Head of Contract Services

*The client is really looking for a candidate that has already had the position of a Head of department, as opposed to a manager looking for a step up into this kind of level.

The main purpose of the role is as follows:

• To provide an excellent customer focused professional management service to residents and clients, ensuring all legal landlord/freeholder and contractor obligations are met, ensuring all relevant fees, charges, notices and rents are issued in a timely manner and addressing as required any queries in relation to these.
   
• To maximise income to the organisation by ensuring the maximum levels of cost capture when constructing service charges are achieved, the accuracy of rents and service charges and ensuring statutory consultation is undertaken.
   
• To be responsible to the Assistant Director Portfolio Management for the management of estate services contracts, contractual relationships and the relationship with third party landlords and co-ops.
   
• To be responsible for the negotiation and management of external and internal procurement services and contracting arrangements for estate services, utilities and other services and where opportunities exist to extend these arrangements for the benefit of the wider organisation.
   
• To ensure that all procurement and contracting activities are carried out in accordance with legislation, group policies, financial regulations and procedures and principles of good practice and produce high quality outcomes.
   
• To build and strengthen existing contracting approaches and arrangements for contracting and to manage Housing Services’ contracting for estate services.
   
• To act as a ‘Value for Money Champion’ for Housing Services identifying where opportunities exist for savings and efficiencies in the provision of services and within processes and promoting good practice amongst colleagues.
   
• To manage the efficient and effective collection of rents and service charges where due from managing agents and third party landlords across the Housing Services portfolio.
   
• To provide specialist advice and guidance to colleagues, residents, third party landlords and other organisations as required on matters relating to estate services, contractors, paying for services and procuring services.
   
• To manage the contracts with managing agents, third party landlords, Co-ops and other housing associations relevant to the Housing Services portfolio, ensuring all legal landlord/freeholder obligations are met, and all relevant fees, charges, notices and rents are paid and received from third parties in a timely manner and addressing as required any queries in relation to these.
   
• To proactively liaise with customers to ascertain their views on services and to work with colleagues within the organisation to respond to those views as required.