Regional Service Charge Manager

South West Community Chaplaincy; Basingstoke; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

South West Community Chaplaincy is recruiting a Regional Service Charge Manager based in Basingstoke with hybrid working. You will lead the Regional Service Charges team, manage budgets for c.£20 million across ~20,000 units, and ensure regulatory compliance and timely reporting.

The role requires strong leadership, accounting expertise, and experience with housing or service-charge settings, working with external stakeholders and internal teams to deliver accurate charges and customer service.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a team in service charges or similar finance role.
• Strong knowledge of accounting concepts and statements.
• Awareness of legal/regulatory requirements for service charges.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate the Regional Service Charges team across the South West.
• Set annual service charge budgets for all tenures within the region.
• Own the annual service charge estimate and final account process.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory timescales and reporting.
• Produce regular reports on charges, expenditures and income.
• Collaborate with stakeholders including auditors and regulators.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Advanced Excel

Office suite literacy

Housing management systems knowledge

Budgeting/financial management

Clear written communication

Education

Qualified accountant (ACCA/CIMA/ACA)

Tools

Workday

SUN

Agresso

NEC

Active H

Job description

Are you experienced in leading a team within Service Charges?

We have a fantastic opportunity to join our Service Charges team as Regional Service Charge Manager. Based from our office in Basingstoke, you'll combine office and home working in line with our hybrid approach, with occasional travel to our Wembley office for team meetings.

The Role

Reporting into the Head of Service Charge Setting and Administration, you'll be responsible for managing and coordinating the Regional Service Charges team in the South West region in the delivery of the service charge calculations (all tenure types) and annual service charge statements to customers in line with legal and regulatory requirements. The portfolio consists of approximately 20,000 units with a total annual service charge income budget of c.£20 million. Responsibilities include:

• Managing the Regional Service Charge team with a focus on articulating a clear vision, providing direction, and promoting a culture of accountability, high performance, and continuous improvement
• Setting the annual service charge expenditure and income budget across all tenures within the region
• Accountability for the annual service charge estimate and final account process, ensuring the risk associated with rechargeable service charges is effectively managed and regulatory time scales are met
• Working collaboratively across the business to support continuous service improvement and deliver excellent customer service to customers across different tenure types, ensuring compliance with legal requirements
• Reviewing and approving the certification of annual service charges, documenting the calculation and apportionment process, including the reports and supporting documentation to facilitate the certification
• Producing and analysing regular reports on recoverable repairs and maintenance expenditure, estimated service charge income and ad-hoc reports dependant on business requirements

What we're looking for

You should have previous experience in a similar management role within service charges. You'll need to demonstrate strong technical knowledge, being adept in managing fixed and variable charges in a large and complex setting, preferably in a housing context. You'll also need:

• To be an experienced leader, skilled in developing high-performing teams and consistently maintaining high operational standards
• Thorough understanding of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (as amended) and other guidance and best practice for service charges
• To be qualified by experience or a qualified accountant with a solid understanding of accounting practices and concepts including account reconciliations
• Ability to take ownership and work independently whilst meeting tight organisational deadlines
• Strong stakeholder management skills, demonstrating collaborative, cross-functional working relationships, including experience liaising with external stakeholders, e.g. auditors, regulators and Ombudsman
• Experience in directly engaging with customers, addressing queries, and delivering clear, concise written communication
• Strong experience with Microsoft Office applications, including intermediate / advanced excel
• Knowledge and experience of using housing management and property management systems (e.g. Workday, SUN, Agresso, NEC, Active H or similar)