About The Role

Working Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week

Working Pattern: Monday to Friday, Hybrid

Location: Located anywhere in the UK

If you share our values and are excited about making a significant impact at Riverside, please ensure you attach a current CV and covering letter. At Riverside we recruit to potential not just on skills and experience, so we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all the essential criteria on the job description.

Please note that whilst we will accept applications on the basis of any form of valid legal permission to work in the UK, we will be surrendering the Riverside Sponsorship licence, so for the avoidance of doubt, we are unable to apply for any further sponsorships whether on behalf of existing colleagues or candidates.

The difference you will make as a Assistant Director of Operations (Housing & Support)

Due to an internal promotion, we are recruiting a new Assistant Director of Operations for our housing and support services.

This exciting national role leads our homelessness, older people and veteran services, and will be critical in the delivery of our new 5-year strategy. As a key member of our Care & Support Executive Team, you will play a leading part in defining the future direction of our services.

Leading a team of eight regional leads, covering every region of England, and working with peers across different teams within Riverside, you’ll be responsible for delivering great outcomes for customers.

As a senior leader in a leading provider of care and support services, you will also have the opportunity to shape the wider sector as a representative of Riverside, through active engagement with trade bodies and central government.

Given the geographical breadth of our services, location is flexible.

So, if you are passionate about the delivery of high-quality supported housing services, if you value the voice of lived experience, and if you can lead with compassion and kindness, we really want to hear from you!

About you

We are looking for someone with

Track record of effective senior leadership in a role with demanding objectives and delivery of business performance that exceeds expectations.
Wide ranging understanding of the context of social housing and the challenges it faces, in particular in relation to supported and retirement living services.
Wide ranging understanding of the context of support services, and what constitutes best practice.

Why Riverside?

At Riverside, we’re a housing association with a difference – enhancing the everyday for all our customers. For 90 years, we’ve been revitalising neighbourhoods and supporting communities by providing the homes they need to live full, fulfilling and rewarding lives.

We have a portfolio of over 75,000 affordable residential and retirement homes across the UK. Our work ranges from homelessness services to social care, employment support to retirement living, and we need the best people on board to help us.

Working with us, you’ll enjoy

Competitive pay & generous pension
25 days holidays plus bank holidays
Flexible working options available
Investment in your learning, personal development and technology
A wide range of benefits

Diversity and Inclusion at Riverside

We are inclusive. At Riverside, we value diversity in all its forms. We foster a workplace where all individuals are respected, empowered, and heard. Our commitment to inclusivity drives our success and enriches the lives of our customers and colleagues.

Riverside is a Disability Confident Employer and operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for any applicant who declares they have a disability. If the applicant meets the minimum requirements for the role (as set out in the role profile and/or person specification) they will be guaranteed an interview.

This role also falls under our Ethnic Diversity guaranteed interview scheme. If you are Ethnically Diverse and demonstrate you meet the minimum criteria for the role you will be guaranteed an interview.

Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to be considered.

Role Profile

The Assistant Director of Operations will report to the Director of Operations (C&S) and will play a pivotal role in

Ensuring our customer experience is central to all decisions made
Uniting, inspiring and developing our people
Leading and working collaboratively in order to deliver our vision, aspired culture, business plan and strategy
Ensuring our customer experience is central to all decisions made. You will be a trusted advisor to the Director and a reliable and supportive colleague of the C&S Senior Management Team.

You will be responsible for leading all operational support services and retirement living services by;

Ensuring customer feedback and satisfaction is central to everything that we do
Maintaining the C&S position as a sector leader, driving performance, high standards and efficient and effective ways of working
Influencing and working collaboratively with partners and stakeholders
Providing inspirational leadership to the operational teams within your remit
Managing and delivering the integration plan for operational support services building on best practice in both One Housing Group and Riverside
Ensuring reliable delivery of housing management within operational support services
Improving our operating margin by maximising income, reducing cash leakage from empty homes and arrears, and ensuring effective controls on expenditure

Leadership

Build a diverse, high performing and customer focused team, with contemporary ways of working and the right knowledge, behaviours and capabilities that enable the effective delivery of our vision, strategy, and goals.
Lead the successful delivery of C&S operational support services. Ensure the business delivers safe and effective services and is able to respond robustly to future challenges and opportunities.
Play an active role in the C&S Senior Management team.
Provide inspirational leadership to Support and Retirement Living teams, utilising a wide-range of colleague engagement methods, with a focus on achieving the highest possible standards of excellence in customer service.
Lead the operational support services function, managing a national team of senior operating managers.
Manage and deliver the integration plan for operational services, building on existing best practice in both One Housing Group and Riverside. This will lead to the shaping and design of one combined C&S Operational Team.
Work effectively with colleagues across C&S and the wider business, supporting, challenging, and collaborating on all matters related to Operational service delivery and providing expert advice as required.
Role model ‘Our Riverside Way’, ensuring our ways of working are embedded in all we do and supporting the delivery of our aspired culture that leads to high levels of engagement.
Actively manage performance of individuals, teams and departments to achieve the stated objectives of TRG and positively impact upon the customer of TRG.

Financial viability

Deliver a culture of sound financial management ensuring the business is protected and services are delivered effectively and provide value for money.
Hold budgetary responsibility and accountability for your defined area of operational activity within Care and Support services
Support increase of business viability, margins and value for money whilst continuing to respond to the changing funding environment and the reshaping of social and health care agendas.

Service delivery, customer experience and performance

Oversee all operational support services, ensure contractual requirements are met and deliver excellent customer services to the following customer groups;

o Supported housing, including mental health and homelessness services
o Retirement living
o Floating Support
o Street based services

Oversee the operational delivery of support services and the embedding of the integrated functions chosen model of support
Oversee operational delivery of housing management and support services to customers. This includes;

o Empty Homes management
o Allocations and lettings
o Income collection
o Ongoing tenancy management
o Non-tenancy related support

Work in partnership with colleagues in the business to consistently drive improvements which will benefit customers and colleagues.
Actively manage performance of varied regional operations teams over a broad national geography in order to successfully achieve the Care and Support objectives and to positively impact upon the customer experience.
Ensure customer involvement and coproduction is an intrinsic part of our approach, ensuring customers are provided with every opportunity to influence and shape the services that we deliver.
Identify, promote and implement projects and initiatives that involve customers and generate opportunities for co-creation.
Lead your team to be ambitious and aspirational regarding our customer’s experience, expectations and outcomes.
Ensure risks to our customers and colleagues are mitigated as far as possible, supporting senior colleagues to provide assurance on health and safety activities and ensuring our colleagues well-being is at the heart of what we do.
Lead oversight of deaths, safeguarding cases and serious incidents within your area of responsibility.
Support delivery of the 2023-26 Care and Support Strategy in line with Group Strategy and work closely with colleagues to ensure the operational and customer priorities are reflected in effective and sustainable services.
Ensure Care and Support operational support services deliver on the prescribed key performance indicators.
Ensure that all operational support teams respond to any service improvement plans.
Collaborate and work closely with Business Development & Strategy on the identification and implementation of new business opportunities in services, contracts and potential acquisitions.
Take an active role in the identification and implementation of best practice, innovation and continuous improvement of the services with senior operating managers.
Mitigate and manage risks around Care and Support service by ensuring policies and procedures are consistently embedded and take an active role in reviewing quality audits to ensure effective operation of services.
Collaborate and work closely with the Quality & Improvement function to identify priorities for improvements in service delivery, mitigate risks and improves the customer experience.

Influencing

Ensure that the stakeholder relationships that impact upon the operational support business are effectively managed Regional and locally.
Develop effective working relationships with other senior colleagues across TRG, collaborating effectively to ensure Care and Support services benefit from being part of the wider Group.
To maintain effective relationships with all colleagues, including the Executive team, Senior Leaders, Managers and Teams
To be an effective client and commissioner of internal services and ensure effective working relationships with central and local teams across the whole Group.

Other

Provide reports to the C&S Executive and Committee as required
Provide well informed briefings, reports, advice and support to the Director of Operations (C&S)
Ensure highly effective communication with all stakeholders that secures understanding and support for requirements, impact and future direction/strategy.
Role model Our Riverside Way, ensuring our ways of working are embedded in all we do and supporting the delivery of our aspired culture.
Participate in a 24/7 senior manager on call rota
From time to time you may be required to undertake additional duties and responsibilities in consultation with your Line Manager.
You will be required to deputise for the Director of Operations (Care & Support) as and when required.

Person specification

Essential

Track record of effective senior leadership in a role with demanding objectives and delivery of business performance that exceeds expectations.
Wide ranging understanding of the context of social housing and the challenges it faces, in particular in relation to supported and retirement living services.
Experience delivering effective housing management services
Experience of managing budgets, minimising cash leakage and maximising income
Evidence of strong customer focus, active listening and responding to business needs in a complex service delivery environment.
Effective communicator and influencer, who instils credibility and confidence in peers, colleagues, boards, and stakeholders
Excellent analytical, strategic, conceptual thinking, strategic planning, and execution skills.
Experience in multiple budget planning and financial management.
The ability to lead and manage people across diverse geographies and roles so that colleagues are highly engaged and committed to the vision of the business.

Desirable

Wide ranging understanding of the context of support services, and what constitutes best practice.
Demonstrated experience in leading a large operational and/or geographical function in the Care and Support Sector
Knowledge of regulatory and legislative frameworks including those related to the wider social housing sector
Evidence of effective leadership and coaching in a diverse service delivery environment.
Experience of building and managing effective relationships at a senior level including committees, partners and a wide of range of stakeholders.
Robust verbal and written communication skills including the ability to explain your area of work to the business, including colleagues from outside of your area of expertise in a clear way,
Deep understanding of current and emerging practices relating your area of expertise and how others are using them to drive and improve our business.
Resilient, including the ability to work in a large, complex, and complicated group of businesses with different demands and tensions in a financially constrained environment.
Proven ability to provide leadership to a large and diverse group of colleagues.