Programme Manager for Asset Management
Interim 6 month contract
££ flexible daily rate INSIDE IR35
Directorate: Homes & Investment
Job purpose:
To establish and lead the council’s Asset Planning and Intelligence function in shadow form.
The role will create the evidence base, planning discipline and second-line challenge needed to support safe, decent and sustainable homes, and a deliverable long-term asset strategy.
This is not a delivery role. It sits between delivery and performance. It brings together stock condition, repairs, compliance, resident and financial information, turns that into a planned and prioritised investment programme, and provides challenge and quality assurance outside first-line delivery teams.
The role will lead through a mix of direct management, functional authority and matrix working, and will advise on the permanent operating model once the shadow arrangement has been tested.
Main responsibilities:
1. Lead the establishment of the Asset Planning and Intelligence function in shadow form, including its purpose, scope, ways of working and relationship with Repairs, Compliance, Performance, Finance and Procurement.
2. Lead the development of the council’s housing asset strategy and medium-term investment priorities.
3. Create and oversee the stock intelligence framework, bringing together stock condition, repairs, compliance, resident and financial information to support investment decisions.
4. Turn that evidence into a prioritised planned investment and capital programme aligned to the HRA, statutory duties, resident priorities and wider council objectives.
5. Provide second-line challenge and quality assurance across planned works, major works and asset-related delivery, outside first-line delivery teams.
6. Lead programme controls for asset planning, including re-prioritisation, assumptions, risk, dependencies, decision logs and exception reporting.
7. Put in place the operating framework for the new arrangement, including decision rights, interfaces and escalation routes across Asset Planning, Repairs, Compliance and Performance.
8. Ensure resident and leaseholder insight informs investment planning, consultation, access planning and disruption management.
9. Strengthen commercial and procurement grip around future investment planning and contract strategy, working with corporate commercial colleagues where appropriate.
10. Improve the council’s grip on stock intelligence, investment planning and asset-related decision making by reducing dependence on individual knowledge and strengthening data quality, governance and system discipline.
11. Advise senior leaders on strategic choices, trade-offs and risks relating to asset planning, investment priorities, affordability, delivery confidence and sequencing.
12. Lead and develop the staff and matrix resources supporting the function, setting clear expectations, standards and ways of working.
13. Review the shadow arrangement and advise on the longer-term team shape, resource model and formal role boundaries once the function has been tested in practice.
PERSON SPECIFICATION:
Essential
1. Significant senior experience in social housing asset management, housing investment, or a closely related public asset environment.
2. Strong track record of turning stock condition, repairs, compliance and financial information into strategic investment decisions and deliverable programmes.
3. Strong understanding of asset intelligence, stock data, lifecycle planning, assurance and programme controls.
4. Experience of leading across multiple teams and functions, not just managing a single delivery service.
5. Strong commercial and procurement understanding, including contract strategy, investment planning and delivery confidence.
6. Ability to create clarity, decision rights and accountability in a complex service environment.
7. Strong analytical skills, including the ability to make sound judgements where data is incomplete or still maturing.
8. Ability to work credibly with senior leaders, elected members, residents, leaseholders and technical professionals.
9. Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex asset and investment issues in clear, practical language.
10. Experience of leading change, improving ways of working and building functions or teams through periods of transition.
Desirable
12. Strong knowledge of the social housing regulatory environment, including consumer standards, decent homes, compliance assurance and building safety interfaces.
13. Relevant professional qualification or membership, for example RICS, CIOB, CIH or equivalent.
14. Experience of building or reshaping an asset strategy, asset intelligence or PMO-style function.
15. Experience of working in a local authority housing environment.
16. Experience of using resident insight to shape service or investment decisions.
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