Director of Property Services

Sanctuary Group; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days leave

Pension contributions

Life Assurance

Counselling service

Cycle to Work scheme

Voluntary health plans

Wellbeing support

Job summary

Sanctuary Group seeks an experienced Director of Property Services to steer repairs, compliance and reinvestment across our homes, delivering safety, quality and value for money.

Reporting to the Chief Customer Officer, you will lead a large, dispersed service, influence policy, and inspire high-performing teams to meet regulatory and consumer standards. A strong track record in strategy, leadership and budget control is essential.

Qualifications

• Degree or professional qualification or equivalent knowledge.
• Full, current driving licence and willingness to travel regularly.
• Substantial leadership experience in property maintenance, surveying or asset management.
• Experience developing strategy in a large organisation with customer impact.
• Strong commercial acumen delivering value for money and results.
• Extensive experience budgeting and financial control.
• Proven leadership and ability to grow high-performing teams.
• Excellent influencing, negotiation, and communication at executive level.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; able to interpret complex information.

Responsibilities

• Direct operational reinvestment programmes to deliver value for money and improve safety and experience for customers.
• Lead national compliance services and robust contractual frameworks with regulatory requirements.
• Oversee five-year asset reinvestment planning informed by asset data and customer needs.
• Strategic oversight of third-party contracts focusing on safety, quality and outcomes.
• Influence procurement and management of maintenance, asset and reinvestment contracts.
• Maintain budget control and provide clear reporting to senior leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Driving licence

Budgeting

Strategy development

Commercial acumen

Negotiation

Communication

Analytical thinking

MS Office

Education

Degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Inclusion is one of our core values. Our goal is to be a diverse, inclusive organisation where our people thrive and meet our customers’ needs with fairness and empathy. We know having a range of ideas and opinions makes a difference. We encourage and welcome applications from people from diverse backgrounds to support this mission. We will make adjustments throughout your application process, in line with Sanctuary’s commitment to our Disability Confident employer status.

Director of Property Services

Circa £150,000 per year plus car buy out

35 hours per week

Sanctury is seeking an experienced leader to join our business and make a lasting difference for our customers. The successful candidate will set the strategic direction for repairs and maintenance, compliance and reinvestment operations. They will lead services that keep homes safe and well maintained, while delivering quality and value for money.

Reporting to the Chief Customer Officer, the role will lead large, complex and geographically dispersed services across Sanctuary Group, with the scope to influence at the highest level. Championing the customer voice and using customer insight to drive improvement, this role will inspire high-performing teams and ensure Sanctuary continues to meet its regulatory responsibilities and consumer standards. This is an opportunity for an accomplished leader to deliver meaningful change at scale.

The role of Director of Property Services will include:

• Directing operational reinvestment programmes, ensuring investment decisions deliver value for money and improve the quality, safety and experience of customers' homes
• Leading national compliance services and maintaining robust contractual frameworks that meet all relevant regulatory and legal requirements, keeping customers safe
• Leading the collection and maintenance of accurate stock condition information and overseeing a rolling five-year programme of asset requirements, ensuring investment is informed by both asset intelligence and customer needs
• Providing strategic oversight of third-party contracts, with a clear focus on safety, quality, performance, commercial value and customer outcomes
• Influencing the procurement, development and management of property maintenance, asset and reinvestment contracts
• Maintaining effective control of operational budgets and providing clear reporting to senior leadership, executive teams, boards and other key stakeholders
• Building strong relationships with internal teams, customers, local authorities, elected representatives, contractors and sector partners
• Providing visible and effective leadership across a large, geographically dispersed service, creating a safe, inclusive and performance-focused culture, where colleagues understand their role delivering great customer outcomes
• Representing Sanctuary at national, regional and local levels, contributing to the development of asset maintenance, compliance and safety policy and best practice

Essential skills and experiences:

• A degree, management qualification or relevant professional qualification, preferably in a business-related subject, or equivalent knowledge, technical competence and experience
• A full, current driving licence and the flexibility to travel regularly
• Substantial leadership experience within property maintenance, surveying, asset management, reinvestment or contracting
• Proven experience of developing and implementing strategy within a large and complex organisation, with evidence of translating strategy into improved customer and service outcomes
• Demonstrable commercial acumen, including the ability to deliver strong results, service improvement and value for money
• Extensive experience of budget preparation and financial control
• Strong leadership and people-management capability, with experience of developing high-performing teams
• Excellent influencing, negotiation, communication and presentation skills, including the confidence to engage effectively with customers and stakeholders, as well as at senior and executive levels
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex information and implement effective solutions
• Intermediate Microsoft, and basic PowerPoint and Excel

Why work for us?

We provide homes and care for more than 250,000 people in England and Scotland. Our customers are at the heart of all we do. With around 14,000 colleagues, we foster a diverse and inclusive culture, and nurture and reward talent.

As part of our commitment to making Sanctuary a great place to work, where your wellbeing is of genuine importance, we have developed an attractive employment package. The package recognises your contribution, supports your physical, mental and financial health and gives you the flexibility to tailor your employee benefits by offering:

• 25 days annual leave (rising to a maximum of 30 days) plus public holidays
• A pension scheme with employer contributions from Sanctuary
• Life Assurance
• Employee Advice Service including counselling
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Voluntary health plans
• Wellbeing support and tools
• Staff Networks, with a shared interest in inclusion, and who provide invaluable support to colleagues

Interviews to take place on the 18th November

Closing Date:2 November 2026

We work closely with the Home Office in order to prevent unlawful working.

Sanctuary Maintenance Contractors Limited is a subsidiary of Sanctuary Housing Association, an exempt charity.