Operations Manager, Housing Management & Income Recovery

Tower Hamlets Council Pension Fund; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority council in London is seeking an experienced Operations Manager to lead their Housing Management & Income Recovery team. The role involves managing temporary accommodation and ensuring compliance with housing legislation while delivering excellent services to residents. Candidates should have extensive experience in housing management and income recovery, strong leadership skills, and a relevant degree or qualification.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in housing management and income recovery at a strategic level.
• Knowledge of Landlord and Tenant Law and Family and Immigration Law.
• Ability to manage complex cases and deliver tailored housing services.
• Strong financial management and business planning skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage the temporary accommodation portfolio.
• Guide the Council’s housing management and income recovery functions.
• Lead and develop a high-performing team.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation.

Skills

Extensive experience in housing management

In-depth knowledge of relevant legislation

Proven ability to develop housing services

Strong financial management skills

Experience delivering customer services

Knowledge of procurement processes

Relevant degree or qualification

Education

Relevant degree or professional qualification

Job description

Town Hall
160 Whitechapel Road
LONDON
E1 1BJ

Operations Manager, Housing Management & Income Recovery

Are you a proven leader in housing management and income recovery, ready to drive transformation and deliver excellence for residents? The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is seeking an exceptional Operations Manager to join our Housing Management & Income Recovery team on a fixed-term basis (12 month).

About the Role

This is a pivotal position within our Housing Options Service, responsible for the development, procurement, and management of our temporary accommodation portfolio. You will ensure a sufficient supply, efficient allocation, and robust management of accommodation to prevent and relieve homelessness, strictly in line with statutory requirements and best practice.

This role is crucial in guiding the Council’s housing management and income recovery functions during significant changes. This includes leading on temporary accommodation strategy and income collection performance, while embedding responses to legislative reform, ombudsman standards, and judicial scrutiny.

As Operations Manager, you will lead and develop a high-performing team, set ambitious objectives, and drive continuous improvement. You will be accountable for financial performance, strategic improvement, and the delivery of outstanding customer service standards. The role also involves partnership working across boundaries, representing the service internally and externally, and ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation and council policies.

Key Requirements – Strictly Essential

Applicants must demonstrate all of the following:

• Extensive experience in housing management and income recovery at a strategic level, including comprehensive rental income and arrears recovery, property management with diverse providers, and procurement of accommodation for homeless households.
• In-depth, up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation, including Landlord and Tenant Law, Family and Immigration Law, welfare and housing benefits, the Children Act, Community Care Act, and associated case law as it relates to duties owed to homeless households.
• Proven ability to develop and deliver tailored housing management services, lead effective research and consultation, and manage complex cases including legal proceedings.
• Strong financial management and business planning skills, with a track record of monitoring, evaluating, and reporting on cost effectiveness and service performance.
• Experience working in demanding environments with the general public and delivering responsive customer services to diverse communities.
• Comprehensive knowledge of procurement processes, contract management, and database/workflow systems.
• Relevant degree or professional qualification or equivalent substantial experience in the field.

Please note: Only candidates who fully meet these strict requirements will be considered.

Additional Information

• Hybrid working may be available, subject to service demand and management approval.
• The service is currently undergoing significant transformation, with a clear focus on improving outcomes for residents. This role is integral to shaping and delivering these improvements.
• The successful candidate will be employed on a fixed-term contract for 12 months. There will be no assimilation rights to any permanent post at the end of the contract.

How to Apply

If you are a highly experienced housing professional with the drive and expertise to lead change and deliver results, we invite you to apply. Please ensure your application clearly demonstrates how you meet all the essential criteria outlined above.

Tower Hamlets vision for our borough is that: people are aspirational, independent and have equal access to opportunities; we are a borough that our residents are proud of and love to live in; and we are a dynamic, outcomes-based council using digital innovation and partnership working to respond to the changing needs of our borough. We want people who aspire to our TOWER values: Together; Open; Willing; Excellent; Respect.

Tower Hamlets has a zero-tolerance approach to, and works to eradicate, all forms of discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status, status as a civil partner, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and maternity and looks to employ a diverse workforce representative of those groups. We recognise that people can also be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class.

We welcome applicants interested in flexible working arrangements and also applicants who live in the borough.