Head of Community Services

Do you have significant experience of community engagement, including locally responsive delivery and evaluation, coupled with a proven track record in managing people in a large-scale organisation, ideally in the third sector? Then join Shelter as Head of Community Services and you could soon be responsible for the strategic and operational oversight of our Community Engagement programme.

A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet millions of people across Britain struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change — with individuals, in communities, across society – and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

Our Community Hub model is a mechanism to deliver progressive impact, working within, and with, the community to help people to keep, find and improve their home. We currently have 12 Community Hubs in England and each one unlocks the potential to transform local housing and homelessness issues by aligning the expertise of Shelter with local partners. Our ambition is to build on our community engagement work in partnership with local organisations, groups and activists to drive change at local level, but striving to ensure that it’s people who have lived experience who are at the centre.

About the role
A key member of our Leadership Team, you’ll have strategic responsibility and oversight for Shelter’s Community services. We’ll rely on you to lead and inspire a team of managers to deliver high quality, integrated community responses to local housing and homelessness issues. Delivering a change programme with your managers to ensure Hubs inspire and enable people to support us in delivering change for individuals and communities will be important too. Indeed, influencing systemic change and driving improved practice will be at the heart of the role, as will developing internal and external networks and partnerships that support the delivery of an ambitious strategy. Undertaking and leading on key projects, providing strategic leadership and promoting and representing our services at all levels – all are facets of this challenging role.

About you
You’ll need a proven relevant track record, possibly gained in a range of sectors where you operated at a senior level with external audiences and engaged with, and influenced, a variety of stakeholders. You’ll also need demonstrable experience in financial planning and budget and contract management. Someone who thrives on working collaboratively with others for the good of the business, you’re adept at building a network of good relationships and have an innate ability to quickly develop a thorough understanding of an organisation and the wider sector. Last but not least, you’re a good listener and positive influencer who communicates clearly verbally and in writing and, where appropriate, is able to persuade others to change their views, intentions or actions.

Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

To find out more about the role and the benefits of working for Shelter please visit our website. Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

Shelter promotes equality, diversity and inclusion in our workplace. We make employment decisions by matching business needs with skills and experience of candidates, irrespective of age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We also encourage applications from people, who have been homeless or have been at risk of homelessness. We are facing diverse problems, so need diverse people to tackle them.

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

To apply please email your application to shelterhocs@wjpfloyd.co.uk Your application should consist of a CV and supporting statement providing evidence of how you meet the first six knowledge, skills and experience points within the job specification. You do not need to address the knowledge, skills and experience points 7 and 8 or any of the behaviours as these will be assessed at interview if you are short listed.