Head of Property

Origin – Great homes, positive people and strong communities

An inspiring past and a bright future

A home is the essential foundation for a good quality of life, so what we do every day really matters to the wellbeing of our communities. Here at Origin, we trace our roots back almost 100 years, building and managing high quality homes as well as providing support services and housing for those who are most vulnerable in London and Hertfordshire. We work to provide safe, decent affordable homes and support for individuals and communities.

Focused on our residents, our driving ambition is to provide services that make people’s lives easier, and homes and communities they can be proud to live in. We are ‘not for profit’ and reinvest all our surpluses back into our varied and vibrant neighbourhoods.

The role – Head of Property Maintenance

As Head of Property Maintenance you will be experienced in leading a sizable responsive repairs service for a housing provider.  We’re looking for a strong leader to lead our team and work with our long term established contractor to deliver a high-quality customer focused repairs and voids service, including managing disrepair cases and damp and mould.  You’ll lead on the procurement of contactors and consultants and oversee effective contract management and partnership working.  You’ll ensure relevant risks are identified and managed and that services meet legal, contractual, and regulatory standards.

You will use insight and data to prioritise resources, investment decisions and drive improvements in the customer experience with the repairs service. You’ll set and oversee a sizable budget for the service ensuring strong budget management and forecasting. You’ll have excellent communication skills, a passion for great customer service and will play a full part of the Senior Leadership Team.

What you’ll do

You will:

• Provide leadership to our property maintenance function covering responsive repairs, disrepair and damp and mould.
• Build strong collaborative partnerships with our repairs contractors via excellent contract management to achieve the highest standards of customer experience and outcomes for our residents .
• Effectively manage risks, health and safety, legal and regulatory requirements.
• Analyse data and technical reports to address complex repair matters
• Actively use customer insight and performance data to drive continuous improvement in the service.
• Ensure effective financial management of the departmental budget including budget setting, forecasting, and monitoring; and ensuring best use of resources.
• Contribute to the overall leadership of Origin as part of the senior managers group.

What you’ll need

We’re looking for someone who has:

• Proven experience of leading a sizable and successful responsive repairs function for a social housing provider to achieve a high level of performance outcomes and customer satisfaction.
• Excellent leadership skills to inspire, motivate and develop a team in a hybrid working environment.
• Experience of successful contract procurement and management, commissioning technical reports and commercial awareness.
• Proven understanding and knowledge of housing policy & legislation, regulatory requirements and best practice in relation to repairs and maintenance including damp and mould and disrepair.
• Developed analytical and financial skills with a high level of attention to detail and accuracy.
• Experience in using data and customer insight to drive service improvements, value for money and customer satisfaction.
• Problem solving skills demonstrating curiosity and thoroughness to find solutions to complex repair issues and be confident in interpreting technical specifications and reports.
• A high level of communication skills to produce quality reports & presentations for a variety of audiences, handle escalated customer complaints and build relationships with residents , Contractors and stakeholders.
• A relevant professional qualification ( CIH/RICS /CIOB) or relevant degree.

Our Values

Our core values are at the heart of how we work.

• Take the lead
• Create energy
• Build trust
• Be generous
• Stay grounded
• Remember the little things

We're committed to the wellbeing of our people and in creating an environment that promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

Our benefits to you

• Origin’s ways of working make it easier for you to balance work and home life. You will benefit from flexible working which offers you the opportunity to work from where you are most effective, with the technology and equipment you need, as well as access to flexible space for collaborative working.
• A generous 25-day holiday allowance plus bank holidays, that increases with time, with the opportunity to buy and sell leave
• 2 additional ‘giving something back’ volunteer days
• A pension scheme with contributions from 4% - 8% of your salary
• Family leave, compassionate leave and enhanced maternity pay
• Simply Health cash plan providing money back when you spend on health appointments including physiotherapy, dental and opticians
• Interest free loans to help spread the cost of a season ticket or another big purchase
• Annual staff conference, team away days and annual team meal allowance
• Access to Perk Box for fantastic savings on everyday purchases and much more
• Free employee assistance programme
• Opportunities to join staff network groups
• Refer a friend bonus

We’re also committed to ensuring that our people have access to an excellent range of learning and development opportunities including our induction programme, course sponsorship, leadership development, mentoring and talent schemes along with professional membership if it’s a requirement to your role.

Tell us your story

We are looking forward to learning about you. Please help us get to know you by sending your latest CV and covering letter detailing how your skills and experience meet the job description for Head of Property Maintenance outlined above.

Selection Process Details

Closing date for applications: 5pm on Thursday 7 December 2023

On receipt of your application you will be asked to complete an online test to understand more about your personality and we will also test your verbal and numerical reasoning.  A feedback report is available on this for you.

If successfully shortlisted you will be invited to the following:

• Resident panel online 13 December 2023
• Written test online 13 or 14 December 2023
• In person interview 15 December 2023
• Final online interview with the CEO 19 December 2023

Please note that suitable candidates will be invited to interview throughout the application window and therefore the vacancy may close at short notice. However, all candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application and therefore interested candidates are encouraged to apply at their earliest convenience.