Chief Executive

Brentwood Housing Trust; Brentwood; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Brentwood Housing Trust in Brentwood is seeking a hands-on Chief Executive to provide authentic leadership, strong governance and a clear community focus. The successful candidate will work with an engaged Board to steer the charity through current housing challenges and future opportunities, upholding the Trust’s values and local identity.

The role requires senior housing leadership, financial acumen, regulatory understanding and a visible commitment to residents.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience within housing, ideally within a smaller, community-based provider.
• Broad experience across corporate and operational functions, including finance, people/HR, governance, risk management, regulatory compliance, organisational assurance, commercial awareness and service delivery.
• Strong understanding of social housing, including its purpose, regulation and compliance.
• Experience of working effectively with a Board.
• Strong customer and resident focus.
• Evidence of delivering high-quality services including asset compliance, and H&S.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• High levels of personal integrity and accountability.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic direction and governance for a small independent housing association.
• Balance strategic leadership with financial and regulatory responsibilities.
• Oversee day-to-day housing and asset management services.
• Work hands-on and protect what makes the organisation special.
• Collaborate with the Board and stakeholders to shape the future.

Skills

Senior leadership

Governance experience

Finance knowledge

Regulatory compliance

Board collaboration

Customer focus

Communication skills

Job description

BRENTWOOD HOUSING TRUST
CHIEF EXECUTIVE

£90k per annum with possibility to go to £95k for an exceptional candidate

Our next Chief Executive will be an authentic and visible leader who can combineprofessionalism and strong governance with a genuine commitment to the local community.

Brentwood Housing Trust, (BHT) is a small, independent housing association with a strong reputation, a clear local purpose and the scope for its next Chief Executive to make a tangible difference. You will inherit an organisation with a clear sense of identity and purpose, with the opportunity to influence its future direction alongside an engaged Board. Together you will protect what makes the organisation special, while ensuring it is equipped to meet the housing challenges of the future.

BHT is a well-established, independent community-based housing association with a proud history dating back to 1966. The Trust was created to meet local housing need and remains firmly committed to supporting people with a local connection across Brentwood and adjoining local authority areas.

As a small, not-for-profit organisation, BHT offers a very different proposition from a large housing association. Its independence is highly valued, and the organisation is characterised by its strong local identity, close community relationships and personal approach. The Trust is registered with Homes England and currently owns169 homes, predominantly smaller one and two-bedroom flats, and manages a further11 properties on behalf of other landlords. It also has a growing portfolio of properties acquired on the open market, which are let to local people at sub-market rents. While the scale of acquisition is necessarily modest, there is an ambition to develop this initiative further and increase the number of local households the Trust can support.

The current Chief Executive is retiring and the Trust is seeking a new leader who can build on its strong foundations while helping to shape the next chapter. This is an opportunity for ahands-on, community-focused Chief Executivewho understands the strengths and challenges of leading a small, independent housing organisation. The successful candidate will need to balance strategic leadership, governance, regulation and financial responsibly with operational day to day housing and asset management service delivery. You will need to enjoy being hands on and ultimatelyprotect what makes the organisation special while ensuring it’s equipped to meet the housing challenges of the future. To be considered for this role you will need to have:

• Senior leadership experience within housing, ideally within a smaller, community-based housing provider.
• A breadth of experience across a range of corporate and operational functions, including finance, people/HR, governance, risk management, regulatory compliance, organisational assurance, commercial awareness and service delivery.
• Strong understanding of social housing, including its purpose, regulation and compliance.
• Experience of working effectively with a Board.
• Strong customer and resident focus.
• Evidence of delivering high-quality services including asset compliance, and H&S.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• High levels of personal integrity and accountability.

The closing date is Monday 23rd November 2026, 10.00 am

We champion inclusivity, and we encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds and experience.