Principal Specialist - Homes Authority

Southampton City Council; Southampton; On-site; GBP 67,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent local government pension

Death in service benefit

Generous holiday 25-31 days

Flexible working options

Professional development

Health and wellbeing support

Veteran-friendly employer

Retail discounts

Discounted memberships

Sustainable travel benefits

Employee volunteering

Job summary

Southampton City Council's Housing Directorate seeks a Principal Specialist - Homes Authority to provide technical leadership, asset intelligence, standards and assurance for our homes, blocks and estates. You will lead a team, shape investment decisions and ensure decisions are grounded in evidence and resident outcomes.

You will articulate risks and compliance requirements, influence long-term strategy and work with regulators and external specialists to safeguard assets and deliver value for

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in a senior technical leadership role within social housing, property, construction or asset management.
• Ability to interpret complex technical information and turn it into clear strategic advice and recommendations.
• Strong understanding of housing regulation, compliance, building safety and asset performance.
• Experience of using evidence and professional judgement to influence investment, risk and business decisions.
• Confidence to challenge constructively and provide independent professional assurance.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with experience across complex organisations.
• A relevant professional qualification and membership of a recognised professional body such as RICS, Chartered Institute of Building or equivalent.
• Membership of Institute of Fire Safety Managers / fire engineering bodies, NEBOSH Construction Certificate or diploma is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead Housing's Homes Authority as a centre of technical excellence.
• Provide authoritative advice on housing assets, safety, compliance, decency and long-term stock stewardship.
• Influence strategic investment, asset management and business planning decisions.
• Ensure risks, evidence gaps and departures from standards are visible, understood and appropriately escalated.
• Lead the development of technical standards, assurance frameworks and professional practice across Housing.
• Build strong relationships with senior leaders, regulators, delivery partners and external specialists.
• Use asset intelligence and resident insight to support better outcomes and value for money.

Skills

Senior leadership

Technical advisory

Regulatory understanding

Influencing skills

Stakeholder management

Professional judgement

Independent assurance

Education

RICS membership

Fire safety qualification (NEBOSH/Institute)

Job description

Principal Specialist - Homes Authority (Housing asset intelligence, compliance and performance leadership)

Grade G13|Southampton City Council

Be the technical authority shaping the future of Southampton's homes

This is a rare opportunity to take on one of the most influential technical leadership roles within Southampton City Council's Housing Directorate.

We're looking for an exceptional professional to lead our newly evolving Homes Authority, providing strategic oversight, authoritative professional judgement and independent assurance across our housing stock, blocks, estates and related assets. You'll help ensure that decisions affecting thousands of council homes are grounded in robust evidence, sound technical expertise and a relentless focus on resident outcomes.

As Principal Specialist - Homes Authority, you will act as Housing's technical conscience and chief authority on asset condition, safety, compliance, decency and sustainability and long-term stock performance. You will influence major investment decisions, shape strategic priorities and ensure risks are identified, understood and addressed before they impact residents.

About the role

The Homes Authority sits at the heart of Southampton's housing service. It provides the technical leadership, asset intelligence, standards and assurance needed to understand the condition, safety and future performance of our homes, blocks and estates.

Reporting to the Head of Quality Homes, you will lead a professional team of specialists and provide strategic leadership across Housing. Rather than running day-to-day operational services, your focus will be on ensuring that the organisation has the right evidence, standards, assurance arrangements and professional capability to make informed decisions about its housing assets.

You will:

• Lead Housing's Homes Authority as a centre of technical excellence.
• Provide authoritative advice on housing assets, safety, compliance, decency and long-term stock stewardship.
• Influence strategic investment, asset management and business planning decisions.
• Ensure risks, evidence gaps and departures from standards are visible, understood and appropriately escalated.
• Lead the development of technical standards, assurance frameworks and professional practice across Housing.
• Build strong relationships with senior leaders, regulators, delivery partners and external specialists.
• Use asset intelligence and resident insight to support better outcomes and value for money.

About you

We're seeking a highly credible leader with significant experience in housing asset management, compliance, building safety, property services or a related technical field.

You will bring:

• Extensive experience in a senior technical leadership role within social housing, property, construction or asset management.
• The ability to interpret complex technical information and turn it into clear strategic advice and recommendations.
• A strong understanding of housing regulation, compliance, building safety and asset performance.
• Experience of using evidence and professional judgement to influence investment, risk and business decisions.
• The confidence to challenge constructively and provide independent professional assurance.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with experience working across complex organisations.
• A relevant professional qualification and membership of, or eligibility for membership of, a recognised professional body such as RICS, Charted Institute of Building or equivalent.
• Membership of Institute of Fire Safety Managers / fire engineering bodies, NEBOSH Construction Certificate of diploma or equivalent is desirable.

Why join Southampton City Council?

At Southampton City Council, we're transforming how we manage and invest in our homes. This is an opportunity to help shape that future and make a lasting difference to residents and communities across the city.

In return, we offer:

• A high-profile strategic leadership role.
• The opportunity to influence major housing investment and asset decisions.
• A supportive and ambitious leadership culture.
• Ongoing professional development opportunities.

What we can offer you

Salary: The salary band for this role is £67,375 - £76,270 per annum. The starting salary is £67,375 with annual progression through the salary bands.

Here at SCC we have a range of different benefits, a few examples can be found below.

• Excellent local government pension with 15.2% employer contribution
• Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution)
• Generous holiday 25-31 days, based on role and service
• Flexible working options (role-dependent)
• Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents
• Training and development, including coaching and mentoring
• Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks
• Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant
• Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform
• Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres
• Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans
• Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer

For further information on our benefits package please visit:

Employee benefits (southampton.gov.uk)

Join us

If you're a technically credible leader with the vision, judgement and influence to shape the future of Southampton's housing assets, we'd love to hear from you.

Help us ensure every decision about our homes is informed by evidence, driven by professional excellence and focused on delivering the best outcomes for residents.

Contact details for informal discussion:

For an informal chat about the roles, please contact Mark Mullen, Head of Quality Homes via email to arrange a Teams call, [e-mail]

Recruitment contact details:

Email: [e-mail]
Tel: [phone]
For more information about SCC please visit Southampton City Council Follow us on social media for regular updates on our featured jobs and latest news.
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