Housing Development Manager

Overview

Buckinghamshire's first 'county wide' housing strategy has recently been adopted by the Council. One of the priorities set out in the strategy is to 'meet the needs of a diverse population' and this role will be intrinsic in the delivery of that priority.

Buckinghamshire has an ambition to deliver 500 new affordable homes annually and many of those homes will be delivered for those who have special needs - this role will particularly be concentrating on the latter cohort and will have responsibility for shaping our work with other departments in the council, to enable 'the buildings to meet the need'.

Primarily through work with Adult Social Care, this role will facilitate a suite of unit designs, models of service delivery and financial appraisal dynamics, so that the development industry (including Registered Providers) can respond accurately to those needs.

This role will then work with planning and property colleagues in order to match opportunities to need and work closely with the development industry, to bring these opportunities to fruition, maximising where possible inward public investment.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

The Housing Development Team are looking for a Development Manager to join the team to help deliver the ambitions set out above.

About the role

This role has been identified as crucial in the delivery of the new housing strategy, as the pressure placed on a variety of council departments, by the absence of special needs accommodation to meet identified need.

Working with Adult Social Care (ASC) colleagues, we have formulated a 'one programme' approach to the delivery of new accommodation to meet a cross section of need. The types of accommodation range from supported housing for care leavers, through placements for those with physical disabilities into a broad range of accommodation for older persons.

This role will require a highly analytical mind and an understanding of the broad range of accommodation types, associated with special needs provision. An understanding of the funding regime associated with adult social care and capital funding through Homes England would also be welcomed.

The post holder will be procuring consultant support to deliver design outcomes and will also be tasked, via the Council's Partnership Engagement Approach, to encourage a range of delivery partners to invest in the delivery of new or refurbished buildings, which will match the existing and emerging requirements.

About you

You will have the ability to work with 'pace' and assimilate complex information quickly.

Well versed in the principles of 'development management' you will be able to manage complex projects, encompassing the views of a myriad of stakeholders, including senior officers and council members.

Working with tact and diplomacy you will be able to navigate seamlessly across many council departments, ensuring buy-in from all. In addition, you will have extensive experience of report writing and be able to navigate the Council's governance processes.

Your experience in procurement, contract negotiation and management will be essential. Instructing solicitors to produce contract documentation in line with your brief.

Experience in formulating complex financial appraisals, including residual land value calculations, would be beneficial including an overt knowledge of the Homes England funding regime.

You will be self-motivated and have experience of managing the use of a system within a team and ideally suggesting and implementing improvements. You will enjoy figuring out solutions to problems raised by team members.

Other information

Please state how you meet the essential criteria when completing your application.

This is a fixed-term contract/secondment for 1 year.

The role requires you to be in one of our offices for 2 days per week, with the other days working from home and you will be based in one of our offices in Aylesbury, Wycombe or Amersham.

If you would like to have an informal conversation with one of the recruiting managers, please contact: duncan.smith@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That's why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. We also offer a salary sacrifice personal car lease scheme to those who are eligible and have passed their probation period. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/