Contract Surveyor – Home Ownership

Who are Accent?

We own almost 22,000 houses across the north, east and south of the country.

They are home to over 35,000 customers. We exist to improve lives, providing people with high quality homes, affordably. Whatever their housing need, whether family, single, older or more vulnerable – our customers come first. They are always at the very heart of our business.

If you feel great about putting customers first, then we feel great about you joining the Accent team.

And we are a team. We live and breathe our values – we are smart, we are driven, we are caring and we are energetic – are you? If you can do what’s right and challenge what you think is wrong, relish the opportunity to work with some fabulous colleagues to improve the customer experience and make sure we keep to our promises, then you are the person we are looking for.

Come and join us and start your own journey with Accent. We aim to be number one, and you could help us get there.

You will be joining Accent at an exciting time. Our new 3-year Corporate Strategy ‘With you for your Journey’ sets out an ambitious and exciting agenda for the future that will establish Accent Group as a sector leading organisation.    

Location

Yorkshire 

Salary

The spot salary for this post is £32,093 per annum for applicants who fully meet the requirements of the post. Applicants, who do not meet all of the requirements of the post, will start 5% or 10% below the spot salary.     

Car Allowance

£1,250 per annum paid monthly (subject to TAX and NI deductions, non-pensionable) OR paid monthly towards the cost of a suitable vehicle OR N/A                                    

The Role and Person

• Permanent                      

• 35 hours per week        

Your core role and focus is all about working with internal & external colleagues and external contractors to ensure we deliver a first class repairs and planned/cyclical service to our homeowners. You will take a lead role for the organisation in managing the service and influencing delivery methods and the overall customer experience. We want our people and our customers to be proud of the homes we provide and you have a key part to play in this.

As Contract Surveyor-Homeownership–a typical day might include

• Fully understanding pricing mechanisms and cost models in place–both from the technical and commercial aspects
• A   good   awareness   of   the   respective   financial   liabilities   between Accent, freeholders and leaseholders (including shared owners)
• Assisting in ensuring the effective management of the repairs &maintenance service on our leasehold/freehold schemes, ensuring works orders are correctly processed and progressed
• Making an effective and proactive contribution to the delivery of service in accordance with the contractual KPI targets
• Undertaking checks on the contractor including pre, in progress and post inspection visits, arranging recalls and associated resolutions, checking pre-payment certificates / invoice requests prior to payment and analysing customer feedback
• Plan, organise and deliver efficiently and on time, agreed Planned Programmes of work each financial year.
• Work with Homeownership colleagues to ensure the effective delivery of one-off programmes of works, including meeting statutory and good practice requirements in respect of consultation
• Being aware and handling contractors’ pre-commencement requirements to ensure each planned works programme is mobilised in an effective fashion in accordance with current legislation (CDM etc), including submission of planning applications, liaison with building control
• Proactively manage H&S/Fire Risk Assessment remedial actions in respect of Homeownership properties, ensuring actions are taken promptly and in accordance with written timescales.
• Being aware of the contractors’ respective delivery models and resource plans and test that these support successful delivery of the overall programme
• Regularly engaging with key suppliers to ensure quality of materials is as expected and that delivery dates are consistently being met
• Monitoring the progress of works in accordance with the tools provided
• Ensuring the products fitted and the standard of workmanship are in accordance with contract requirements
• Inspecting properties as work progresses, maintaining a strict regime of 100% inspection of works upon completion and ensuring handover is effectively captured
• Playing an active part in the contract management framework via involvement in relevant, regular operational meetings
• Undertaking stock condition surveys on schemes as requested and / or feeding key condition information into the asset / attribute register
• Working with colleagues in the Homeownership Team to monitor and control budget expenditure, and in setting realistic budgets for future years
• Playing your part in the contract management framework by playing an active part in any regular operational meetings
• Feel confident in their knowledge base to be able to challenge the service providers to ensure the right standard of workmanship and delivery promises are kept
• Resolve customer issues and complaints in a professional and timely fashion, ensuring all involved in the issue / complaint learn from them and are committed not to repeat
• Bringing our values to life through your everyday actions and words
• Owning policies and procedures which support the clarity of service delivery and standards application
• Where necessary, responding to emergency out of hours service enquires, occasionally attending emergency repairs out of hours
• Collaborating with colleagues to ensure void properties, which come into our ownership, are managed effectively
• Validating the schedule of works to ensure all works as required under the void lettable standard have been scheduled for completion, as well as any other relevant works to bring the property to a sellable standard
• Inspecting void properties as works progress and maintaining a strict regime of 100% walk off of all voids upon completion
• Playing the key role in ensuring a proactive approach is taken in obtaining estimated completion dates from contractors that are reasonable and reflective of the works entailed
• Conducting energy performance certificate surveys where required
• Undertaking stock condition surveys on voids as requested and / or feeding key home condition information into the asset / attribute register

The must haves

• HND Building or equivalent, or qualified through experience
• Attained or working towards a technical qualification –maintenance / construction
• Evidence of regular study in support of continued professional development
• Strong and demonstrable contract, performance and budget management knowledge / skills
• Ability to interpret legislation and understand building products and their associated life cycles
• Be able to prioritise workloads and meet deadlines, working with minimal supervision
• Good interpersonal communications and time management skillsBe a team player
• Customer focus-able to see service provided through the customers’ eyes
• Honesty and integrity
• Be confident to challenge
• Numeracy and literacy skills essential
• IT literacy, as well as the ability to use company operational software
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for business use

The added extras

• You’ll be adept at change, having got hands on experience living and breathing new ways of working and knowing how to bring your colleagues along for the experience

Benefits

• 28 days paid holiday per year rising by 1 day per year up to a maximum of one working week
• Option to purchase additional holiday of up to 2 of your working weeks (at managers discretion)
• Flexi-time scheme
• Salary based contributory pension
• Scheme with Life Assurance cover or a defined contribution pension
• Scheme (SHPS)
• Cycle Scheme
• Learning & Development opportunities
• Employee Assistance Programme          

Notice Period

• 1 Month                 

Interview Date

• TBC