Head of Rent Setting

Are you an experienced leader in Rent setting within Social Housing?

We have a fantastic opportunity to join Sovereign Network Group (SNG) as Head of Rent Setting and Administration on a permanent basis. Based from our offices in Basingstoke or Wembley, you'll combine office and home working in line with our hybrid approach. To support close collaboration with the wider team, there will be an expectation to have a regular presence in both the Basingstoke and Wembley office.

SNG is one of the largest housing associations in England. We provide over 85,000 homes and invest in communities across London, the South East, South West and East of England, as well as aiming to create thousands of new affordable homes every year.

The Role

Reporting to the Assistant Director - Finance Transactional Services, you will lead and oversee all financial and administrative activities related to rents for all SNG customers and administrative activities related to property assets on SNG's housing management systems.

This role is pivotal in ensuring financial control and compliance, as well as strategic financial planning for SNG, contributing to the overall financial health and success of the business. You'll ensure rents are set accurately and reasonably for all SNG customers and in compliance with the rent standard, tenancy agreements, leases, contracts and other applicable regulation. Responsibilities include:

• Leading the Rent Setting and Administration team with a focus on setting a clear direction, supporting the team and encouraging a culture of accountability, high performance, and continuous improvement
• Owning and managing the rent setting processes, including on time production and submission of rent letters, including service charge costs if applicable, to customers and oversight of periodic internal and external audits covering these activities
• Developing and maintaining a robust internal financial control framework aligned with industry best practices and regulatory requirements (e.g. Rent standard)
• Owning, developing and refining comprehensive consolidated rent policies for SNG, ensuring effective control mechanisms and adherence to regulatory requirements
• Supporting the development of SNG's medium and long-term strategic plans, balancing risk and return considerations while proactively supporting and tracking future delivery through the lens of rent setting and administration
• Leading on the management and maintenance of data covering customer accounts, ensuring housing systems are updated with accurate charges following the annual rent and service charge review, and completing robust reconciliations on charges and payments
• Leading on the production and analysis of rent reports to support decision making by colleagues and senior stakeholders
• Leading the annual budgeting process for the Rent Setting and Administration team's activities and SNG's rental income, working alongside the management accounting teams, overseeing the delivery of budget within board-approved targets

What we're looking for

You should have previous experience in a similar senior management role within social housing rent setting, leading and managing a specialised finance team, in a high-volume transactional environment across multiple locations. You'll also need:

• Strong leadership skills, demonstrating commitment to driving collaboration, efficiency, and high performance
• Effective communication skills to convey complex financial information and insights to non-financial stakeholders, both internally and externally
• Detailed understanding of the intricacies of rents within the context of housing finance, with in-depth knowledge of relevant regulations and processes applicable to rents within the housing sector
• Track record of delivering business and cultural change to support overall strategy and achieve results on the ground
• Demonstrable experience of working in partnership with external organisations e.g. Local Authorities, auditors, software suppliers
• Strong knowledge of developing and implementing consolidated policies that align with regulatory standards and industry best practices
• Expertise in financial governance principles and practices, ensuring robust financial controls and adherence to organisational policies
• Strong analytical skills to interpret financial data, prepare accurate financial reports, and provide meaningful insights to support decision-making

Your Benefits

We have some great benefits at SNG, including:

• 25 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays (with an extra day every year up to 30 days)
• Chance to buy or sell holiday as part of our flexible benefits package
• 3 additional wellbeing days and 2 paid volunteering days
• Generous matched pension scheme up to 12% and Life cover at 4x salary
• Options for private medical insurance, dental insurance and critical illness cover
• Wellbeing discounts, including gym memberships and access to a 24/7 virtual GP service

At SNG, we are passionate about inclusion for all and creating a workplace where everyone can thrive. We are committed to our Equality Diversity and Inclusion strategy and believe that you can truly be yourself at SNG. Take a look at our careers site to learn more about us and our values.

If you would like the opportunity to make a real impact within our changing and growing organisation, we would love to hear from you!