Do you want to lead the delivery of essential housing services that support tens of thousands of residents every day, from homelessness prevention to tenancy and estate management? If that sounds like you, keep reading - we might be the perfect match. These roles form part of a wider organisational redesign to ensure the Council is structured to deliver high-quality, efficient and sustainable services for the people of Gateshead. This supports our commitment to modernising how we operate, strengthening accountability and putting residents at the heart of everything we do, ensuring everyone in our borough can thrive. At Gateshead Council, we take pride in delivering high-quality services that make a real difference to residents' lives. As a Head of Service, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across key functions, helping to shape services, drive improvement and support our Thrive agenda. You will be part of a collaborative leadership community that values innovation, integrity and strong partnership working.
Responsibilities
- Provide strategic and operational leadership across homelessness, housing management and frontline housing services, ensuring excellent customer outcomes and value for money.
- Lead homelessness assessment, prevention and temporary accommodation services, ensuring statutory compliance and effective demand management.
- Lead asylum and refugee housing services, strengthening partnership working with statutory agencies and support organisations.
- Oversee the Housing Register, allocations, nominations, transfers and adapted property registers, ensuring fairness, transparency and compliance.
- Lead the delivery of the Council's adaptations service, including HRA- and DFG-funded provision and development of the Home Improvement Agency.
- Lead tenancy and estate management services, including rent and service charge collection, tenancy sustainment, neighbourhood management and community involvement.
- Provide strategic leadership for older persons' housing, including sheltered, supported and specialist accommodation services.
- Lead and improve end-to-end voids management and reletting performance, minimising void loss and improving turnaround times.
- Provide strategic and operational leadership for anti-social behaviour and safeguarding services, ensuring effective prevention, enforcement, partnership working and protection of vulnerable residents.
- Lead caretaking and handyperson services, ensuring they support safe, clean and well-maintained neighbourhoods and contribute to tenancy sustainment.
- Ensure compliance with the Regulator of Social Housing consumer standards, including self-assessment, monitoring and improvement planning.
- Drive continuous service improvement through systems mapping, process redesign, customer insight and tenant-led scrutiny.
- Monitor and respond to complaints, Housing Ombudsman decisions, FOI requests and regulatory feedback, embedding learning across services.
- Manage budgets, contracts and external funding streams (including grant funding), ensuring compliance with funding conditions and delivery of value for money.
- Ensure tenant voice and feedback influence service delivery and continuous improvement, with clear evidence of impact.
- Contribute to the wider Housing Services leadership team and corporate priorities, supporting integrated service delivery across the Council.
- Provide strategic advice to Elected Members, partners and senior officers, lead business continuity, risk management and emergency planning, and act as a member of the Council's Emergency Response Team when required.
Qualifications
- Extensive knowledge of homelessness legislation, housing management practice, allocations policy and tenancy and estate management in a social housing context.
- Significant senior leadership experience across complex housing operations and frontline services.
- Proven ability to deliver high-quality homelessness, tenancy, estate and customer-facing housing services.
- Strong financial and performance management capability, including experience managing large budgets, contracts and funding programmes.
- Excellent partnership-building and influencing skills, working effectively with statutory agencies, registered providers and voluntary organisations.
- An approved Level 4 housing management qualification (or willingness to achieve within the Competence and Conduct Standard transition period).
- A degree-level qualification or substantial relevant experience that demonstrates the ability to operate at a strategic Head of Service level.
Benefits
- Competitive Salary: We offer fair and transparent pay that reflects your skills and experience.
- Outstanding Pension Scheme: We don't just offer a great salary - we invest in your future too. Find out what benefits a Local Government Pension provides: https://twpf.info
- Generous annual leave: 28 days of annual leave, rising to 32 days after 5 years (2 of which can be fixed by the Council), plus the option to buy up to 10 extra days.
- Hybrid & flexible working: We support a healthy work-life balance with flexible and hybrid working options.
- Learning & development: Access a wide range of training, development, and progression opportunities to help you grow your career.
- Health & wellbeing support: From discounted gym memberships through our partner GLL to mental health resources, we care about your wellbeing.
- Cycle to work scheme: Save money and stay active with our tax-efficient cycle to work programme.
- Electric & hybrid car scheme: Get behind the wheel of a brand-new electric or hybrid vehicle through our salary sacrifice car scheme in partnership with NHS Fleet Solutions - a cost-effective, environmentally friendly way to drive (after 12 months service).
- Exclusive discounts & salary sacrifice: Through our VIVUP employee benefits platform, enjoy discounts on shopping, travel, and services - plus salary sacrifice options on white goods, electronics, and more, helping you spread the cost of essential purchases (after 6 months service).
