What's involved with this role:
Interim Head of Housing Needs - Homeless Prevention Reference no: Hillingdon RQ845175 Pay Rate: £317.86 per day PAYE This opening assignment is for 2 months The purpose of the role is to lead and manage complex, demand-led multidisciplinary Homeless Prevention and Housing Allocations Service delivering creative and innovative solutions to resolve housing issues for our residents. The post holder will work with Cabinet and Elected Members, Council services, partners, residents and commissioned service providers to develop and implement the policy and strategic direction for homelessness and housing allocations to ensure corporate priorities are delivered to put our residents first. The post holder will be responsible for recommending the commissioning of accommodation and other related services that carries significant budget responsibilities and will be required to ensure the best use of public funds are made for local residents to ensure service risks are effectively managed.
Key Responsibilities:
- Be responsible for the selection, development and performance of the Homeless Prevention and Housing Allocations team in line with the Council’s HR policies.
- Ensure all team members receive the appropriate level of communication to maintain engagement with the Council’s vision, priorities and activities.
- Establish, lead and directly manage cross-cutting project teams in the council to deliver corporate priorities.
- Undertake regular service area meetings with managers to discuss service provision and opportunities for the implementation of service improvements.
- Proactively seek feedback on services provided and use this information to review and improve service provision.
- Be the expert lead and source of advice to Members and Chief Officers in the Council on homelessness and housing legislation, policy and procedures. Keep up to date with changing policy and legislation and provide briefings on changes as required.
- Ensure that statutory requirements are met for homelessness and housing services at all times, including appeals, reviews, complex case law, Housing Register, MARAC, MAPPA etc.
- Ensure effective business planning and risk management within the service and outside the service as appropriate to drive performance improvement and underpin the transformation of services. This includes category management plans, policies and improvement plans.
- Be responsible for reviewing and commissioning specialist housing services to ensure the Council’s corporate priorities are met working closely with service areas such as social care.
- Prepare effective business cases for commissioned services, service change and improvement working with a range of service areas across the Council, presenting recommendations to Cabinet Members for approval.
- Ensure that all annual Team Plans, aligned to the Group / Service Plan(s), is developed, agreed and communicated to team members in a timely manner.
- Ensure clear Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) are in place where appropriate, covering all aspects of service delivery with performance and response levels, together with the escalation process if SLA’s are not met.
“Role Requirements” – to give yourself the maximum chance of success please try and ensure your CV addresses the following essential criteria: Qualifications:
- Educated to degree level or equivalent in a business related subject, or equivalent by experience.
- A management qualification e.g. ILM, or equivalent experience.
- Minimum of 12 months recent experience in a similar role, or context and ideally within a public sector organisation.
- Significant experience of leading and managing a complex, fast-paced frontline housing service including homelessness or housing allocations.
- Significant experience in preparation, management and control of large complex budgets.
- Significant experience in developing and implementing effective commissioning plans to reduce levels of homelessness.
- Leading the delivery of complex, cross-cutting service improvement plans and business strategies to improve services, including business performance and risk management plans.
- Analysing and interpreting complex, disparate datasets providing valuable organisational intelligence to drive improvement.
- Successfully leading multiple, complex projects involving a range of partners, including senior managers.
- Successfully engaging with stakeholders from a range of disciplines and service users in developing services and/or service strategies and plans.
- Preparing written reports and presentations to Members, senior managers and staff groups, including organisations outside of the council, presenting complex information in language used every day.
- Experience of leading and managing service improvement using recognised improvement methods e.g. business process improvement.
- In depth and up to-date knowledge and understanding of local and national strategy and legislation in relation to housing.
- Excellent verbal, written and presentational skills with the proven ability to present complex information in a simple manner to a variety of audiences including senior management, Elected Members, front-line staff and service users, and staff working in schools.
- Sound understanding of practical implementation of procurement and commissioning of services and relationship management.
- Proven ability to manage and maintain budgets and report accurately.
- Proven ability to successfully plan and manage complex projects involving a wide range of stakeholders that cross service and professional boundaries.
- Excellent communication, negotiating and influencing skills along with the ability to network and form effective working relationships.
- Proven ability to influence and promote service improvement initiatives to service managers and other stakeholders.
- Strong IT skills including Microsoft packages or equivalent (e.g. G Suite).
- Our clients are generally seeking applicants who are reasonably local, so on that basis we would ideally like you to supply us with your address (or at least your post code) and a telephone number so that we can reach you during working hours.
- Your recent UK working experience going back at least 5 years, or full employment history if you have been working for fewer years than this.
- Your availability to work either immediately, or at short notice.
- Please refer to the Role Requirements section above - your CV must address the requirements listed.
:
- Any local authority/public sector experience
- Any relevant qualifications held or being studied for.
S If you would prefer to send a CV straight to us rather than by way of an on-line application, you are very welcome to do so via jobs@tclrec.com but please quote both the job reference and job title exactly as they appear below:
Job Ref: Hillingdon RQ845175
Anticipated Length of Assignment: Unless otherwise stated (we do carry the occasional permanent vacancy) all of our roles are technically temporary, though opening assignments can be and often are, extended by clients on a longer term basis and can sometimes become permanent.
Please do try to resist contacting us with requests for progress updates. We really do read every CV sent to us. All applications will be acknowledged by a human, not a robot, provided the job remains live and provided your CV meets the “Essential Requirements” listed. Please note that we do our level best to take down ads as soon as roles have been filled. We are not in the business of harvesting CVs.
Important: We will interpret your application as being permission to submit your CV to this role (with the right to represent you) unless you advise us to the contrary.