Head Of Housing

Seeking an exceptional senior housing leader to take strategic responsibility for all Housing Services (excluding Housing Benefit), lead a whole-service transformation to meet the Social Housing Regulator’s Consumer Standards, and drive a clear improvement journey from a C4 position to C1 excellence, while securing the long-term sustainability and delivery of our Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan.

We are looking for someone who can provide clear professional leadership across all legislative and regulatory aspects of our housing functions, including council landlord services, housing needs and homelessness, private sector housing, allocations and lettings, and resident engagement, while reshaping services, assurance and culture around the requirements of the Consumer Standards.

This is a pivotal role for the organisation, the district and the wider future of local government in the area. You will help shape the future of housing —restoring confidence, improving housing quality, strengthening resident trust, and leading a major improvement journey that positions the service to move confidently as the only stock-holding authority within the emerging East Surrey unitary.

As Head of Housing, you will be the Council’s lead housing professional, responsible for the strategic direction, performance recovery and transformation of all Housing Services, with a particular focus on delivering sustained compliance with the Consumer Standards, embedding a culture of assurance and accountability, and leading the service through the transition into the East Surrey unitary as its only stock-holding authority.

You will:

• Lead delivery of high‑quality, safe and resident‑focused housing services across landlord functions, homelessness prevention, allocations, lettings and private sector housing.
• Ensure the long‑term sustainability of the HRA, providing strong financial leadership and effective investment planning.
• Drive the Housing Transformation Programme, leading a whole-service improvement journey from C4 to C1 through redesigned services, stronger governance, modernised systems, cultural change and an unrelenting focus on resident outcomes.
• Lead the Council’s compliance with the Social Housing Regulator’s Consumer Standards, building and maintaining robust assurance, transparent performance management, effective self‑assessment and continuous inspection readiness, while driving measurable improvement across all landlord services.
• Provide expert advice to Members and senior leaders, shaping housing strategy and policy in response to local need, affordability pressures and supply challenges.
• Lead a culture of continuous improvement, accountability and high performance across all housing teams, ensuring that lessons are translated into action, performance gaps are closed at pace, and resident voice is embedded in service design and delivery.
• Build strong partnerships across public, private and voluntary sectors to address housing need and support vulnerable residents.
• Champion a resident‑first approach, ensuring services are accessible, inclusive and shaped through meaningful engagement.
• Provide strategic leadership for housing through local government reorganisation, shaping and leading the transition of the landlord service into the East Surrey unitary and ensuring the interests, resilience and future operating model of the area’s only stock-holding authority are fully understood and protected.
• Contribute to corporate leadership as part of the Extended Management Team, supporting a “one council” approach and strong organisational governance.

• Significant senior leadership experience in housing services within a local authority or similar organisation.
• A strong track record of delivering high‑quality landlord services, housing needs and homelessness functions.
• Demonstrable experience of leading transformation and service redesign, with a strong track record of delivering measurable improvement in performance, compliance, governance and resident outcomes, ideally including recovery from a low regulatory baseline.
• Strong experience of delivering against the Social Housing Regulator’s…