Director of Asset Management

L&Q; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

L&Q is seeking an experienced Director of Asset Management to turn social housing priorities into a long‑term strategy for our homes in London, Manchester and across the UK. The role requires strategic leadership of asset intelligence, investment planning and governance to secure sustainable outcomes for residents.

You will lead the asset management plan, shape investment decisions, disposals, acquisitions and stock rationalisation, and build a high‑performing function that delivers value for

Qualifications

• Senior leader with substantial asset management, property investment and portfolio strategy experience.
• Experience within a large, complex housing organisation is preferred.
• Strong commercial and financial judgement with ability to balance investment priorities and social value.

Responsibilities

• Lead the 30-year Asset Management Plan and a data-driven investment strategy across the portfolio.
• Oversee disposals, stock rationalisation, acquisitions and reinvestment to optimise value for residents.
• Set standards for homes and lead a high-performing, inclusive asset management function.
• Influence executive teams, boards and external partners to align asset priorities with organisational goals.

Job description

Location

Based at either our Stratford office in London or our Manchester office, with agile working, flexibility to work across the UK and travel to L&Q locations as required.

Shape the future of our homes and the communities we serve

At L&Q, we believe that people’s health, security and happiness depend on where they live. Our purpose is simple: to provide social homes and landlord services that everyone can be proud of. We house around 250,000 people in more than 105,000 homes. The decisions we make today will shape residents’ lives and communities for generations to come.

We are seeking an experienced, forward-thinking Director of Asset Management to turn that purpose into a long-term strategy for our homes.

You will bring together expertise from across L&Q to establish a single, integrated approach to investing in, maintaining, regenerating and managing residents’ homes, alongside disposals, stock rationalisation, acquisitions and investment in new homes. This significant senior leadership role will connect that work to our purpose and the long-term needs of residents and communities.

We have made considerable progress in understanding the condition of residents’ homes, strengthening our property data and developing our investment priorities. You will bring this work together into a coherent, long-term plan, enabling informed, sustainable decisions at scale.

Reporting to the Executive Group Director of Property and Investment, you will shape our asset management function, influence decisions at the highest level and set a clear vision for the long‑term performance of residents’ homes.

The role

You will lead L&Q’s asset management plan and use it to guide investment decisions. Those decisions must balance residents’ needs, the quality and sustainability of our homes, regulatory responsibilities and long‑term financial resilience.

Your key priorities will include:

• Leading our 30-year Asset Management Plan, creating a clear, evidence‑led strategy for investment, retention, regeneration, rationalisation and reinvestment, including disposals, acquisitions and the strategic priorities for new homes.
• Leading disposals, stock rationalisation and capital recycling, overseeing sales, transfers, swaps and acquisitions to strengthen the portfolio and release capital for reinvestment. You will be accountable for resident consultation, high‑value negotiations, due diligence and the realisation and reinvestment of receipts, alongside capital‑recycling and income plans.
• Shaping acquisitions and new homes, setting portfolio priorities, investment parameters and standards for acquiring homes, regeneration and building new homes. You will work with Development to translate approved priorities into deliverable plans, ensuring that growth and reinvestment improve resident outcomes and long‑term portfolio value.
• Setting the standards for homes, developing and embedding the L&Q Single Homes Standard and ensuring a consistent approach to quality, safety, sustainability and long‑term performance.
• Shaping investment decisions at scale, providing strategic oversight of the planning of more than £200m of major works investment each year. You will direct resources where they deliver the greatest long‑term value.
• Turning property data into better decisions, bringing together building data, home condition information and financial insight to support transparent, informed decisions across the portfolio.
• Building and leading a high‑performing function, bringing together established teams, developing capability and creating a collaborative, accountable and inclusive culture.
• Influencing across L&Q and beyond, ensuring our Asset Management Plan supports our wider organisational ambitions through close working with executive colleagues, the Group Board, residents, regulators and external partners.

You will act as the strategic commissioning function: setting direction, required outcomes, investment priorities and standards, and providing strategic assurance. Development, Major Programmes and Maintenance will remain responsible for delivery, including the construction of new homes, translating your long‑term asset priorities into effective programmes that deliver meaningful outcomes for residents.

About you

We are looking for an accomplished senior leader with substantial experience of asset management, property investment and portfolio strategy within a large, complex organisation.

You will bring the credibility, judgement and experience to lead at director level, influence significant investment decisions and set a clear direction across a diverse portfolio.

You will also demonstrate:

• A proven track record of developing and leading asset management strategies at significant scale.
• Strong commercial and financial judgement, with the ability to balance investment priorities, portfolio performance and social value.
• A clear understanding of the housing asset lifecycle, including investment, maintenance, regeneration, acquisitions, disposals, transfers and stock rationalisation, and the ability to set investment priorities and standards for new homes within a commissioning model.
• Demonstrable experience of the regulatory and governance responsibilities associated with managing social housing.
• The ability to interpret complex information, provide evidence‑based challenge to established thinking and turn insight into practical, long‑term strategies.
• Experience of influencing executive teams, boards and a broad range of internal and external stakeholders.
• An inclusive and collaborative leadership style, with the ability to develop talented teams and build strong relationships across organisational boundaries.

Just as importantly, you will bring curiosity, sound judgement and the confidence to ask challenging questions. You will recognise what is working well, identify where we can improve and bring people together behind a shared direction.

We welcome applications from experienced leaders with the relevant expertise and understanding, including those whose careers combine social housing with other large‑scale property or asset‑intensive organisations. Your experience must also meet the social housing regulatory and governance requirements set out above.

Few roles offer the opportunity to shape the future of homes on this scale. At one of the UK’s largest housing associations, you will influence the long‑term direction of asset management at a time when the quality, safety and sustainability of existing homes have never been more important.

You will have the scope to shape your function and strengthen how we manage residents’ homes, building on established asset intelligence, substantial investment commitments and existing expertise. That combination gives you the opportunity to shape L&Q’s portfolio and make a positive difference to residents and communities for decades to come.

Our values – We step up, We see things through and We support each other – guide how we work together and deliver for residents.

We are looking for a leader who shares these values and wants to make a lasting difference to the homes and communities we serve.

At L&Q, we know that diversity and inclusion make us stronger – and they’re at the heart of everything we do.

When we recruit, we look at what really matters: your skills, experience, and potential. We’re proud to be recognised for creating an inclusive workplace. We’re a Disability Confident Leader (Level 3) and we’ve introduced our own Recruitment Advocate scheme to make sure every step of our hiring process is fair, transparent, and consistent. It’s all part of our commitment to ending discrimination and making L&Q a place where everyone feels welcome. Find out more here.

We value diversity in all its facets, including gender, disability, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation and identity. When it comes to finding a diverse balance for our senior positions, we have decided to address gender and ethnicity first. As such we are committed to offering an interview to at least one ethnic minority candidate and one female candidate for all senior leadership positions if they fulfil the role criteria.

Sustainability is also at the heart of what we do. We recognise the responsibility we hold as one of the UK’s largest housing associations.