** Internal Only - Team Leader ** - Cambridge
** Internal Only **
Team Leader
City Services – Homes & Properties
Permanent | Full-time (37 hrs) | Cowley Road / Hybrid | Out of Hours / On-Call Requirement | Salaly: £41,771 - £47,181 per annum, pro rata for part time.
We’re looking for two highly capable Housing Maintenance Team Leaders to take operational responsibility for some of the most complex and high-demand maintenance environments within Cambridge City Council’s property portfolio.
This is a role for someone who can operate confidently at the point where technical expertise, leadership, contract management, compliance, tenant experience, and operational delivery converge. You’ll be expected to bring deep trade knowledge, strong operational awareness, and the resilience to keep services moving in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.
The Role
As a Housing Maintenance Team Leader, you will take day-to-day responsibility for the operational delivery of repairs, planned works, and voids across a large and diverse range of council homes.
You will:
• Lead a team of around 20 Multi-Skilled Operatives, setting standards, monitoring performance, and driving continuous improvement.
• Oversee major repair and refurbishment activity, using your primary trade expertise and secondary trade knowledge to guide technical decisions.
• Manage performance of external supply chain contractors, ensuring quality, timeliness and value for money across works totalling £1–5m annually.
• Direct delivery of emergency and out-of-hours repairs as escalation manager or substitute on a rota basis.
• Ensure full compliance with all relevant Health & Safety and CDM regulations, including risk assessments, asbestos procedures, safe systems of work, and void standards.
• Identify, diagnose, and resolve complex building problems across electrical, plumbing, heating, structural and fabric elements.
• Lead on void and repairs and maintenance turnaround performance, ensuring properties are inspected, repaired and re-let within tight KPIs.
• Monitor budgets, value for money, control spend, influence procurement activity,
and provide operational insight for future financial planning.
• Work closely with tenants, including those who are vulnerable or in distress, providing firm, professional, and empathetic support.
This is a hands-on leadership role with significant autonomy and accountability, requiring a Team Leader who can make rapid operational decisions while maintaining service resilience across two interdependent teams.
What You’ll Bring
We’re looking for individuals who can already demonstrate capability at:
Essential
• At least 5 years’ experience in social housing maintenance, with minimum 2 years’
supervisory responsibility.
• A primary trade relevant qualification at Level 2 minimum or 5 years strong secondary trade experience, preferably in at least carpentry, plumbing or electrical.
• Proven experience diagnosing complex building maintenance issues and
implementing effective solutions.
• Strong understanding of SOR codes, building regulations, H&S legislation, void standards, and landlord compliance.
• Experience in prolific use of Housing Management systems such as MRI & Accuserve etc.
• Experience managing supply chain contractors, monitoring performance, and challenging poor delivery.
• Ability to work under constant demand in a high-volume operational environment.
• Excellent communication skills, including handling complaints, disputes, and sensitive tenant situations.
• Resilience, adaptability, and the ability to set priorities independently in a dynamic, pressured service.
• Current clean UK driving license.
Desirable
• SSSTS, First Aid or HNC-level qualification.
• IOSH/NEBOSH certification.
• Contract management qualifications.
• Experience in lettings or housing management.
This role involves regular site work, sometimes in challenging environments, including:
• Properties in disrepair, damp, or structurally compromised.
• Confined spaces, heights, and roof areas.
• Weather-exposed inspections.
• Dealing with distressed tenants or high-pressure situations.
You will also need a clean driving licence.
Why This Role Matters
You will play a central part in ensuring that Cambridge’s tenants have safe, secure, wellmaintained homes, while shaping the quality, performance and professional culture of our maintenance teams. The expectations are high because the impact is significant.
If you’re an experienced operational leader with strong technical capability and the drive to take ownership of a challenging and wide-ranging service, we want to hear from you.
More Information:
You can click on the links here to find out more information about Staff Pay and Benefits, Working for the Council, our Values & Behaviours, Equality & Diversity in Recruitment or Our People & Culture Strategy .
If you would like an informal chat, please contact Peter Gale email
Application Process:
To be considered for this role, please complete the Expression of Interest form and email it to by 05 January 2026.
Cambridge City Council is an Equal Opportunity employer and embraces diversity, creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
THIS IS AN INTERNAL ONLY ROLE