About the role

We want everyone in our district to be able to access a decent home and therefore delivering homes to meet local needs is a key priority.  We are looking for an inspirational Housing Development & Strategy Manager to join our friendly Housing team in Hertford.  

The housing challenges in East Herts are great but so are our ambitions.

• Our recently adopted District Plan sees a further 15,000 new homes being developed over the coming 15 years.
• We regularly achieve our target of 40% affordable home on eligible sites but this can take some negotiation.
• We have recently established our own housing company to build homes for affordable and private rent – the Housing Development and Strategy Manager acts for the company in leading new development.
• Together with colleagues at Hertfordshire County Council we wish to expand the provision of specialist housing in the district.
• We have large range of registered providers operating in the district, all demanding our attention.

There’s a lot to do!

Some of the main responsibilities include:

• Working with national, regional and local partner organisations to develop innovative ways of increasing affordable housing supply;
• Maximisation of delivery of affordable homes, together with planning colleagues;
• Management of housing development projects for the council and its housing company;
• Provision of advice and support to all partners and stakeholders working towards meeting housing need;
• Identifying and quantifying housing needs in East Herts and seek out ways to meet these needs;
• Providing in-depth advice to senior officers and elected members;
• Formulating and monitoring the council’s housing strategies; and
• Providing advice to Town and Parish Councils on neighbourhood plans and rural exception sites.

About you

The ideal candidate will:

• be up for the challenge  of ensuring housing supply and delivery is at the centre of the Council’s priorities;
• be a strong team player able to work across a variety of partnership arrangements;
• be able to draw on expertise and experience of development and enabling;
• have an understanding of development viability and grant funding mechanisms;
• have a good understanding of the current affordable housing policy context;
• be educated to graduate level or similar and/or hold a professional or technical qualification or similar; and
• have access to use of a car for work.

About us

East Herts is consistently rated as amongst the best areas in the country to live, with excellent schools and healthcare, a huge array of green space, beautiful waterways, unique market towns and picturesque villages.  We also enjoy high levels of employment and a diverse local economy.

The vision of the Council is to provide East Hertfordshire residents and businesses with a future that is prosperous and sustainable. In order to achieve this, a number of strategic objectives have been developed, which allow the Council in conjunction with its many partners to focus on the key issues that concern the residents of East Hertfordshire.

Whatever their role, everyone contributes to delivering great services to our local community. Our vision is to preserve the unique character of East Herts and ensure it remains one of the best places to live and work. To accomplish this, our focus is to improve the health and wellbeing of our communities, enhance the quality of people's lives and enable a flourishing local economy.

Our team is at the very heart of our council – we recognise that together with our elected members, we make the difference to our local communities. We are dedicated to staff development and individual success within a team framework. To help our staff deliver, we provide a supportive work environment, development opportunities and work to help everyone achieve their potential, whilst enjoying a positive work-life balance. 

Benefits of working for us

• A variety of flexible working options available, including part-time working, job share, compressed hours and home working
• Flexi-time scheme
• Free tea and coffee
• Local Government pension scheme
• Generous  annual leave
• A range of discounts including high street retailers and local leisure centres
• Professional environment where your career path really matters and your development is supported by the organisation
• Flexible and supportive team

As part of our Green Travel agenda we actively encourage employees to explore more economical and eco-friendly means of travel to work, e.g. public transport, cycle, walk or car share, and support this through a number of initiatives such as Liftshare.

How to apply
For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact either Jonathan Geall, Head of Housing and Health, on 01992 531594 or Claire Bennett, Service Manager - Housing Services, on 01279 65 5261.

To apply, please visit our website www.eastherts.gov.uk/jobs.

Closing date:  Monday 20 May 2019 at 9am.  CVs will not be accepted.

If you do not hear from us within 2 weeks of the closing date please assume that your application has not been successful.

If your application has been successful, the recruiting manager will contact you to invite you to an interview.  We hope you enjoy the process and look forward to making contact with you very soon.

EHC is an equal opportunity employer committed to embracing a diverse and inclusive work environment. We aim to attract and retain the best people regardless of their gender, marital/parental status, ethnic origin, nationality, age, background, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity