Head of Service Charge Setting

Sovereign Housing Association Limited; Basingstoke; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading housing association in Basingstoke seeks an experienced Head of Service Charge Setting and Administration. The role involves overseeing financial activities related to service charges while ensuring compliance and strategic financial planning. Candidates should have a strong leadership background and effective communication skills, along with a deep understanding of service charges in the housing sector. This position offers a hybrid work model and excellent benefits, including generous holiday and pension schemes.

Benefits

25 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays

Flexible benefits package

3 additional wellbeing days

Generous pension scheme

Private medical insurance options

Wellbeing discounts

Qualifications

• Experience in a senior management role within service charges.
• Ability to convey complex financial information to non-financial stakeholders.
• Track record of delivering business and cultural change.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee all financial and administrative activities related to service charges.
• Develop and maintain a robust internal financial control framework.
• Manage the annual budgeting process for service charge income.

Skills

Leadership skills

Effective communication

Understanding of service charges

Analytical skills

Job description

Are you experienced leader within Service Charges?

We have a fantastic opportunity to join Sovereign Network Group (SNG) as Head of Service Charge Setting and Administration on a permanent basis. Based from our offices in Basingstoke or Wembley, you'll combine office and home working in line with our hybrid approach. To support close collaboration with the wider team, there will be an expectation to have a regular presence in both the Basingstoke and Wembley office.

SNG is one of the largest housing associations in England. We provide over 85,000 homes and invest in communities across London, the South East, South West and East of England, as well as aiming to create thousands of new affordable homes every year.

The Role

Reporting to the Assistant Director - Finance Transactional Services, you will lead and oversee all financial and administrative activities related to service charges for all SNG customers (c.50,000) and financial activities related to management companies.

This role is pivotal in ensuring financial control and compliance, as well as strategic financial planning for SNG, contributing to the overall financial health and success of the business. You'll ensure service charges are set accurately and reasonably for all SNG customers and that costs incurred by SNG are recovered in compliance with tenancy agreements, leases, contracts and other applicable regulation. Responsibilities include:

• Leading the Service Charge Setting and Administration team with a focus on setting a clear direction, supporting the team and encouraging a culture of accountability, high performance, and continuous improvement
• Owning and managing the service charge setting processes, including on time production and submission of service charge estimates and actuals, and oversight of periodic internal and external audits
• Developing and maintaining a robust internal financial control framework aligned with industry best practices and regulatory requirements (e.g. Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024)
• Owning, developing and refining comprehensive service charge policies for SNG, ensuring effective control mechanisms and adherence to regulatory requirements
• Supporting the development of SNG's medium and long-term strategic plans, balancing risk and return considerations while proactively supporting and tracking future delivery through the lens of service charge setting and administration
• Leading on the management and maintenance of data covering customer service charges, working across the business to ensure data access and quality issues are resolved
• Leading on the production and analysis of service charge reports to support decision making by colleagues and senior stakeholders
• Leading the annual budgeting process for the Service Charge Setting and Administration team's activities and SNG's service charge income, working alongside the management accounting teams, overseeing the delivery of budget within board-approved targets

What we're looking for

You should have previous experience in a similar senior management role within service charges, leading and managing a specialised finance team, in a high-volume transactional environment across multiple locations. You'll also need:

• Strong leadership skills, demonstrating commitment to driving collaboration, efficiency, and high performance
• Effective communication skills to convey complex financial information and insights to non-financial stakeholders, both internally and externally
• Strong understanding of service charges and in-depth knowledge of relevant regulations and processes applicable to service charges within the housing sector
• Track record of delivering business and cultural change to support overall strategy and achieve results on the ground
• Demonstrable experience of working in partnership with external organisations e.g. Local Authorities, auditors, software suppliers
• Strong knowledge of developing and implementing consolidated policies that align with regulatory standards and industry best practices
• Expertise in financial governance principles and practices, ensuring robust financial controls and adherence to organisational policies
• Strong analytical skills to interpret financial data, prepare accurate financial reports, and provide meaningful insights to support decision-making

Your Benefits

We have some great benefits at SNG, including:

• 25 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays (with an extra day every year up to 30 days)
• Chance to buy or sell holiday as part of our flexible benefits package
• 3 additional wellbeing days and 2 paid volunteering days
• Generous matched pension scheme up to 12% and Life cover at 4x salary
• Options for private medical insurance, dental insurance and critical illness cover
• Wellbeing discounts, including Gym Memberships and access to a 24/7 virtual GP service

At SNG, we are passionate about inclusion for all and creating a workplace where everyone can thrive. We are committed to our Equality Diversity and Inclusion strategy and believe that you can truly be yourself at SNG. Take a look at our careers site to learn more about us and our values.

If you would like the opportunity to make a real impact within our changing and growing organisation, we would love to hear from you!