Property Services Director
Location: London (hybrid, with travel across London)
Employer: Leading Housing Association
We’re working with a leading housing association with a simple mission: safe, warm, energy-efficient homes and great services for our residents. We’re looking for a Property Services Director to join our Leadership Team and lead our end-to-end repairs, compliance, and asset investment functions—driving step-change in performance, customer experience, and value for money.
The role
As Property Services Director, you’ll provide strategic leadership across responsive repairs, voids, planned and cyclical programmes, and statutory compliance—with particular depth in gas and electrical maintenance. You’ll champion transformation, modernise our operating model, and deliver measurable improvements in resident satisfaction, safety, cost control, and carbon reduction.
Key responsibilities:
* Strategic leadership & vision: Set a clear, data-led strategy for property services aligned to corporate objectives and the resident voice.
* Statutory compliance: Own landlord compliance for gas (LGSR), electrical (EICR), and related building safety activities—ensuring airtight policies, controls, audit trails, and real-time assurance.
* Repairs & maintenance excellence: Lead a high-performing mix of in-house teams and contractors across responsive repairs, voids, and planned works—hitting right-first-time, productivity, and quality KPIs.
* Change & transformation: Design and deliver multi-year transformation (process, people, procurement, and technology), including scheduling/diagnostics, mobile working, and data/reporting upgrades.
* Asset investment: Shape multi-year capital and cyclical programmes that maximise life-cycle value, address fuel poverty, and support decarbonisation.
* Commercial & contract management: Lead procurement strategies and manage NEC/JCT contracts to drive performance, social value, and cost certainty.
* Budget & risk: Control substantial OPEX/CAPEX budgets with rigorous forecasting, risk management, and compliance assurance for Board/Committee reporting.
* Culture & leadership: Build capable, inclusive teams; coach senior managers; embed continuous improvement (Lean/CI) and a “don’t walk by” safety culture.
* Customer & community focus: Use insight to lift satisfaction, reduce complaints, and co-design improvements with residents.
* Partnerships & governance: Engage regulators, auditors, and partners; provide clear, timely assurance to ELT and the Board.
About you
You’re an energetic, values-driven leader with a track record of turning strategy into results.
Essential
* Senior leadership experience (Head of/Director level) in property services within housing or a comparable regulated environment.
* Deep expertise in gas safety (Gas Safe/ACS oversight) and electrical safety (EICR/testing programmes; NICEIC or equivalent environments).
* Proven delivery of change and transformation—process redesign, digital tooling, and cultural change—across complex, multi-site operations.
* Strong commercial acumen: procurement, supplier performance management, KPIs, and contract governance (NEC/JCT).
* Demonstrable success improving resident/customer satisfaction, right-first-time, and productivity while maintaining compliance.
* Excellent stakeholder management, Board-level reporting, and assurance.
Desirable
* Professional credentials (e.g., MCIOB, RICS, CEng, MIET) and/or NEBOSH/IOSH.
* PRINCE2/Agile/Lean Six Sigma experience.
* Familiarity with asset data standards, stock condition surveys, and energy efficiency/decarbonisation programmes.