About the Role
and our Ideal Candidate
This is a role with real scale, complexity and opportunity. You will lead housing allocations and temporary accommodation services at a time of acute demand, with over 1, households in TA and significant nightly-paid usage. You’ll manage statutory duties under the Housing Act and Homelessness Reduction Act, oversee multi-disciplinary teams and budgets, and drive innovation in procurement and service delivery.
You’ll play a pivotal role in reducing the number of households in temporary accommodation, strengthening compliance and performance, and leading the Housing Allocation Scheme. You’ll work across the Council with Sutton Housing Partnership, Regulatory Services, Adults’ Social Care, Children’s Services, and the voluntary & faith sectors and community, to create sustainable move on pathways and improve outcomes for families. This is a chance to lead transformation in one of the most pressured areas of housing.
We are proud of the progress we’ve made, but we know there is more to do. Internal audits have highlighted areas for improvement, and we are committed to learning and delivering best practice. This role is central to that journey. We need a leader who can combine operational grip with strategic vision, and who can inspire a team that is ready for change.
About you
You’ll bring deep expertise in allocations of accommodation, Income collection, TA and homelessness law, and a track record of leading service transformation. You’ll be collaborative, data-driven and confident managing complex budgets. You’ll also be politically astute and comfortable working across systems and partners. Above all, you’ll be a visible leader who delivers results and builds trust.
We’re ambitious for our residents and for our services. We have a clear mandate for change, strong partnerships and leadership that backs delivery. If you share that ambition and if you’re ready to lead one of London’s most important housing transformations, we’d love to hear from you.
About Us
Sutton is a borough defined by ambition, community and change.
We are proud of our strong local identity, vibrant neighbourhoods and commitment to delivering services that make a real difference. Sutton is one of London’s greenest and safest boroughs, with excellent schools, thriving businesses and a strong sense of community. It is a place where people want to live, work and invest, and where we are determined to ensure everyone has access to a safe, secure and affordable home.
Housing is central to that mission and we are now looking for four senior leaders to help us stabilise, modernise and transform. We have come through a major transition and are embedding the Sutton culture across teams who have previously worked under a different operating model. Our priorities are clear: providing safe, secure and affordable homes; reducing the use of temporary accommodation; strengthening systems and compliance; and working in partnership with Sutton Housing Partnership and other stakeholders to put residents first. If you want to lead change with purpose and pace, this is your moment.
Our Offer To You
As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.
Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:
1. A generous annual leave entitlement of 32 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
2. Enhanced Maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
3. Two volunteering days per year
4. Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme (dependent on the role)
5. Adjustable and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
6. Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
7. Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
8. Interest free season ticket loans
9. Local Government Pension Scheme
10. Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
11. Electric vehicle car leasing scheme
12. Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support