Head - Provider Services Operations

Head - Provider Services Operations

Closing date - 27th January 

Interview Dates - 10th February  onwards 

About the role

You will lead a number of operational teams with responsibility for providing support to the Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) and grant investment. This will include areas such as Onboarding, Contracting and Grant Recycling.  This is a key leadership role requiring a commercial approach in a grant investment context, with strong technical and project and staff management skills. 

The Provider Services Operations Team works across the “end-to-end” Affordable Housing delivery model. 

The Head of Provider Services Operations leads the teams providing support to Homes England’s Affordable Homes Programme and grant investment in England.   

This is a key leadership role requiring a commercial approach to grant investment in a regulated sector, and with strong all round technical and staff leadership skills.   

Provider Services and its operations team is part of the Homes England Affordable Housing Grants directorate, responsible for delivering 1,000s of affordable homes every year.   

Reporting to the Assistant Director Provider Services, the post holder heads up an operations team critical to the successful “end-to-end” Affordable Housing delivery model.  It comprises:  

• Onboarding - responsible for due diligence processes for new and continuing partners allocated grant;   
• Contracting - originates, negotiates (where applicable) and executes all grant agreement contracts for our partners delivering Affordable Housing.   
• Grant Recycling - responsible for the long-term stewardship of historical grant and its recovery or recycling into more affordable homes.   

The Head of Provider Services Operations will ensure the accumulated experience of the entire Operations Team makes a full contribution to overall affordable housing development and delivery.  This includes being part of the senior leadership team and making a full contribution to leadership of the Affordable Housing Grants directorate.   

It’s all about working in a collaborative/flexible way that values diversity in experience and perspective to foster good decision making and problem solving within their teams. 

About you

Whilst our day job is to deliver first class operations service to our stakeholders delivering affordable homes, you will be used to "spinning several plates" at once and will always be looking for ways to improve and innovate. 

Delivering on a mission as bold as ours isn’t always easy.  You will be resilient and comfortable managing stakeholders at a senior level and your discussions will always be shaped by a good understanding of the commercial, legal, regulatory and operational impact of what we do in the Provider Services team and Affordable Housing Grant.  You will enjoy working in an innovative, fun and engaging way and be able to negotiate and persuade.   

You’ll be able to demonstrate you can work with the team in a collaborative and inclusive way.   

The Provider Services teams are based in almost all Homes England offices including London.  So, while the post holder will be based outside London (Bristol, Birmingham, Northstowe, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle offices) it is essential they must be able to travel regularly into London and all other Homes England offices to get the best out of face-to-face collaborative working.   

It is essential the post holder has prior experience of leadership working with partners in a regulated sector (not necessarily in housing) and an understanding of what this means from the perspectives of grant/investment award and recovery.   

It is essential the post holder has experience of managing operations and taking decisions that must meet sometimes competing demands of delivery, reputation and stakeholder impacts.   

Who are we?  

Homes England: The Housing and Regeneration Agency.   

We believe that affordable, quality homes in well-designed places are key to improving people’s lives. As the government’s housing and regeneration agency, we create thriving new places and transform urban areas, combining the full breadth of our powers, expertise, land, capital and influence to bring investment to communities and get more homes built. 

How? We form long-term partnerships that bridge the gap between the public and private sector to meet local needs and aspirations. We use our influence to champion the creation of sustainable homes, communities and places that are brilliantly designed for the people that live there now, and in the future. And we use our funding and support to build a more resilient, diverse and innovative housing sector, helping new entrants in the market, encouraging modern methods of construction and design, and promoting the utmost attention to building safety. 

Together with our partners, we’re accelerating the pace of house building, remediation and regeneration across the country, as we seek to deliver ever more affordable homes in places people are proud to call home for generations to come. 

What we offer 

As well as a competitive salary and 33 days annual leave, we are committed to 50/50 hybrid working.   

Internal applicants: please note that if you are successful, the salary you are offered will be in accordance with our pay controls and pay policy. You can find these on the recruitment pages of the intranet. 

If you ever need a bit of extra help, we have a great employee assistance programme, financial wellbeing support and access to many great discounts with leading high street names.  

Our range of network groups are also there to support you to be yourself at work and play a key role in helping shape our future.  

If you are a member of a professional body, we’ll pay for your membership and once you get your digital kit, you’ll be good to go.  

Homes England are a geographically diverse community. We work to a 50/50 office/ home based model. Moving back into our office environments has enabled us to utilise our space and time together in the most collaborative way.  

We would encourage all applicants to apply as soon as possible as we may close vacancies early should we receive a high number of applications.  

We also encourage you to apply using the full application option as opposed to quick apply, this is especially important if you would like to indicate to us that you would like to be considered under the disability confident scheme.  

If your application is shortlisted to interview, we will require you to provide proof of your right to work in the UK at this stage.