Homelessness Service Manager

About the role

Lead services. Drive outcomes. Change lives.

Hillingdon Council is recruiting Homelessness Service Managers to lead critical frontline services at the centre of a major transformation programme.

You will play a key role in reducing homelessness demand, improving outcomes for residents and delivering Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) savings, while leading high-performing teams across prevention, casework and specialist homelessness services.

This is a pivotal operational leadership role where you will drive performance, strengthen service delivery and manage demand at scale, ensuring consistent, high-quality outcomes for residents within a fast-paced and high-pressure environment.

This is an opportunity to take ownership, lead transformation and make a visible impact across homelessness services.

You will lead a key area within the homelessness service, covering either Families & Move-On or Specialist Homelessness services, ensuring strong operational performance and high-quality service delivery.

Responsibilities will include:

• Leading and developing high-performing frontline homelessness teams
• Driving effective casework to prevent and relieve homelessness
• Reducing reliance on temporary accommodation through strong operational management
• Maintaining oversight of duty functions, workflows, rotas and caseloads
• Ensuring high standards of statutory compliance, data quality and service performance
• Managing complex cases, operational pressures and service demand
• Using performance data and insight to identify issues and drive improvement
• Working collaboratively with partners to strengthen pathways and improve resident outcomes
• Supporting MTFS delivery through financial oversight, performance management and service improvement

This is a fast-paced leadership role requiring strong operational oversight, confident decision-making and a clear focus on outcomes.

About You

We are looking for confident, delivery-focused leaders who can manage complexity and lead teams to perform within demanding frontline services.

You will bring:

• Experience leading housing, homelessness or frontline statutory services
• A strong track record of improving performance and delivering outcomes
• Solid knowledge of homelessness legislation and casework practice
• Experience managing demand, operational pressures and risk
• Strong leadership, organisational and decision-making skills
• The ability to drive accountability and build a high-performance culture

We want leaders who:

• Take ownership and deliver results
• Lead from the front
• Solve problems and act decisively
• Are committed to improving outcomes for residents

What You Can Expect:

• A critical operational leadership role with visible impact
• The opportunity to shape and improve homelessness services
• A key role in delivering MTFS and transformation priorities
• Strong leadership support and development opportunities
• Flexible and modern working arrangements

Why Hillingdon

Hillingdon is a stable, ambitious council investing in housing services and leadership to meet demand and deliver better outcomes for residents and communities.

If you are ready to lead, deliver and make a difference, we would love to hear from you.

For an informal discussion, please contact:

About us

We value our employees and are committed to ensuring that they enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding career with us. We understand that a happy and motivated workforce is essential for the success of our organisation. That is why we offer a wide range of employee benefits to enhance your work-life balance, financial wellbeing, health, and professional development.

Here’s a comprehensive overview of the fantastic benefits we provide:

• Flexible Working Hours –We recognise the importance of flexibility in managing your work and personal life.
• 36 Hour Week –Enjoy a standard 36-hour workweek for all full time staff.
• Generous Holiday Entitlement – increasing with length of service (for non-casual roles).
• Hillingdon Sports & Leisure – Stay active and healthy with discounts at council owned leisure centres and swimming pools across the borough.
• Salary Sacrifice Schemes – option to join schemes for cycle purchase, electric vehicle leasing and additional voluntary pension contributions (subject to scheme rules).
• Cycle to Work – Eco-friendly commuting with our cycle purchase scheme. We also provide bicycle parking, lockers, and showers at the Civic Centre.
• Local Government Pension Scheme – access to Local Government Pension Scheme and membership to the Credit Union.
• Vivup Benefits – Access a variety of offers and discounts through our Vivup Benefits.
• Mental Health Support and Counselling Services – Our mental health first aiders are trained to identify, understand, and help employees experiencing mental health issues. Access free 24-hour confidential advice and counselling as well as a legal advice service for you and your immediate family.
• Travel Support – Make your daily commute easier with our season ticket loans and free car parking.
• Trade Union Membership – The Council recognises UNISON, Unite, AEP and GMB and supports employees’ freedom of choice in relation to trade union membership.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

At the London Borough of Hillingdon, we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. This commitment means that all employees, job applicants and others who work for us will be treated fairly.

The aim is for our workforce to be representative of all sections of society and Hillingdon residents so we welcome applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds. We strive to ensure that our recruitment process is free from discrimination and bias, and we are dedicated to providing reasonable adjustments to applicants with disabilities.

Join us in building a workplace where everyone feels respected, able to give their best and be themselves at work, whilst contributing meaningfully to our organisation's success.

Recruitment Information

Hillingdon Council operates a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities that meet the essential criteria for the role and wish to be considered under this scheme. We believe in the option to choose, so candidates declaring a disability have the choice to opt in for consideration under this scheme, on a ‘per application’ basis.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable groups and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Some posts are subject to The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2019 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

In addition to verifying Right to Work in the UK and a new starter health questionnaire, the post is subject to the following pre-employment screening:

• Enhanced DBS Check
• 2 years of Referencing

Please note: Priority will be given to those at risk of redundancy within Hillingdon Council. Current employees who are part of the redeployment pool must meet the essential criteria for shortlisting to be prioritised.

It may be necessary due to a high volume of applications to close this role early. We therefore recommend you apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.