Head of Housing Solutions

Uttlesford District Council; Saffron Walden; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job description

An exciting opportunity to lead on service transformation in housing options and homelessness services.

Uttlesford District Council is a small rural district council, based in the market town of Saffron Walden in North Essex, recently voted as the best place to live in the UK. We’re ideally located just off the M11 with easy access to London and Cambridge and an international airport on our doorstep. Uttlesford borders South Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.

We are carrying out a transformation project to build a service fit for the future. To drive these changes, we are recruiting an experienced and dynamic head of service to implement new ways of working, while ensuring the council takes a customer-focused approach to meeting the statutory requirements of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and Part VI Housing Act 1996.

We are looking for a senior manager with strong leadership skills who can motivate and support staff through change. As Head of Housing Solutions, you will be part of our Senior Management Team and will have the opportunity to make a wider contribution to the leadership of the Council and be a key part of our exciting transformation journey.

This is an excellent opportunity to make a significant contribution to developing effective partnerships both locally and across wider Essex. Experience of transformation, managing change and service improvement is essential.

Duties Include:

1. Leading the housing options and homelessness service, ensuring the council complies with the requirements of the Homelessness Reduction Act and other legislation, including the provision of temporary accommodation and safeguarding responsibilities.
2. Leading the transformation and sustainment of the service with partners to deliver a pro-active, early intervention, homelessness prevention service, ensuring services are accessible and adopting a person-centred approach.
3. Taking overall responsibility for the housing register and allocation of social rented homes within the district, ensuring the Allocations Policy is adhered to and regularly reviewed and updated.

Uttlesford District Council is a family friendly Council. We encourage and support our employees to have a healthy work life balance as well as offering a range of benefits including generous annual leave, plus bank holidays (pro-rata), leisure centre discounts, membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme and an online platform offering discounts from online retailers.

For an informal discussion please contact Simone Russell on 01799 510403.

To find out more and apply please visit https://www.uttlesford.gov.uk/jobs-careers

Closing date for completed applications is Tuesday 29 April 2025. It is intended that interviews will be held on 14 May 2025.

CVs will not be accepted.

Uttlesford District Council is an inclusive employer and we welcome applications from all. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and proud to support our Care Leavers and the Armed Forces Covenant. Anyone disclosing a disability or is a Care leaver or is a member of the Armed Forces community (Veteran/Service leaver, Reserve Forces, or their Spouses/Partners or Cadet Force Adult Volunteer) whose application meets the essential criteria for the post will be guaranteed an interview.