Housing & Income Manager (Care)
Job Description
Job Title: Housing & Income ManagerContract Type: PermanentSalary: £42,802.07 (£44,208.22 is achieved after 18 months successful performance in the role)Working Hours: Full Time – 37.5 HoursWorking Pattern: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm Location: Leacroft Lodge, Canning Town, Newham
If you share our values and are excited about making a significant impact at Riverside, please ensure you attach a current CV and covering letter. At Riverside we recruit to potential not just on skills and experience, so we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all the essential criteria on the job description.
Please note that whilst we will accept applications on the basis of any form of valid legal permission to work in the UK, we will be surrendering the Riverside Sponsorship licence, so for the avoidance of doubt, we are unable to apply for any further sponsorships whether on behalf of existing colleagues or candidates.
The difference you will make as a Housing & Income Manager
Working closely with Registered Care Managers and internal teams to manage and deliver an effective housing and income management service across the Care Regions. This will include services where Riverside are the care provider and others where we have third party providers delivering the care to ensure we are delivering safe, compliant, and high-quality customer service. The role will focus on driving operational excellence through health and safety compliance, property maintenance, arrears management, void minimisation, and strong stakeholder engagement with local authorities, care providers and contractors to en-sure CQC compliance
About you
We are looking for someone with (to be taken from essential criteria)
• Experience of managing and motivating teams.
• Strong knowledge of housing management and income management within social housing.
• Experience in health and safety compliance and property management.
• Up to date knowledge of legislation, regulations and standards relating to social housing and income collection, welfare reform, and Universal Credit. Why Riverside?
One Housing is a part of Riverside, At Riverside, we’re a housing association with a difference – enhancing the everyday for all our customers. For 90 years, we’ve been revitalising neighbourhoods and supporting communities by providing the homes they need to live full, fulfilling and rewarding lives.
We have a portfolio of over 75,000 affordable residential and retirement homes across the UK. Our work ranges from homelessness services to social care, employment support to retirement living, and we need the best people on board to help us.
Working with us, you’ll enjoy:
• Competitive pay & generous pension
• 28 days holidays plus bank holidays
• Flexible working options available
• Investment in your learning, personal development and technology
• A wide range of benefits
Diversity and Inclusion at Riverside:
We are inclusive. At Riverside, we value diversity in all its forms. We foster a workplace where all individuals are respected, empowered, and heard. Our commitment to inclusivity drives our success and enriches the lives of our customers and colleagues.
Riverside is a Disability Confident Employer and operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for any applicant who declares they have a disability. If the applicant meets the minimum requirements for the role (as set out in the role profile and/or person specification) they will be guaranteed an interview.
Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to avoid disappointment.
Role ProfileLead and engage a team:
• Manage a team across a geographical patch of Income Officers and Housing Co-ordinators to create a safe environment where colleagues can talk openly and honestly.
• Recruit great people for your team and ensure they have the right skills and knowledge to deliver to their role and promote continuous development.
• Hold regular ‘one-to-one’ sessions to reflect on achievements, performance and sup-port individual personal wellbeing.
• Undertake six-monthly performance reviews to support and guide colleagues to fulfil their potential.
• Facilitate regular team meetings to update and empower your team to share ideas and best practice.
• Embrace reflective practice techniques so that the team can learn from their experiences.
• Recognise, praise, and acknowledge the achievements of your colleagues and team.
Lead Income Management
• Lead an income collection service across the region (rents and service charge and other income) to deliver a high performing income management service.
• Meet Riverside arrears performance targets.
• Train and monitor the performance of Income Officers, ensuring arrears procedures are followed methodically and effectively.
• Deliver a tenancy sustainment and advice service to customers, by maximising their income i.e. claiming correct benefits, ensuring that the team support customers to maintain their tenancy through effective budget management
• Provide guidance and knowledge of housing benefits to the region and team to ensure housing benefit is maximised.
• Prevent evictions by effectively managing income collection approach.
• Approve invoices, allocate payments, and manage rent account adjustments.
Lead Void & Allocation Management
• Support the Registered Care Managers in delivering an effective allocation service by managing voids effectively, attending referral/allocations meetings (as required) to allocate units to ensure customer’s needs are met and voids are minimised.
• Ensure policies are implemented in relation to customers meeting tenancy requirements (landlord checks and affordability).
• Ensure the customer sign up procedure is implemented effectively and provides a high level of customer service that supports income maximisation for our customers.
• Lead the team to deliver an effective end-of-tenancy to re-let process following the void procedure, serving notice and ending tenancies as per Riverside Policy Frame-work.
• Lead on hearing appeals, serving notice and ending of tenancies as per policy framework
Lead Housing Management
• Manage the team to ensure compliance with health and safety standards and procedures, including legionella testing, fire safety and maintaining H&S logbooks.
• Promote and implement all other policies and procedures to ensure your team are effective and always delivering a safe service and reporting risks.
• Ensure there is a robust system for regular building checks, first impression checks, and oversee facilities (cleaning, landscaping, window cleaning).
• Manage repairs process: act as first point of contact, book and chase repairs, liaise with contractors, escalating and working with asset management or other contracts as required.
• Have awareness and understanding of contractual services to ensure we maximise contract value and to provide a good service to our customers.
• Ensure welfare checks for customers are being carried out in the appropriate ser-vices and support with the maintenance of our accommodation.
• Be the point of contact on all Housing Management matters with services where we are not the Care Provider.
Leading the Service
• Participate in the setting and management of service budgets.
• Manage income, re-lets and voids performance targets to support the Regional care manager and Registered Manager to maximise profitability.
• Work with all operational colleagues and finance to report and explain any financial variances that impact profitability.
• Meet Riverside Key performance Indicators.
• Work together with operational colleagues to set expectations and performance targets.
• Produce reports and other written documentation as required for service delivery.
• Guide your team to record customer information on Riverside and relevant local or external digital platforms, ensuring information is clear, accurate and strengths based.
• Actively build positive relationships with all key stakeholders by attending forums, task groups and networking events to promote and position Riverside as the preferred provider in the area.
• Carry out additional projects in relation to developing the Care services functions.
• Build partnerships with regional and other colleagues across Riverside, participating in wider initiatives.
Other Information
• You will be required to work flexibly to meet customer and business needs, which may include out-of-hour working and participating in an “on-call” rota
• Undertake regular training and take responsibility for continuous development to enable you to deliver your role safely
• Use the Lone Worker system as and when necessary
• Ensure customers are always safe - carrying out all your duties within Riverside’s Policy and Procedure Policy and Procedure framework e.g. health & safety, safeguarding, dignity at work, GDPR, cash handling, etc
• Deliver your role in line with Riverside company values – “Our Riverside Way”
• Participate in team meetings, attend regular supervisions and reflective practice sessions
• From time to time, you may be required to undertake additional duties and responsibilities in consultation with your Line Manager
Person specificationKnowledge, Skills and Experience Essential
• Experience of managing and motivating teams.
• Strong knowledge of housing management and income management within social housing.
• Experience in health and safety compliance and property management.
• Up to date knowledge of legislation, regulations and standards relating to social hous-ing and income collection, welfare reform, and Universal Credit.
• Proven ability to manage voids and allocations effectively.
• Leadership experience with ability to coach and develop teams.
• Financial acumen for rent accounting, budgeting, and arrears management.
• Proven track record of effective stakeholder management, both internally and exter-nal to the organisation.
Desirable
• Familiarity with housing systems (Open Housing, Salesforce, IBM) and reporting tools (Tableau)
• Housing, Health or Social qualification or accredited equivalent and evidence of continuing professional development.
• Experience of working with older customer groups