monday 23 June 2025 onwards

Ready to lead transformative change in housing solutions? Apply online now (or email [e-mail] for a confidential conversation) and help shape a better future for our community.

For further information on the role and how to apply please see the candidate information pack.

:

Business Services Manager – Candidate Information Pack