Repairs Manager

Watford Community Housing; Watford; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent housing organization in Watford is seeking an experienced Repairs Manager to oversee a team of operatives, ensuring compliance with legal standards and delivering high-quality customer service. The ideal candidate has a solid background in property services, excellent leadership skills, and experience managing responsive repairs budgets. This role offers a competitive salary and a collaborative working environment.

Benefits

28 days' annual leave

Employer pension contribution up to 11%

Development opportunities

Qualifications

• At least 3 years' management experience in property or maintenance setting.
• Experience managing budgets for responsive repairs ensuring effective use of funds.
• Ability to lead and manage a multi-disciplined workforce.
• Proven track record of service improvement.
• Sound knowledge of HSE policies and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Manage in-house repairs staff to provide excellent customer service.
• Recruit, train, and develop operatives.
• Implement Awaab's Law proactively.
• Investigate and respond to complaints within repairs department.
• Work with stakeholders to deliver first-class repairs service.

Skills

Customer-focused

Problem-solving

Effective communication

Leadership

Service improvement

Tools

Microsoft Office including Excel

Job description

Overview

Salary: £55,000 - £65,000; 37 hours per week.

At Watford Community Housing, we strive to strengthen our communities while offering much-needed affordable housing. Our success is largely associated to our Repairs and Maintenance staff, who make sure that our neighbourhoods and homes are secure, maintained, and future ready.

We are searching for a seasoned expert to manage our team of operatives with the assistance of team leaders as our Repairs Manager. In this position, you\'ll manage our in-house repairs staff to provide excellent customer service and ensure that our properties and other assets comply with all our legal requirements as a landlord. Your knowledge will help us accomplish our company goals, give us strategic direction, and deliver dependable, high-quality services to our client.

What’s The Role

As Repairs Manager, you will use your previous experience to help us deliver high-quality responsive repair services enabling us to maintain our current property stock and work towards our ambitious initiatives.

• The Repairs manager will be Watford Community Housing\'s expert for managing resident centred responsive repairs and maintenance service.
• You will recruit, train, develop and motivate our fantastic group of operatives.
• You\'ll have prior experience of successfully working at a management level.
• You\'ll prepare for and lead the implementation of Awaab\'s Law, ensuring timely, proactive responses to damp and mould issues, and embedding a zero-tolerance approach across repairs operations.
• Responsible person for ensuring the development, management and control of our in-house workforce.
• In alignment with Watford Community Housing\'s customer focused complaints process, you will investigate and respond to complaints within the repairs department.
• You\'ll work effectively and proactively with various stakeholders across the business to ensure Watford Community Housing deliver a first-class repairs service to residents.

What are we looking for?

You will be customer-focused and a problem-solver with the ability to interact empathetically with a wide variety of people. You\'ll have an excellent grasp of compliance, property services and repairs. You will have a background in building services (maintenance or property services), and knowledge of the housing or construction sectors would be a distinct advantage.

The successful candidate should be familiar with monitoring, reporting, and forecasting systems and where necessary, using such data to inform decisions and increase productivity.

Essential

• At least 3 years\' management experience in property or maintenance setting.
• Experience in managing budgets for responsive repairs ensuring effective use of funds.
• Ability to lead and manage a multi-disciplined workforce.
• Effective communication skills
• Experience managing responsive repairs.
• Experience managing driver conduct.
• Proven track record of service improvement
• Ability to demonstrate a sound commercial approach.
• Sound knowledge of HSE policies and compliance
• Experience managing and developing staff.
• You will need to hold a UK driving licence with access to a suitable vehicle, with insurance cover for business use.
• You will need to maintain a satisfactory basic level DBS check.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the housing sector
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office including Excel
• IOSH Managing Safely

Full Job Description Here

What can we offer you?

We know that people are our most valuable assets, so we offer a range of benefits including 28 days\' annual leave, an employer pension contribution of up to 11%, development opportunities and access to a comprehensive employee rewards scheme.

How We Work

We are committed to embracing the most positive aspects of agile working. We take a blended approach to how we work, so that colleagues have the flexibility to strike the right balance between working in our communities, in our shared spaces and remotely. With digital technology at the heart of our work, teams and individuals are empowered to decide the best way to meet the needs of their role.

How To Apply

If this sounds like your next role, click \'apply now\', tell us why you\'ve got what it takes and send us a copy of your current CV.

The closing date is 3rd October 2025 (but please note we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a large response).

View our \'Making a difference\' business plan HERE!