Head of Service (Strategy, Market Intervention And Growth)

Number of Vacancies:

1

Time Type:

Full time

Worker Type:

Regular

Proposed Interview Date:

Monday, December 14, 2026

Hours of Work:

37

Hiring Manager:

Ben Hanson

Contact Number: 

01482 616365

Job Description Summary:

This is a Full Time Permanent Position

Interviews will take place week commencing 14 December 2026

ROLE AND PURPOSE

The Strategy, Market Intervention and Growth Service is responsible for understanding, influencing and shaping the provision and quality of housing across tenure in the City. It is responsible for securing the resources to regenerate housing, developing HCC programmes to deliver growth and regeneration in both social housing and private sectors.

The Head of Service is the strategic lead for the service and as part of the Neighbourhoods and Housing senior management team ensures that the aspirations of the council to ensure that people live in appropriate and decent accommodation which meets their needs is realised.

As the leader of the Strategic Market Intervention and Growth Service the post holder will make a significant contribution to the effectiveness of the Neighbourhoods and Housing service including strategic planning. As such the post holder will need to have an understanding of a broad range of complex and interrelated issues and make effective evidence led decisions with an understanding of legislation, best practice, political and Council processes.

Intent on making a difference, the HoS will plan the future of the section, inspire the team, promote the values of the Council and service, deliver statutory duties, drive continuous improvement and look to capitalise on the innovation that new ideas, technologies and ways of working can deliver.

As a leader in their field, they work with the Assistant Director (Housing Services) to develop the strategic plans for the service, including the development of relevant policies and plans.

As a strategic leader the postholder will lead, develop and manage the Council's approach and investment plans for all aspects of housing, this will include the delivery of housing-led regeneration in priority areas across the City, championing the role of housing in wider regeneration initiatives and attracting resources to deliver the Council’s priorities.

The post holder also leads the departments relationships with strategic partners including developers, RPs, Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority and Homes England.

 

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

1 Strategy – Lead on the strategy for the Strategic Market Intervention and Growth service and its integrated approach to social housing regeneration, private sector standards and housing growth. Develop a range of strategies including those relating to city wide housing, housing growth, specialist accommodation, housing interventions for vulnerable people and energy efficiency and climate change. Will ensure that strategy, policies and plans enable the development of modern, effective, streamlined customer centric operations. Develop partnerships, networks and channels of communication to deliver strategic priorities of the service and city residents. Develop business strategies and plans that align with short term and long-term goals of the service and the wider Council, including those related to revenue generation, cost management and capital investment.Translate strategy into deliverable plans and actions ensuring effective delivery including by means of staff leadership and appropriate performance management tools.Undertake appropriate business analysis to inform decision making with regard to strategy, balancing risk against desired outcome and the potential for transformation and change.Achieve an agile and responsive service that is collaborative, resilient to ambiguity and open to innovation in support of strategic aims.Will lead on securing the additional resources required to meet the Councils strategic priorities in respect of housing growth and regeneration.

2 Customer Focus – Deliver excellence in customer service.Engage with a range of stakeholders including other housing providers, developers, building and social housing trade representatives, tenant panels, senior management from other Council services and national bodies to identify the current needs and solutions for customers and the challenges and opportunities of the future. Put together proposals and plans to address and/or take advantage of these and oversee their implementation of plans and the effecting of change.Use internal data, customer satisfaction surveys, benchmarking and other information and metrics to gain insight into customer's day-to-day experience, assessing service performance and identifying areas for improvement, introducing new technologies, working smarter, innovating to ensure the service continually adapts whilst demonstrating a market leading approach. Achieve a customer centric service that lives up to the mantra 'simple services delivered well'.

3 Performance Management – Deliver an effective and high performing Strategy, Market Intervention and Growth Service.Establish and deliver the performance standards and targets for the service to achieve top quartile national performance in line with the organisations ambition and ensure a fundamental contribution to the corporate plan.Make performance management an ongoing process within the service and continual improvement integral to day-to-day operations. Ensure adequate performance analysis and reporting is available and regularly and openly communicated to facilitate review and discussion around achievement. Create a culture where good performance is recognised, need for improvement is seen as an opportunity, successful practise is shared and there is a persistent drive to achieve excellence. Work with direct reports, colleagues inside and outside the department to ensure a performance management culture is embedded and appropriate plans are in place to deliver the required results, including approaches to remedy performance which is off target. Regularly review and adapt service plans in respect of changing circumstances and wider Council objectives.

4 Leadership – To be a visible leader in the Neighbourhoods and Housing Senior Management Team contributing to the strategic planning, monitoring, review and improvement of services, working with other senior managers to achieve and deliver corporate priorities and strategic aims and priority objectives within the corporate plan.Lead the Strategy, Market Intervention and Growth service which includes strategic housing, environmental health, regulation and enforcement, private sector housing and the aids and adaptations service, housing strategy and appraisals, partnerships and renewals functions. To be a visible and effective leader modelling exemplary behaviour for staff in promoting a culture of seeking excellence in the quality of service provision and of valuing equality and diversity in all aspects of service delivery and employment practices. To develop mechanisms for staff across all the Housing service and to ensure effective communication within the teams.To actively promote and foster a culture of organisational learning and development, including the identification and coaching / mentoring of staff with talent and leadership ability. Also including visible support for staff development and training opportunities to be provided more widely, leading to a high standard of service delivery and customer care.Provide leadership in relation to specialist and technical aspects of the service area, including professional knowledge areas, statutory requirements and the interface with related disciplines such as adult social care. Be part of the senior management team and deputise for the Assistant Director as required.

5 Statutory Obligations – Have a detailed understanding of a range of statutory provisions as they relate to housing need, growth, planning, private sector regulation and enforcement. Including those requirements contained within Housing Act 2004, Housing Act 1988 and the Housing and Planning Act 2016, Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970, the Localism Act 2011.Ensure the Council complies with its statutory and regulatory duties in realtion to sufficiency of housing, housing standards and private sector regulation.

6 Emergency Management and Response - In fulfilment of its statutory requirements under the Civil Contingencies Act, the Council operates an out of hours emergency response rota of which this post is part.  The post holder will be required to assist in any emergency situations when an incident is declared.

7 Communication Communicate vision and values across the service, endeavouring for them to become an integral part of everyday thoughts and actions.Create a culture of openness, inclusivity and trust, where feedback is natural and challenge welcomed, facilitating engagement, collaboration and the pursuit of excellenceEnsure communication cascades through the team in appropriate and creative ways, including briefings, team meetings, shared media access, drop-in sessions etc. Participate in relevant committees and boards and attend CST and Cabinet as required.Provide regular returns and briefings to elected members, the Ministry of Housing, other government departments and key stakeholders.Represent the Council as an ambassador promoting Hull’s interests at local, regional and national level

8 Financial management - Responsible for a setting, monitoring and controlling a diverse range of budgets, ensuring any pressures are addressed and additional budget or funding availability exploited.Develop short and longer term budget proposals and input into the annual planning and budget exercise, planning service delivery and implementing strategy accordingly. Bid for and secure external funding for the provision of new housing, housing refurbishment, energy efficiency and carbon reduction measures and matters relating to housing standards for those with additional and specialist needs. Be able to interpret complex financial appraisals linked to housing and mixed use developments and be able to advise decision makers on the most effective use of its land, balancing commercial returns with wider social and environmental benefits.Work with direct reports and finance colleagues to balance budgetary areas and ensure financial performance information and points of focus are communicated to the wider team to facilitate engagement. Play a leading role in the strategic partnerships responsible for securing Hulls housing growth and regeneration ambitions.

9 Systems and Information Ensure the effective, equitable and transparent operation of the council housing financial appraisal and aids and adaptations service.To maintain appropriate management information systems which assess, appraise and deliver extensive capital works include new house building and refurbishment.Implement new methods of private sector licensing, developing and maintaining an effective database enabling licence administration and housing standards appraisal and enforcement. Ensure all relevant regional and national government returns are delivered to standard and on time. Regularly review the system offering and consider the impact of possible changes in service, legislation, customer need and technological advancement. Look to innovate, such as introducing digital and interactive platforms, to improve delivery and form part of the strategy to meet future challenges and expectations. Overview the management of the service's use of information and data and ensure it is in line with legislative, GDPR and council and policy requirements.

10 Partnerships Works in partnership with key stakeholders in the Council and external to the Council to develop and deliver a strategic response to meet the identified housing needs.Leads the procurement, development and management of key partnership and contractual arrangements with private developers, housing associations, contractors and other partners to create neighbourhoods of choice. Through managing these partnerships be able to work with a range of different delivery models including but not limited to JV’s, development agreements and direct delivery. To be able to assess development appraisals and support the Council to achieve desired outcomes through this approach. Develops and sustains effective partnerships to with key funding organisdations including Homes England, MHCLG, Hull and East Riding LEP.

 

NC1999.Head of Service Strategy Market Intervention and Growth.docx

Compensation Grades:

GRADES 14.

Pay Ranges:

£76,738.00 - £76,738.00

Job Classifications:

2 - Designated As Politically Sensitive - Designated As Politically Sensitive (Politically Restricted Posts), Casual - (Travel Allowance Policy), No - (Childcare Disqualification Requirement), No - (Statutory Post)

Benefits of Working of Hull City Council:
- A competitive salary
- An excellent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
- Initially 23 days annual leave depending on length of service. You will also get eight public holidays per year, and three additional days off, one in May/August and one during the Christmas/New year period
- Career development and learning experiences from a range of training courses and learning methods
- Supportive and forward-thinking culture
- Great career development opportunities

PLEASE NOTE: you MUST complete and submit your application by midnight prior to the closing date. For example: If the closing date is Friday 16 October 2026 then your application must be submitted by 11:59pm on Thursday 15 October 2026.

 

Please ensure that your application demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria against the person specification as listed in the job description. Provide examples to support your application rather than use of lists.

We are committed to increasing the diversity, equality, and inclusion within our workforce to represent the people we serve and build an environment in which everyone can feel like they belong. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply. 

We adopt a ‘name blind’ approach to shortlisting.  Recruiting managers will not have access to personal information, including your name and contact details, until a shortlisting decision has been made. Equality monitoring information is not accessible by recruiting managers at any stage.

We reserve the right to amend the dates associated with this advert, which may include closing the advert early where required.

The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

Online searches, including social media, may be carried out as part of the recruitment process.

We are committed to “our values” at the Council of People First, Respect, Learning, Ambition and Partnership. If these align with you then we welcome your application.