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Neighbourhood Manager

Employer
Origin Housing
Location
Edmonton Green, London (Greater)
Salary
£34,721 per annum
Closing date
2 Jun 2022

Job Details

Origin – shaping communities; building lives

Origin exists to make change happen for the good of communities. We help people by providing affordable homes – but that’s not enough.  We support vulnerable residents to lead happy and better lives. We empower our staff to take action and rise to every challenge with ‘can do’ positivity.

Good people are the future of our innovative, working community. We have placed an exciting ‘People’ strategy at the heart of our culture – to support training and personal development, to deliver our values and to move Origin forward.

We describe this new approach as NWOW: New Ways of Working. NWOW is about meeting business outcomes, you’ll enjoy greater autonomy over how you deliver your role, how you manage outputs and when you spend time at work, allowing you to benefit from any productivity gains in the course of delivering your role.

This shift in culture will be built on a mature and mutual relationship of trust between managers and yourselves, ensuring we live up to one of our key values of Build Trust. By working with this new relationship model, we can aim toward focusing on ‘outputs’ and not ‘outcomes. Space is allocated to ‘activities’ and not ‘individuals’ by providing a range of flexible working options that benefit both customers and staff. As a result, your work can take place at the most effective location and at the most effective time. Put simply, flexibility becomes the norm rather than the exception. This is the new Origin Housing way of working.

The opportunity

We’re looking for a committed and motivated person to be responsible for delivering a proactive, high quality customer focused and efficient neighbourhood property management service to Origin’s residents, managing all general needs, intermediate and market rent properties and schemes, resolving issues at the point of first contact, ensuring value for money service to our customers. Working collaboratively with other teams, you will be inventive, and solution focused to ensure the delivery of a seamless customer service, providing an exceptional customer experience to our organisation.

What you’ll do

Give your time

  • Act as a central point of contact for residents on all queries, providing a ‘one stop shop’ for customers, liaising with internal departments as necessary to ensure that customer enquiries are dealt with efficiently and within service standards and KPI’s.
  • To actively engage with the Development Team, ensuring you are involved in the development process from day one, establishing early design/service principles on new schemes and developing robust management plans for these, and that new schemes are operationally sustainable and meet the needs of our customers. Ensure all customer and estate defects are managed in line with contractually agreed timescales/Defect Liability Period. 
  • Manage and monitor tenancies effectively, using systems, evidencing, record keeping and identifying/taking action on any breaches. Make appropriate judgements about how to deal with tenancy breaches to ensure excellent services are delivered in line with Origin policies and procedures, including identifying and acting on housing fraud.
  • Manage all tenancy/neighbourhood processes through to completion, in line with statutory timescales and policies and procedures, recharging costs for services where appropriate, including: mutual exchanges, successions, management transfers, settling in visits, tenancy audits, changes to the tenancy, alteration requests, tort notices etc.
  • Progress and prepare cases for court, and represent Origin at Court as required, ensuring any potential financial implications and risks are highlighted to Senior Management.
  • Achieve all team and personal targets and objectives, including Fire Risk Actions and Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPS).
  • Putting Safety First - work with colleagues to make sure we meet all our statutory obligations and regulatory standards as a landlord, particularly in terms of fire safety.
  • Actively participating in the Building Safer Future work stream and leading on areas as required.
  • To be an advocate for the neighbourhood, being out and about proactively managing our estates, knowing our people, raising the profile of the area with businesses, statutory and voluntary agencies, local authorities and amongst residents themselves
  • Assist/answer complaints/MP/Councillor enquiries within required timescales.
  • Complete tenancy sign-ups and inductions for new tenants and oversee the letting of secondary units.
  • Support vulnerable residents to manage tenancies, sign posting to internal and external support services.
  • Take the lead in hoarding cases, working collaboratively with internal and external partners to manage risk.

Bring people together

  • Manage and resolve tenancy and estate management issues across multiple tenures, including general needs, market & intermediate rent and hospital sites/accommodation
  • Build and sustain thriving and cohesive neighbourhoods by effectively managing schemes, providing a high-quality management service, including leading on tackling and resolving anti-social behaviour, working jointly with the Home Ownership Team where required.
  • Regular liaison with the Rents & Service Charge Team to review service charge expenditure against the budgets, picking up on variances and ensuring these are communicated to residents.
  • Lead on arranging and attending resident liaison meetings to discuss estimated budgets, actual accounts and any other relevant consultation
  • Work closely with the Development and Sales Teams to ensure a seamless handover of new properties to new residents and a high quality and responsive service is provided on all resident enquiries.
  • To work in collaboration with the Property Maintenance Team and Estate Services teams, to ensure estates are clean, safe and well maintained.
  • To support other teams in consultations for regeneration and major works programmes, and where required, the decanting of residents.
  • To promote tenancy sustainment through joint working with the Income Recovery Team, supporting income collection in order to help tenants remain in their homes and free of debt.
  • To maintain/develop all communication for residents, including the website, social media, notice boards, articles etc.

Come forward with a can-do attitude

  • Ensure that all services are consistently delivered to an excellent standard, in order to achieve safe and sustainable communities and high levels of customer satisfaction.
  • Be the champion for ASB across the organisation, ensuring ASB is managed in line with policies and procedures, with positive interventions and effective case management.
  • Market home ownership to those that have tenure choice, maximising the value of our assets to influence sales receipts and staircasing both in terms of volume and greater levels of equity.
  • Submit proposals for funding from the neighbourhood improvement funding/spending and manage cross team projects to deliver sustained improvements in service delivery/economic/social/physical improvements.
  • Identify potential improvements to services, policies and systems, and prepare reports for Senior Management as required.
  • Take an active role on all new systems and process development and implementation for use in the team, to ensure efficient working and the best outcome for customers.
  • A flexible approach and a willingness to provide cover involving estate and resident home visits, travelling to other offices and mobile working across a wide geographical area.
  • Proactive approach to understanding customers’ needs and taking effective action to deliver excellent services.

Go the extra, extra mile

  • Act as a champion for the customer and drive a resident involvement culture across your schemes, being proactive with customer engagement (and having a visible presence on schemes), liaising with the Community Development Team and key external stakeholders including the police and safer neighbourhood teams in order to provide a high quality service. 
  • To ensure that residents are involved, engaged in and satisfied with the services and neighbourhood initiatives; supporting them to shape service delivery; including supporting the local community and other resident’s groups
  • To positively network with other agencies, bringing service providers and residents together at a local level to combine effort and resources, share experiences and develop shared approaches to service delivery that are responsive and appropriate to the local area.
  • Contribute to effective team working and provide training and appropriate cover for colleagues as required.
  • Flexibility of working hours to meet deadlines where appropriate and prepared to attend evening/weekend meetings.
  • Ability to respond to occasional out of hours emergencies
  • To deputise for the Neighbourhood Team Manager as required.
  • To carry out any other duties relevant to the role.

What you’ll need

Knowledge/Qualifications:

  • Qualification in housing related/property management field (desirable).
  • 5 GCSE (Grades A-C including English & Maths) or equivalent qualification and/or relevant experience
  • Strong knowledge in housing/tenant legislation

A motivational approach

  • Experience of delivering excellent customer services and a general can-do attitude.
  • Handling customer enquiries and problem solving within a high-pressured environment.
  • Able to deal calmly and effectively with challenging situations and people.    
  • A positive approach to work and a willingness to take responsibility for own actions.
  • Flexibility of working hours to meet deadlines where appropriate and prepared to attend evening/weekend meetings.
  • Ability to respond to occasional out of hours emergencies
  • Highly self-aware, self-motivating and committed to your own personal development.

Relationship building skills

  • We reach out to third parties to help us; you’ll need experience of setting up and maintaining successful partnerships.
  • Proactive approach to understanding customers’ needs and taking effective action to deliver excellent services.
  • Demonstrable results of working across directorates and external organisations to deliver customer focussed outcomes for customers.
  • A strong team player, flexible in your approach and open to change.

Proven ability

  • Experience in a Neighbourhood Management or similar property management background.
  • Able to work using own initiative and judgment with minimal guidance.
  • Ability to meet deadlines within a high volume, time critical, highly regulated environment.
  • Practical understanding of equal opportunities issues and commitment to valuing diversity.
  • Experience of dealing with antisocial behaviour.
  • Understanding of service charge management.
  • Experience of managing new build properties and development handovers. (desirable).
  • Experience of delivering excellent customer services.
  • Experience of building and sustaining positive and effective partnerships.
  • Experience of resident involvement and/or community investment work.
  • Experience of negotiation and mediation to achieve a successful outcome.
  • Handling customer enquiries and problem solving within a high-pressured environment.

Confident verbal, written and technical skills

  • Excellent verbal communication skills including assertiveness, listening, negotiating and influencing skills.
  • Excellent written communication skills for effective correspondence, record keeping and report writing.
  • Awareness of budgeting principals.
  • Excellent attention to detail.
  • Experience in the use of housing systems (preferably Orchard).
  • Experience of identifying, initiating and implementing service improvements.
  • Commercial awareness and approach.

Essential Car User

  • Ability to drive and access to a car 

Do you share our values?

Value 1. Take the lead

Take action, get involved, listen, challenge, be objective, question, help, try things out, make a difference.  We embrace change and are inspired and encouraged to make change happen.

Value 2. Create energy

We direct our energy towards moving things forward. We gain energy from our achievements which, in turn, motivates us even more.

Value 3. Build trust

There exists a common trust between us; our residents and each other. We are inclusive, united by our shared goal to build thriving communities where people can prosper and grow.

Value 4. Be generous

We are committed to giving more of ourselves - it comes naturally to us. From this we feel fulfilled.

Value 5. Stay grounded

We 'get' life; we know where it can take people - sometimes up, sometimes down. We're realistic and pragmatic in our approach. We believe it is our social responsibility to get individuals, families and communities back on track.

Value 6. Remember the little things

We're here to make the world a better place; one small action at a time. Little things add up and become a big change.

Additionally, we would like you to:

  • To comply with all Origin’s policies, procedures, financial regulations and standing orders.

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 experience meets the role above. We have outlined the key behaviours and values we’ll expect of you, and the knowledge, experience and skills you need to do the job. You’ll be assessed on all these elements at various stages throughout the selection process. You can find out more about us by simply visiting www.originhousing.org.uk

Please note we will be asking for satisfactory references and DBS check. Successful applicants for interview will be contacted within seven days after the closing date.

Benefits for the right person

We reward our people for the work they do. We appreciate commitment, initiative and going the
extra mile. At Origin, our comprehensive range of benefits care about the ‘whole’ person. As well
as offering you great-to-have discounts, we look after your health and well-being too –
personalising your benefits package to you.

We offer:

  • Access to a range of discounts on services, products and experiences. Not simply picked
    at random but personalised to you
  • Tailor-made Healthcare plans and/or insurance plans – let us know your preference
  • An Employee Assistance Programme that supports your well-being and is there to provide
    valuable help at all times
  • A choice of rewards that you choose where to spend
  • An Awards recognition scheme that champions individual achievement

See our new benefits portal where you can select the options that suit your lifestyle.

Thank you for your interest in Origin.

Company

About Origin Housing

We are a registered social landlord, managing over 7,000 homes in London and Hertfordshire. We provide affordable housing in our communities as well as related care and support services to the people who live in them. 

Origin Housing started life in 1924 as St. Pancras House Improvement Society, a charitable organisation founded by Father Basil Jellicoe because of a belief that good quality affordable housing is a foundation for a successful life.

Thanks to a subsequent series of mergers with other organisations: Humanist Housing Association, Griffin Homes, and Lee Housing Association, we now work in 14 areas across North London and Hertfordshire.
 

Our vision Great homes: places where people are proud to live

We want to provide homes that people are proud to live in. Housing is a long-term commitment so it is important to us that we build quality property and continue to invest in keeping homes at modern standards over many decades.

We buy land and build homes for rent and for sale. We also buy homes directly from private house builders.

 The homes are for:

  • letting at a subsidised rent;
  • part-rent part-buy (called shared ownership);
  • outright sale – the profits from which support our charitable objectives.


We finance this by: raising loans; proceeds from sales; along with a small amount of government grant.
 

Positive people: responsive caring staff getting services right for customers

We strive to be a top-performing landlord, property manager and provider of care and support services. We want our customers to be positive about the services we provide. This means it is crucial that our staff are skilled, dedicated and positive people who are committed to providing the best possible customer service.

We recognise that to do this means we must listen to our customers, so we regularly seek feedback and work with customers to improve services is central to the way we operate.

Strong communities: helping people and neighbourhoods thrive

Our aim is to help people and neighbourhoods to thrive. Working in partnership with Local Authorities we provide under contract a range of care and support services to people who are vulnerable due to learning disabilities, old age or other issues.

We want our communities to be places where people feel safe and proud, and where they can aspire to reach their potential. To help achieve this, we run and support initiatives to encourage inclusion and involvement, helping people to become actively involved in building sustainable, healthy and vibrant neighbourhoods. We provide support for people to find sustainable employment, manage their money, and stay in their homes for longer.

 

Company info
Website
Telephone
020 7209 9222
Location
St Richards House
110 Eversholt Street
London
London
London
NW1 1BS
GB

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