Sovereign is one of the largest housing associations in the UK. We have almost 60,000 homes with around 140,000 residents, in 59 local authority areas across the south of England. Our homes are located in many and varied places, from cities to the seaside, in rural communities and small market towns.
Our geographical spread makes us different from other housing associations. We have the knowledge and ability to forge close local relationships, but we also enjoy national reach and the sway that comes with it. With deep connections to our communities, we’re also one of the largest providers of new and much-needed affordable homes in the sector.
We’re driven by our social purpose and want to create extraordinary spaces and places where people love to live and deliver more homes and excellent services for our customers, who are at the heart of everything we do.
We have 2,000 employees and we invest in our people to bring out the best in them so they can deliver what our customers truly need.
As well as more homes, we want to make better places for the long-term too so we’re trebling our investment in our communities to £3.5m a year, working alongside our residents and neighbours to help people fulfil their aspirations.
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis we’ve continued to provide essential services for our customers, working hard and fast to understand their changing needs and bringing forward new funding to help vulnerable people. We want to be a leader in excellent customer service, listening and involving our residents as we continue to transform how we work. We’ll also invest in our digital services so people can do business with us, simply and quickly.
It’s against this background that we’re now looking to bring in a new board member with a background in, and passion for, the social housing sector, and who brings expertise around shaping and delivering services to residents.
You’ll help ensure that, as Sovereign grows and develops, we evolve a more agile, cutting edge and human approach to service delivery and customer experience. You’ll play a key role alongside our Chair and other board members in ensuring that a customer-centric culture and partnership approach is living and breathing at board level and setting the tone for the organisation as a whole. You’ll have the opportunity to help future-proof Sovereign as a modern social landlord, and map the partnerships we’ll need at local, regional and national levels, in order to understand and serve our current and future customers, in an effective and sensitive way.
So, if you have strategic-level experience in providing social housing and neighbourhood services at scale, including service design and delivery, service improvement, and housing tenancy-related issues, we’d love to hear from you. You’ll also have a current knowledge of relevant legislation and regulation and an understanding of what excellent multi-channel customer service delivery looks like. We’re looking for someone who is passionate about social purpose, and who understands the needs, aspirations and links within the communities served by the housing associations, including diversity matters.
This post comes with an expected time commitment of around two days a month, and remuneration of £13,000 a year. Our new main office is in Basingstoke (43 minutes from Waterloo).
We’re firmly committed to improving diversity within Sovereign and welcome applications from the broadest possible range of backgrounds and perspectives.
Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to Sovereign on this appointment. For further information about the role, including details about how to apply, please visit www.saxbam.com/appointments using reference JAHAEC. Alternatively, telephone +44 (0)20 7227 0880 (during office hours). Applications should be received by noon on Friday 2nd October.