We’re looking for a dynamic, strategic and resilient Head of Service - Domestic Abuse Matrix Lead.

£65,000.00 per annum, working 35 hours per week. Benefits include 25 days Annual Leave, pension schemes, staff discounts, healthcare and career progression.

Want to feel like you’re making a difference? You’ll feel at home here.

Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That’s why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren’t token gestures - we’ve thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.

As a key senior leader in Look Ahead, the Head of Service will work in alignment with the Director of Housing Related Support, and the wider Senior Management Team to drive performance, quality, business, and financial efficiencies. The role will provide expertise and capacity to support the organisation to deliver our vision and strategic objectives.

The Head of Service will be the strategic and operational lead ensuring delivery of consistent and high-quality performance across the Housing Related Support directorate. The successful candidate will ensure that all Services are run effectively, well managed financially and employees are performing at high levels.  

The Head of Service for Housing Related Support will be a Domestic Abuse Matrix Lead which is a key area in the directorate.

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

What you’ll do:

Leadership Accountabilities:

• Develop and maintain a culture that supports collaboration and service improvement whilst behaving like a role model, always displaying Look Ahead’s values and behaviours
• Contribute as a key member of Look Ahead’s Senior Management Team, leading and contributing to organisational strategic priorities and projects in a solution focused way
• Provide effective, visible leadership ensuring challenging objectives are set within a performance and quality focused environment
• Focus on external stakeholder management, maintaining and building new relationships to support organic growth and new business opportunities
• Lead a performance culture and deliver on budget, quality standards and full KPI compliance
• Lead by example, ensuring services are effectively managed by Service Managers and Deputy Managers to deliver excellent, high-quality services to all customers
• Work in collaboration with internal stakeholders to achieve objectives and meet targets
• Ensure all managers are coaching and developing their people resources to ensure the highest level of performance
• Successfully lead and motivate direct reports to ensure they are championing and maintaining a consistent and positive team culture
• Identify and develop talented employees through the PDR process, to meet the organisations commitment to employee succession planning and management development
• Ensure clear and concise communication with teams, setting clear team objectives and being accountable for delivery
• Ensure compliance with all relevant policies and procedures across area of responsibility

Operational Accountabilities:

• Responsible for ensuring Service Managers/budget holders deliver on budget; robust budget management practices, shared learning, increasing commercial capability at management level
• Maximise income through business development and remodelling opportunities
• Be responsible for identifying loss making contracts and lead on negotiations with Director of Housing Related Support to improve financial viability
• As part of wider management team, support new business opportunities across directorate
• Effective management of any safeguarding incidents and appropriate escalation of any emerging risks
• Undertake investigations as required
• Lead on ensuring all services are audit ready, striving for outstanding performance and deliver and adhering to compliance with policies and procedures
• Ensure compliance with Housing and Landlord is met across all services
• Ensure that all managers and employees promote greater opportunities for our customers to design, deliver and evaluate service delivery within the principles of co-production
• Ensure that Look Ahead’s environmental standards are upheld in all customer accommodation. Work closely with Look Ahead Property Services and/or external landlords to ensure that customers are living in accommodation that we would consider suitable for our own family members
• Effectively project lead service implementations, transformations and decommissions

Matrix Lead Responsibilities:

• Keep informed of legislative and policy changes to improve working practices and help inform strategy
• Knowledge of relevant regulatory requirements
• Working with Policy Group to develop new policies relevant to area of work
• Lead on innovation relevant to matrix lead area
• Working with Business Development on innovation, bids and opportunities that support this specialist area
• Work in partnership with other leads across directorate to ensure consistency and share good practice
• Support Learning and Development team with development of specialist training (reviewing content, sharing best practice etc.)

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead

The ideal person for this role will have: 

• Specialist experience and knowledge of working within the Housing Related Support sector, as well as expertise and passion for the relevant matrix lead area
• A positive attitude and ability to motivate direct reports
• Proven experience of being a strategic lead across relevant services
• Experience of successfully delivering in a contract and target driven environment
• Proven financial management experience and delivering surplus
• Previous experience of working with housing management contracts and agreements
• Experience of Safeguarding and responding effectively to serious incidents
• Excellent report writing skills
• Experience of successfully leading on new and existing contract negotiations
• Experience of leading investigations into serious incidents
• Experience of successfully managing and developing teams across geographical areas
• Ability to turn organisational vision into reality for front line employees
• High levels of written and verbal communication
• Proven influencing and negotiation skills
• Excellent prioritisation and organisational skills
• Resilience and ability to work effectively in a team as well as self-manage
• Ability to cope with change in a fast paced and challenging environment
• A degree or equivalent. Hold relevant CMI/NVQ Level 4 or other business/management qualification
• Have relevant training and/or specialist qualifications

(Internal applicants not holding these qualifications will not be automatically disqualified but, dependent on assessment of performance in current role, potential, skills, knowledge, abilities & general competence, may be required to undertake to study for them)

About us:

Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 120 services, providing support to around 6000 customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness, young people and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:

We focus on Excellence and innovation.
We are Caring and Compassionate.
We are Inclusive and Trusted.
We work in Partnership and are One-Team.

Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.
If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.