Head of Service – Temporary Accommodation
Join to apply for the Head of Service – Temporary Accommodation role at Birmingham City Council
Permanent
Grade 7 – £66,627 – £85,845
Working 36.5 hours per week – Hybrid – 75% On Site
Birmingham is a city with bold ambitions. As Europe’s youngest major city and one of the most diverse, we are committed to building a fairer, greener, and healthier city where everyone can thrive. Our Corporate Plan 2025–2028 places housing at the heart of this vision, with a strong focus on tackling inequality, improving housing standards, and preventing homelessness.
About the Role
We are seeking a strategic, ambitious, and forward‑thinking Head of Service – Temporary Accommodation to lead a high‑impact service that plays a vital role in supporting Birmingham’s most vulnerable households. This is a critical leadership role, responsible for driving service improvement and delivering transformative housing outcomes across the city, including:
* Managing a £50m+ gross budget and leading 150+ staff.
* Ensuring temporary accommodation is safe, compliant, and fit for purpose.
* Ending the use of B&B for families staying over 6 weeks – a key measure of success.
* Delivering customer‑focused support that enables successful move‑on into secure housing.
* Leading procurement and contract management of accommodation providers.
* Driving performance improvement and value for money across the service.
* Collaborating with internal and external partners to deliver integrated housing solutions.
Key Challenges
* 22% rise in homelessness presentations in 2023/24 that hasn’t reduced.
* Over 5,500 households currently in temporary accommodation.
* Over 500 families with dependents in B&B for more than 6 weeks.
What We Are Looking For
* A successful track record at senior level within the homelessness or housing sector.
* Experience leading large, diverse teams and building a high‑performance culture.
* Strong partnership working skills with stakeholders including elected members, government departments, contractors, and support agencies.
* Proven ability to deliver complex housing projects and service transformation.
* Expertise in tenancy management, property asset management, and contract negotiation.
* A thorough understanding of risk management, health and safety and safeguarding.
* A commitment to equality, diversity, and improving customer experience.
Key Attributes
* An empowering and collaborative leadership style.
* Passion for delivering exceptional housing services.
* Ability to build business cases for investment and drive performance.
* Experience in commissioning, procurement, and contract management.
* Political awareness and excellent communication skills.
Benefits and EEO
Birmingham City Council is an accredited Disability Confident Leader employer, and we are committed to employing, retaining and developing all of our people. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the communities we serve. We welcome applications from people with caring responsibilities and flexible working options will be considered. A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be undertaken. Proof of Right to work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed.
Please upload your up‑to‑date CV via the attachments part of your application – this is required for shortlisting. Unfortunately, we cannot consider any applications without a CV attached.
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