Director of Customer Services & Communities

The Role

Cloch’s vision is to deliver services which exceed expectations. The role of Director of Customer Services and Communities will strategically lead the department and oversee the responsibility of the Association’s landlord role to achieve our objectives.

The main purpose of this role is to lead and develop the team who are responsible for delivering a range of customer and community services including allocating void properties, maximising rental income, dealing with anti-social behaviour, estate management inspections, customer involvement and collaboration, supporting customers wellbeing and mental health by working with local partner organisations and proving the first point of contact for repairs, housing registrations and general housing enquiries.

In this role you’ll need to be passionate about service excellence and championing a customer-focussed culture across the organisation to continue to drive continuous improvement and build customer and community capacity. For this you will need experience in a Leadership Team role, energy, ambition, and an understanding that this role is all about getting the best for and from people – staff, customers, and partners.

Your responsibilities will include:

Leadership and Strategic Direction: taking a lead role in developing the Business Plan and delivering the Operational Plan, developing partnerships and work collaboratively with the Leadership Team.
Housing Management: responsibility for social and financial performance of the department, ensuring we are compliant with legislation and engage with key stakeholders.
Community Support: responsibility for developing our newly formed section, following £328k of grant funding to provide wider support services to customers.
Customer Connectors: responsibility for supporting our Customer Connections team who are the first point of contact for customers – our moment of truth staff.
Performance: monitor the performance outcomes of the team whilst producing reports for Board and contributing to overall performance.
Continuous Improvement: ensure the team are empowered and equipped to deliver and challenge the status quo to develop innovative solutions.

The full job description and person specification for the post can be found within our recruitment pack which is available to download opposite or via the following link:
https://www.clochhousing.org.uk/data/Recruitment_Pack_2023_11_14_16_00_37.pdf

We are also advertising the role on our website which can be found on our current vacancies page via this link:
www.clochhousing.org.uk/current-vacancies

Who Are Cloch?

Cloch Housing Association is a registered social landlord operating in Inverclyde, Scotland. Our office is in Greenock, which has excellent transport links and a beautiful coastal travel route in both directions. In 2018, the Association celebrated its 50th year in operation and today we own over 1400 properties across the local area, with circa 50% of our houses being built after the year 2000. Many of our staff having been with us for over 20 years and we have a family feel culture, where everyone is highly valued. We provide quality housing and responsive customer service to ensure that we place communities and their people at the heart of everything we do.

It is an exciting time to be joining the Cloch team as we embark on a period of positive change. Between 2023 and 2026, we have ambitious plans to grow as an organisation. This is underpinned by working with outstanding colleagues, Staff & Board, who care, are forward-looking and committed to being the best we can be, which is supported by a culture that encourages innovation, collaboration, and solutions to combat the hurdles that present in our housing sector.

What Do We Offer?

Salary Range: £65,009 - £68,050 (EVH Grade 9)
8 Weeks Annual Leave Including Public Holidays
Hybrid and Flexible Working Environment
Learning and Development Culture
Family Friendly Policies
Paws Policy, (opportunity to bring your dog to work)
Teambuilding Sessions
Staff Involvement in Shaping the Organisation
Dedicated Volunteering Time
Lunch and Learns
Health and Wellbeing Initiatives
Counselling Service
Professional Membership Fees

Culture and Values at Cloch

At Cloch, our people are crucial to our success. We pride ourselves on our ability to work as a team to achieve our objectives and have worked together to build an inclusive, diverse, and transparent culture where our employees are involved in key decision making and are provided with a platform to grow with us.

This ethos is underpinned by our core values:

Be Kind – to yourself, to others and in your approach to our services.
Be Positive – in attitude.
Be Better – and always look to improve everything.
Be Responsible – for yourself, your customers, and your community.

How to Fit at Cloch

We believe in a “can do” and reflective approach to life and learning. Change is welcomed here as we continually explore new ways of working and challenge existing processes to enhance how we do things.

Fit is important to us, and we know this will be important to you, so we would love to hear from you if you are someone who:

Shares our values.
Likes to be hands-on in their approach.
Is open and honest in their communication style.
Encourages others in their development and decision-making.
Holds an overall positive outlook and inspires others through this.

What’s Next?

To apply for this post, please submit your CV and a covering letter detailing how you meet the essential criteria for the role to:
recruitment@clochhousing.org.uk

The closing date for applications is 12 noon on Monday 4^th December 2023.

Following this, shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to attend a two-stage recruitment process:

An informal visit to the Cloch office where you will meet the Leadership Team, discuss the role in greater detail and find out whether we are a suitable fit for you. We know how important changing job decisions are.
A follow-up face-to-face process consisting of a short presentation and interview with the panel.

You’ll have noticed that we like to be transparent at Cloch. Therefore, if you want to find out more about us or the role itself, ahead of the recruitment process, you can contact Alana Durnin, Chief Executive, on 01475 783637 to discuss the opportunity prior to applying.

All applications are very much welcome to us at Cloch. We are an inclusive employer and offer equal opportunities regardless of an individual’s age, disability, gender identity, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Candidates who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria for the job will be offered an interview. If you have any queries about this role, or if you need any adjustments to support with your application, just let us know by emailing us in advance.