Head of Service - Temporary Accommodation (Secondment) at Birmingham City Council

, , United Kingdom -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

31 Jan, 26

Salary

85845.0

Posted On

02 Nov, 25

Experience

10 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Strategic Thinking, Leadership, Partnership Working, Project Delivery, Tenancy Management, Property Asset Management, Contract Negotiation, Risk Management, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, Equality and Diversity, Customer Experience, Commissioning, Procurement, Political Awareness, Communication Skills

Industry

Government Administration

Description

Head of Service - Temporary Accommodation Secondment Grade 7 - £66,627 - £85,845 -Pro Rata - Consultation grade - subject to formal evaluation under the Pay Equity Review Working 36.5 hours per week - Hybrid - 75% On Site Birmingham is a city with bold ambitions. As Europe’s youngest major city and one of the most diverse, we are committed to building a fairer, greener, and healthier city where everyone can thrive. Our Corporate Plan 2025–2028 places housing at the heart of this vision, with a strong focus on tackling inequality, improving housing standards, and preventing homelessness. The Temporary Accommodation Strategy (2023–2028) plays a vital role in achieving these priorities. It sets out a clear direction to reduce reliance on Bed & Breakfast accommodation, enhance the quality of support for homeless households, and expand access to affordable housing. Despite financial pressures and rising homelessness demand, Birmingham remains firmly committed to shifting from reactive crisis management to a proactive, prevention-led approach by addressing the root causes of homelessness, strengthening partnerships, commissioning effective prevention tools, and securing housing solutions that meet the diverse needs of our citizens. About the role: Our existing Head of Service for Temporary Accommodation will be moving on to a new role at Christmas, while we are recruiting for a permanent replacement we are keen to ensure continuity in this key position, and so are recruiting for a interim Head of Service for up to six months We are seeking a strategic, ambitious, and forward-thinking Head of Service – Temporary Accommodation to lead a high-impact service that plays a vital role in supporting Birmingham’s most vulnerable households. This is a critical leadership role, responsible for driving service improvement and delivering transformative housing outcomes across the city, including: Managing a £50m+ gross budget and leading 150+ staff. Ensuring temporary accommodation is safe, compliant, and fit for purpose. Ending the use of B&B for families staying over 6 weeks, a key measure of success. Delivering customer-focused support that enables successful move-on into secure housing. Leading procurement and contract management of accommodation providers. Driving performance improvement and value for money across the service. Collaborating with internal and external partners to deliver integrated housing solutions. You will play a pivotal role in reshaping our operating model to meet new challenges, including: A 22% rise in homelessness presentations in 2023/24 that hasn’t reduced. Over 5,500 households currently in temporary accommodation. Over 500 families with dependents in B&B for more than 6 weeks. What we are looking for: We are looking for a strategic thinker and inspiring leader with: A successful track record at senior level within the homelessness or housing sector. Experience leading large, diverse teams and building a high-performance culture. Strong partnership working skills with stakeholders including elected members, government departments, contractors, and support agencies. Proven ability to deliver complex housing projects and service transformation. Expertise in tenancy management, property asset management, and contract negotiation. A thorough understanding of risk management, health and safety and safeguarding. A commitment to equality, diversity, and improving customer experience. Key Attributes An empowering and collaborative leadership style. Passion for delivering exceptional housing services. Ability to build business cases for investment and drive performance. Experience in commissioning, procurement, and contract management. Political awareness and excellent communication skills. If you are looking for your next challenge and have the passion and drive to deliver the very best temporary accommodation provision and have the ability to ensure the best housing outcomes are delivered to vulnerable citizens, then this is the job for you. For any informal enquires please contact: Resourcing@birmingham.gov.uk If you are interested and would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact the Director for Housing Solutions and Support, stephen.philpott@birmingham.gov.uk to arrange a convenient time Please upload your up-to-date CV via the attachments part of your application, this is required for shortlisting. Unfortunately, we cannot consider any applications without a CV attached. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the communities we serve. Our data tells us that for this level of role, ethnic minorities are underrepresented and therefore we will use positive action to support us to achieve diverse shortlists. This may mean that recruitment times are a little longer, but we think this is worth it to achieve our aim. Birmingham City Council is an accredited Disability Confident Leader employer, and we are committed to employing, retaining and developing all of our people. We want to ensure your recruitment journey with us is a positive and equitable one, so please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments, additional support, accessibility needs, or if there is any way in which we can support you through your application. We welcome applications from people with caring responsibilities and flexible working options will be considered. A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be undertaken. Proof of Right to work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed. Job Description and Person Specification - A10192 HOS Temporary Accommodation GR7 JD Final 30 09 25.docx

Responsibilities

The Head of Service - Temporary Accommodation will lead a high-impact service focused on supporting vulnerable households in Birmingham. This role involves managing a significant budget, ensuring compliance and safety in temporary accommodations, and driving performance improvements.