Head of Housing Assessment and Support

About the Borough

The London Borough of Sutton is situated less than 30 minutes by train from Central London, with direct connections to London Victoria and London Bridge. Found in zone 5 with good transport links in and out of London, Sutton boasts award winning parks and open spaces, low crime rates, affordable housing and great schools. As well as high levels of resident engagement and satisfaction, providing quality services and success in addressing our financial challenges, whilst involving residents in key issues and high street changes.

Sutton is continuously investing in the health, wellbeing and education of our residents and the future generation, as set out in the “Ambitious for Sutton” corporate plan. We are home to the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research. Together with the development of the London Cancer Hub, Sutton will be the world’s leading life-science district, specialising in cancer research and treatment. Our vision will create around 13,000 jobs while contributing £1.2bn to the UK economy each year, a vibrant community of scientists, doctors and innovative companies intended to deliver real benefits for cancer patients and drive economic growth. With the regeneration of the local areas with new homes and schools, Sutton is passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.

The Council is seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment. As we strive to improve our services and spaces for our residents as set out in the ‘Ambitious for Sutton’ corporate plan, Sutton aims to shape the future of the borough and adapt to the needs of its residents to make our Borough a great place to live, work and raise a family.

About the Service and Team

Sutton is a borough defined by ambition, community and change.

We are proud of our strong local identity, vibrant neighbourhoods and commitment to delivering services that make a real difference. Sutton is one of London’s greenest and safest boroughs, with excellent schools, thriving businesses and a strong sense of community. It is a place where people want to live, work and invest, and where we are determined to ensure everyone has access to a safe, secure and affordable home.

Housing is central to that mission and we are now looking for four senior leaders to help us stabilise, modernise and transform. We have come through a major transition and are embedding the Sutton culture across teams who have previously worked under a different operating model. Our priorities are clear: providing safe, secure and affordable homes; reducing the use of temporary accommodation; strengthening systems and compliance; and working in partnership with Sutton Housing Partnership and other stakeholders to put residents first. If you want to lead change with purpose and pace, this is your moment.

About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate

This is a role that shapes lives. You will lead the end-to-end housing solutions journey from triage and Homelessness assessment to statutory reviews and resettlement support including Afghan and Ukraine schemes and asylum pathways. You’ll own our homelessness strategy, legal compliance and judicial reviews, and rebuild a joined-up system with Children’s Services, Adult social care and the third sector.

You’ll lead cultural change, break down silos and embed Sutton values across a committed team. Your priorities include refreshing the Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy, driving prevention for families and care leavers, and using data to design new initiatives that reduce demand. You’ll also take responsibility for safeguarding, equality and risk management, and ensure robust business continuity planning for critical services.

We are proud of our commitment to prevention, but we know there is more to do. This role is central to delivering a system that works for residents and partners alike. We need a leader who can combine technical expertise with empathy and clarity and who can turn strategy into tangible outcomes.

About you
You’ll have substantial experience in homelessness and resettlement law and practice, a track record of strategic leadership and partnership working, and the ability to manage risk and complexity. You’ll be politically astute, collaborative and passionate about prevention. You’ll also be comfortable working in a political environment, advising elected members and representing the council externally.

We’re ambitious for our residents and for our services. We have a clear mandate for change, strong partnerships and leadership that backs delivery. If you share that ambition and if you’re ready to lead one of London’s most important housing transformations, we’d love to hear from you.

Our Offer to You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 32 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
• Enhanced Maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
• Two volunteering days per year
• Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme (dependent on the role)
• Adjustable and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle car leasing scheme
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Application Process

For more information and details on how to apply, please visit www.joinsutton.co.uk or contact our retained recruitment partners at GatenbySanderson:

kembi.coakelin@gatenbysanderson.com
frazer.thouard@gatenbysanderson.com

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.