Head of Legal (Litigation)

As the Head of Legal (Litigation), you will lead a multi-disciplinary legal function within NHG's newly centralised Legal Services team, delivering expert and customer-focused litigation services across housing management, landlord and tenant matters, income collection, and debt recovery. You will act as a trusted legal adviser to senior stakeholders, providing authoritative guidance on complex housing litigation matters including disrepair claims, anti-social behaviour, tenancy enforcement, service charge disputes, arrears possession proceedings, leasehold disputes, and debt recovery. Your leadership will ensure that NHG maintains high standards of compliance, governance, risk management, and operational effectiveness across all areas of litigation. Reporting into the Director of Legal, you'll lead and develop a high-performing team of solicitors, paralegals, and legal administrators, driving a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and service excellence. How you'll do it

Responsibilities

• Lead the provision of legal advice and litigation support across housing management and landlord and tenant matters, including disrepair, ASB, tenancy fraud, injunctions, leasehold disputes, and breach of tenancy cases.
• Oversee all debt recovery litigation activity across the organisation, including arrears possession claims and related enforcement actions.
• Manage and supervise a specialist legal team, ensuring high-quality legal services are delivered efficiently and compliantly.
• Ensure appropriate legal work is undertaken in-house where cost effective, including drafting pleadings, claim forms, witness statements, and legal documentation.
• Develop and improve legal processes, procedures, and governance arrangements to ensure effective and compliant service delivery.
• Manage relationships with external solicitors and barristers, ensuring value for money and strong performance management.
• Deliver legal training and guidance to operational colleagues, supporting teams to proactively manage housing law and debt recovery matters.
• Horizon scan legislative and regulatory developments relating to housing law and litigation, ensuring stakeholders remain informed of emerging risks and changes.
• Monitor team caseloads, KPIs, and reporting requirements to ensure performance standards are achieved.
• Provide senior-level legal advice and support to colleagues and stakeholders across NHG., If you are successful and are offered this role with us, this offer will be subject to a number of pre-employment checks, including checks of your public online presence and public social media profiles. If you have any questions about what this will involve, please speak to a member of the HR Team.

We believe great service starts with great people, and we are committed to recruiting and developing passionate, enthusiastic, and talented individuals who can add value to our thriving organisation. Pending confirmation of legislative changes, this role may require a qualification to demonstrate competence. If not already qualified, there may be an expectation to study towards a professional qualification.

Essential

• Qualified Solicitor of England and Wales with a valid Practising Certificate.
• Minimum 5 years PQE.
• Experience working within a social housing legal department, housing association, local authority, or private practice environment.
• Expert knowledge of housing law, landlord and tenant legislation, debt recovery, and litigation processes.
• Strong leadership and people management experience.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience managing complex legal caseloads within a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong understanding of risk management and compliance frameworks.Proficiency using legal databases, case management systems, and Microsoft Office.
• Ability to provide strategic, pragmatic, and resident‑focused legal advice.

Notting Hill Genesis is a not‑for‑profit organisation providing affordable homes for Londoners and it is now one of the largest housing associations in London. We are both a landlord and a developer, with more than 65,000 existing homes and 10,000 more in our pipeline and we employ around 1,800 employees.

Benefits

• Excellent annual leave allowance and flexible working opportunities (qualifying period may apply)
• Generous pension scheme
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption pay in addition to statutory entitlements (qualifying period may apply)
• Employee assistance - free confidential advice and counselling services provided by independent specialist organisations.
• Health cash plan
• Staff discounts - we give our staff access to discounts at hundreds of major retailers, gyms, restaurants, entertainment, days out, insurance, and much more.
• Interest free loans - season ticket loan, tenancy deposit loan, and training loan
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Life Assurance x 4 annual salary

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