Job description

Head of Income, Rent and Service Charge (0974)

About Sage Homes

Set up in 2017 and funded by Blackstone and Regis to help address the housing crisis in the UK, Sage Homes has now delivered more than 21,000 homes all of which are affordable. A further 2,500 new homes are in our construction pipeline.

Sage is proud to be England's largest provider of newly built affordable homes for five successive years, providing our customers with high-quality, energy efficient properties (98% of Sage homes are EPC A or B) to live in safe, secure and thriving communities.

At Sage Homes, we remain committed to our mission of making new homes affordable for those who need them most, while delivering great customer support.

About the role:

Sage Homes are looking for an experienced Head of Income, Rent and Service Charge to join our team. Reporting to the Lettings and Homeownership Director, this is a strategic leadership role responsible for shaping and delivering our approach to income collection, arrears prevention, rent setting and service charge management across our growing portfolio. You'll lead high-performing teams, drive customer-focused services and provide assurance that our operations remain compliant, efficient and aligned to delivering positive outcomes for residents.

The role is based in our Northampton office, with occasional travel to our London office. We offer hybrid working with three days per week in the office and two days from home.

Responsibilities include:

Lead the strategic direction and operational performance of the Income and Service Charge & Rent functions, ensuring effective governance, compliance and customer outcomes.
Oversee rent setting, annual rent reviews and service charge cycles, ensuring charges are accurate, transparent and compliant with legislation, regulation and lease requirements.
Drive income collection performance through a balanced approach that protects income while supporting tenancy sustainment and preventing avoidable homelessness.
Lead service improvement, change initiatives and technology adoption, including maximising the benefits of Sage's investment in Voicescape and other digital solutions.
Provide strategic leadership and assurance to senior stakeholders, Executive teams and Board committees, reporting on performance, risk, compliance and customer outcomes.

About you

Significant senior leadership experience within social housing income management, rent setting, service charge management or housing finance.
Proven experience leading managers and developing high-performing teams through periods of growth, change and transformation.
Strong understanding of the social housing regulatory framework, including the Rent Standard, Consumer Standards and tenancy-related legislation.
A commercially astute and strategic thinker, with strong financial, analytical and performance management skills.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence, challenge and build credibility at Executive and Board level.
Level 5 CIH is desirable but not essential.

We are committed to ensuring you have the best career here at Sage. As well as regular support and guidance from your manager you can expect to receive a variety of learning and development opportunities to support you as you grow within our business. This may include internally and externally delivered development programmes and for permanent colleagues, opportunities to study for professional accreditations and qualifications.

Culture and benefits:

At Sage Homes, we want to empower diverse, ambitious people to thrive. We are fast-paced and inclusive, and encourage our people to use their passion, curiosity and inventiveness to help us create safe places for our customers to flourish.

To make sure our colleagues feel welcome and cared for, we provide a suite of excellent benefits, including:

25 days holiday, and an additional day for every year's service (up to five years)
Annual discretionary bonus scheme
A health cash plan, with financial support for a range of options including physiotherapy, opticians, dental and private online GP sessions
Study support package, helping you achieve your personal and professional development ambitions
Workplace Pension - matching personal contributions up to 5%
Cycle to Work scheme, helping you save up to 40% on a new bike and accessories
Electric car scheme, enabling you to rent a brand-new electric car at low-cost payments
Wellbeing support through MyndUp
Two days' paid volunteering leave a year, allowing you to support causes you care about
Charity fundraising support, with match-funding up to £1,000 for good causes

We believe that investing in our people is key to our success. Our benefits are designed to support your well-being, professional growth, and work-life balance, ensuring you feel valued and empowered to make a difference every day.

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