Resident Services Operations Manager – AR

Carrington Blake Recruitment; Harrow; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A reputable recruitment agency seeks a Housing Operations Manager in Harrow, England. In this role, you will manage a large team, ensure effective housing management, and promote community engagement. Ideal candidates will have significant experience in housing management and leadership skills. A full UK driving license is required for this position, as is flexibility in working hours.

Qualifications

• Ability to converse fluently in spoken English.
• Commitment to the Council's Equal Opportunities Policy.
• Extensive housing management experience across various areas.

Responsibilities

• Manage income and debt recovery procedures.
• Ensure effective mixed-tenure management.
• Coordinate with Police and community organizations on anti-social behavior.

Skills

Customer care

Housing management best practice

Conflict resolution

Financial management

Leadership

Analytical skills

Education

Housing or management qualification

IRPM/CIH qualification

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Role Purpose

To implement, develop and monitor all front line operational actions of Resident Services, generating a positive transformation of the living environment within mixed tenure housing estates.

Sustain diverse and cohesive communities that provides additional care to the more dependant and vulnerable.

To provide customer focused leadership that encourages community involvement, engagement and activities within estates.

Job Context

Management of one of five operational teams containing the service discipline of:

• Income Management & Debt Recovery
• Tenancy Management, Anti‑Social Behaviour and Housing Fraud
• Leasehold Services, Right to Buy and Shared Ownership
• Estate Services and Community Halls
• Sheltered Schemes and Support

Staff Direct Report

• Up to a team of 9 Housing Officers/Caretakers
• 1 Admin Support

Key Operational Responsibilities

• Management of 4,800 general needs, 1,220 leaseholders, 17 Sheltered Schemes, garages and community halls, shared ownership properties and a travellers site in conjunction with other Housing teams.
• Monitor the income and expenditure of a delegated budget at the discretion of the Resident Services Manager.
• Enforcement of all tenures in accordance with operational procedures and organisational arrangements, or in partnership.
• Manage and deliver home ownership and Right to Buy service in conjunction with Harrow legal services for expert legal advice.
• Ensure that the development of the service is informed by the Smarter Housing Plan, Adults and Children’s services.
• Encourage all tenure participation in the management of their homes and neighbourhoods.
• Consult stakeholders on services.
• Collect and minimise arrears of rent, write‑offs, service charges and other charges and debt due on the Council’s rented and leased housing stock.
• Provide a management service to all Council leaseholders, including billing, collection and minimisation of service charge arrears, lease assignments, annual service charge calculation, enfranchisement, write‑offs/write‑backs, limitation, annual budget forecasting and processing Right to Buy applications.
• Ensure income derived from management fee and administration costs equates the cost of providing the leasehold service.
• Deal with anti‑social behaviour and nuisance.
• Provide effective general tenancy management services, including mutual exchanges, neighbour disputes, advice on re‑housing, overcrowding, tenancy verifications, assignments and successions.
• Provide excellent estate‑based services, including caretaking and grounds maintenance services, ensuring effective monitoring and corrective action where appropriate.
• Develop estates and amenity services to deliver sustainable communities and environments.
• Liaise with internal and external agencies and departments to deliver excellent services.

Main Duties / Accountabilities

• Manage the income and debt recovery procedures of all tenures, ensuring achievement of performance standards and targets.
• Work in partnership with Police and relevant community and registered Social landlords to achieve a co‑ordinated approach to incidents of anti‑social behaviour, harassment and domestic violence.
• Provide an effective mixed‑tenure management service, exercising and protecting “Housing Services” rights as landlord.
• Provide an efficient leasehold management & Right to Buy service, exercising and protecting “Resident Services” rights as freeholder.
• Ensure that mechanisms are in place for implementing and monitoring all tenure enforcement procedures, providing sound advice to the team on housing matters.
• Actively promote resident participation in the management of their homes and estates, ensuring that the team members achieve objectives of the Council’s participation and consultation strategy.
• Ensure that effective consultation is carried out with all tenure associations and Harrow Federation of Tenants’ and Residents’ Association, in relation to policy change, matters of Housing Management and planned works in the area.
• Lead specific projects for the development of the service, ensuring that deadlines and objectives are achieved within allocated resources and the timely delivery of expected outcomes.
• Champion sustained service improvements in performance and best practice.
• Write responses to complex complaints and queries, billing, tenure disputes, members enquiries.
• Plan, monitor and performance manage the work of the team, ensuring targets measured and met.
• Monitor services and budgets throughout the year and deal with inaccuracies in order to efficiently carry out service charge calculations at the end of each financial year.
• Manage the complex annual billing run, deal with queries that arise from those bills and action write‑backs/write‑offs to leaseholder accounts within delegated financial limits.
• Check, calculate and approve figures for all S151 consultations and ensure that all relevant legislation has been complied with.
• Authorise Right‑to‑Buy applications (RTB2 form and the Offer Notice S125) from staff and ensure offer notices include relevant statutory information and costs and that statutory deadlines are adhered to in order that expenditure can be recovered as appropriate.
• On receipt of Collective Enfranchisement applications act as the initial point of contact and coordinator of the process, including the writing of relevant reports, seeking appropriate authorisation and liaising with the Council’s legal services to ensure statutory timescales are adhered to and the process is expedited as quickly as possible.
• Manage the collection of all costs egg calculating S20 works and annual service charge billing and implement effective arrears recovery procedures to ensure that collection is maximised. Take legal action through the County Court when necessary. Ensure effective procedures are in place for cheque handling of significant sums.
• Develop effective working relationships with other sections within the Council specifically asset management, legal and finance in order to deliver an effective service to leaseholders.
• Attend meetings with Cabinet, LSG, HFTRA and any other relevant organisations which will be beneficial in providing an excellent service.
• Seek legal advice, prepare legal cases and represent Harrow at Court and LVT as appropriate to ensure successful conclusion.
• Manage the day‑to‑day operations of the Sheltered Housing Schemes, the dwelling and support of the older people.
• Ensure compliance with Lone Working Policies and Procedures and develop and implement a system to record the whereabouts of staff.
• Take part of the Resident Services Operational Manager Out of Hours rota.
• Undertake quality monitoring of record keeping, service delivery and Tenant satisfaction preparing reports as required.
• Ensure surgeries held in Sheltered Schemes or relevant locations are adequately resourced.
• Undertake quality monitoring of risk assessments and other records, including those used for monitoring and inspection purposes (such as Fire Safety and repairs monitoring).
• Ensure communal lounges and guest rooms in Sheltered Schemes are used effectively and appropriately.
• Ensure voids occupied promptly in conjunction with other Housing Teams providing support for older vulnerable people.

Generic Duties

• Ensure compliance with your responsibilities as laid out in the council’s health and safety policy and take an active role in promoting a positive health and safety culture.
• Promote and participate in the council’s individual performance appraisal and development initiatives and information management best practice.
• Ensure compliance with the council’s information security policies and maintain confidentiality.
• Undertake other duties as may be required to commensurate with the grade of the post.

Values, Behaviours and Equalities

We want our colleagues to live our values. These values describe what we stand for and how we do things at Harrow whilst inspiring, challenging and guiding us towards the delivery of our organisational ambitions and goals. Our three values are:

Be Courageous, Do It Together and Make It Happen

These values will also help us to achieve our equalities vision of being a proud, fair & cohesive Harrow, a great place to live, work & visit.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• In accordance with the Immigration Act 2016, where the role is customer‑facing and the post holder is required to speak to members of the public, the ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.
• To demonstrate a commitment to the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy and the ability to understand and implement the policy in relation to the job responsibilities.
• Detailed knowledge of housing management best practice and issues affecting the provision of housing.
• Extensive knowledge of current legislation in respect of Council Tenancies and Leases and matrimonial legislation.
• Comprehensive knowledge of good practice in empty homes management.
• Working knowledge of building and construction as it relates to the role.
• Knowledge of best practice in resident consultation and participation techniques.
• Knowledge of performance and project management techniques.
• Be able to understand, interpret and practically apply complex leasehold and housing legislation sufficiently to understand both the Council and the lessee obligations in regard to the lease. Be able to refer to parts relating to the Council’s ability to charge, landlord and lessee obligations as well as resolve landlord and lessee demise disputes specifically as they relate to major works.
• A working knowledge of all legislation pertaining to the areas of service.
• Experience of calculating service charges in line with the terms of the lease.
• Extensive experience of housing management across all the areas covered by this role.
• Experience of handling the most complex tenure issues and preparing documents for court.
• Experience of handling complex interpersonal issues.
• Experience of managing staff including those dispersed and handling performance issues.
• Experience of managing projects to time and within budget.
• Experience of writing complex reports and making presentations to a range of audiences.
• Experience of using the Microsoft office suite of software to intermediate standard.
• Experience of organising and delivering training to staff.
• Leadership skills with the ability to organise, motivate, appraise and develop a range of staff to achieve individual, team and organisational performance objectives.
• Good numeric and analytical skills. Ability to understand and interpret statistical information and financial statements, to make informed judgements and appraise risk.
• Highly developed communication skills.
• Ability to think creatively to anticipate and solve problems.
• Ability to monitor and enforce contracts and service level agreements.
• Ability to represent the interests of the service at internal, partnership and other meetings.
• A commitment to customer care including safeguarding.
• Knowledge of Health & Safety requirements and best practice in relation to Sheltered Housing service.

Qualifications

• A housing or management qualification or equivalent experiential learning and proven achievement.
• IRPM/CIH qualification or working towards desirable.
• Working knowledge and experience of Microsoft office – Excel and/or Word.

Other Requirements

• Possess a full driving licence and the use of a car for work purposes.
• Working outside normal working hours and attendance at evening meetings.
• The post holder will be required to work flexibly by hot desking in the office and working from home in accordance with our flexible working policy and the needs of the service.
• Personal motivation to training development.