Director of Tenant Services

Are you a housing leader who believes landlord services should feel human, as well as being compliant and high-performing? Are you ready to take the strategic lead for a whole tenant services function and shape where it goes next?

We're delighted to be partnering with a respected Norfolk-based social housing provider to recruit their new Director of Tenant Services. This is a pivotal appointment on the Senior Leadership Team, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, for someone who can set direction, inspire people to deliver it, and keep tenants and communities at the heart of everything.

The role

You'll be the strategic lead for Housing, Independent Living, and Service Charges, Rent & Income, working through three Heads of Service. It's a role that needs both vision and grip. You'll be looking outward at where the sector is heading and bringing the best thinking back in. You'll also stay close enough to tenants and frontline teams to know how services really feel, and step in when things need to improve.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Setting a clear, ambitious direction for Tenant Services that turns the organisation's social purpose into services that make a real difference.
• Driving performance, value for money and service improvement, using data, complaints and tenant insight to redesign how things work.
• Providing assurance to the Executive Team and Board on regulatory compliance, Consumer Standards, risk and governance. The aim is to protect a strong regulatory position while building a culture that goes beyond compliance.
• Overseeing high-risk areas including safeguarding, ASB, domestic abuse, tenancy fraud and tenancy sustainment, and making sure lessons from complaints and Ombudsman findings lead to lasting change.
• Leading the continued development of a fair, transparent and sustainable service charge model, bringing Housing, Assets and Finance together.
• Building a confident, accountable leadership team, and developing talent and succession across the directorate.
• Representing the organisation with partners, regulators and sector networks.

What you'll bring

• Substantial senior leadership or Director-level experience in housing, or in a comparable regulated, customer-facing environment.
• A proven track record of leading service transformation and cultural change at scale.
• Deep knowledge of housing regulation, Consumer Standards, safeguarding and Ombudsman expectations.
• Experience working with Boards and Executive Teams, providing confident assurance, insight and challenge.
• Strong financial and commercial management, including significant budgets. Service charge governance experience is a real plus.
• A degree or equivalent professional experience, plus CIH Level 5 (or willingness to achieve it within an agreed timeframe) and ongoing professional development.
• Experience leading services through regulatory inspection or external scrutiny is desirable.

What they're looking for in you

Above all, they want an authentic, values-driven leader with a genuine passion for social housing and what it can do for people's lives. You'll be politically astute and commercially aware. You'll be able to win hearts and minds through change, and you'll combine high expectations with compassion and curiosity.

Working arrangements

The role is based at the organisation's South Norfolk head office, with flexible hybrid working by agreement. You'll need to travel independently to multiple sites and external meetings. The appointment is subject to a Basic DBS check.

This is a confidential search, so the client's name will be shared with shortlisted candidates. For a discreet conversation, please contact Emma Baylis or Rebecca Crossfield at Select Recruitment Specialists, or apply with your CV.

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