Director of Customer & Communities

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As Director of Customers and Communities you will lead customer and community services across Cornerstone, working in pursuit of our Big Plan, in alignment with our values and in line with regulation and legislation.

Disability Confident Committed

Responsible to: Chief Executive
Responsible for: Housing Team, Customer Service Team
Salary : £88,150 a year depending on experience and qualifications
Hours: 35 hours per week
Closing Date: 13/04/2026 9.00am

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Main Tasks

To lead high‑quality, customer‑focused services across customer experience, communities, and housing management, ensuring services are safe, inclusive, compliant, and continually improving.
To act as an effective member of the Executive Team, contributing to strategic planning, governance, risk management, and organisation‑wide leadership.
To ensure customer voice, insight, data, and feedback actively shape service delivery and organisational decision‑making.
To promote the safety, wellbeing, and satisfaction of customers and colleagues, aligning all activities with regulatory requirements, legislation, corporate values, and strategic priorities.

Delegated Authority

To approve applications to the Courts for possession or money judgements.
To amend the rents charged in accordance with the Rent Policy.

To authorise all amendments to housing management systems.

To approve day to day expenditure in accordance with approved budgets and Limits of Financial Authority.
To liaise with the regulator and with other agencies on behalf of the Association concerning matters for which the post-holder has responsibility.

- Lead development of customer and community strategies aligned to organisational values and the Big Plan.
- Maintain strong oversight of regulatory requirements, best practice, delivery and emerging risks within social housing and customer service fields.
- Oversee long-term planning for customer experience, housing management and community services, ensuring resilience and continuous improvement.
- Ensure the organisation responds effectively to customer needs using data, insight, complaints and feedback trends.
- Lead continuous improvement of customer experience, ensuring accessibility, responsiveness and compliance with Consumer Standards.
- Oversee all complaints, compliments and customer feedback processes, ensuring learning is shared and embedded across services.
- Ensure customer engagement opportunities, panels, surveys and scrutiny activities influence Board and Executive-level decisions.
- Develop and deliver customer insight frameworks to support performance, high quality and accuracy of data, service redesign and policy development.
- Lead delivery of housing management services including lettings, neighbourhood management, income collection, arrears and ASB.
- Ensure robust safeguarding, tenancy sustainment, and customer safety measures across all services.
- Ensure compliance with tenancy law, the Housing Ombudsman Code, and relevant regulatory standards.
- Oversee performance frameworks and KPIs that ensure financial health, operational effectiveness, and excellent customer outcomes.
- Lead community investment, neighbourhood initiatives and projects, and support services for vulnerable customers.
- Ensure services promote wellbeing, resilience, and strong, safe communities.
- Oversee private sector leasing, traveller site management, and any contracted landlord or community services.
- Lead internal and external communications strategy, ensuring clarity, transparency, and alignment with organisational values.
- Oversee PR, stakeholder engagement, and proactive communication with external partners.
- Ensure consistent, high‑quality omni‑channel communication methods.
- Be a visible and values-driven leader, embedding culture, behaviours and expectations across teams.
- Promote equality, diversity and inclusion across all service areas.
- Ensure team wellbeing, development, training and capability are actively supported.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, learning, innovation and strong partnership working.
- Develop, manage and monitor directorate budgets, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and value-for-money principles.
- Provide assurance reporting to the Board and Executive Team covering risks, performance, compliance and improvement plans.
- Ensure all services meet contractual, statutory and service-level obligations, including where delivered to external partners.
- Identify and manage risk across all service areas, ensuring appropriate controls are in place.
- Ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory duties in customer services, housing management, safeguarding, and communications.
- Promote and maintain high standards of health, safety and wellbeing for customers and colleagues.
- Ensure confidentiality, GDPR compliance and accurate record‑keeping at all times.
- Promote Cornerstone’s vision and values in all that you and the team do.
- Work positively and collaboratively with customers, colleagues, other agencies, and third parties to ensure strong working relationships and a good standard of service delivery to customers.
- Ensure that you are fully acquainted with and follow the law, regulation, policies and procedures as they relate to your post.
- Observe and promote Cornerstone’s Health & Safety policies and procedures at all times.
- Ensure all data is handled in accordance with GDPR and in line with both the Information security and data management policies. Take ownership of the quality and accuracy of processing data and its appropriate storage, transfer and retention.
- Treat customers and colleagues with respect ensuring people feel included and that diversity is valued. Observe and promote our Equality, Diversity & inclusion policies and procedures at all times.
- Take ownership of your own professional development as relevant to your role.
- Keep all duties of the post-holder under review and make recommendations for any improvements in policies and procedures to your line manager.
- Occasional after hours work may be required within the scope of the role, including attendance at meetings.
- Any other duties appropriate to your position as may be identified from time to time.
- To liaise with customers and other agencies on Cornerstone’s behalf in order to effectively carry out your duties.

Person Specification

Attributes	Essential/Desirable	Assessment
Basic Eligibility
Right to work within the United Kingdom	Essential	ID and Online Check
Satisfactory Basic DBS check (Any offer of employment will be conditional on you satisfying these requirements)	Essential	ID and Online Check
Qualification Eligibility
High standard of English (Grade 4 and above)	Essential	Application & Certificates
Qualifications
Degree level education or equivalent experience.	Essential	Application
Level 5 Diploma in Housing or equivalent , or willing to achieve this qualification	Essential	Application
Experience
Senior leadership experience in social housing, customer services, communities, with significant line management experience	Essential	Application & Certificates
Experience leading customer facing teams and delivering high quality, customer centred services aligned to the Consumer Standards.	Essential
Demonstrable experience of housing management functions (e.g., lettings, neighbourhoods, income management, ASB).	Essential
Experience shaping and delivering strategic plans, business plans or directorate plans.	Essential
Experience using customer insight, data and feedback to drive service improvement.	Essential
Experience of leading organisational communications (internal and external).	Essential
Experience of managing budgets, resources and performance at a senior level.	Essential
Experience of working with Boards or Committees, including preparing reports and managing scrutiny.	Essential
Experience of managing risk, complaints, compliance and regulatory requirements.	Essential
Experience delivering community investment, tenancy sustainment or neighbourhood support programmes.	Desirable
Experience leading large or multi disciplinary teams across dispersed locations.	Desirable
Experience of partnership working with local authorities, voluntary sector organisations, regulators or statutory agencies.	Desirable
Knowledge
Strong understanding of social housing regulation, legislation and sector challenges.	Essential
Knowledge of customer experience principles, complaints handling and service recovery.	Essential
Understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion in service delivery and employment.	Essential
Knowledge of safeguarding, tenancy management practices and customer wellbeing.	Essential
Understanding of value for money principles and performance management frameworks.	Essential
Knowledge of communications principles (PR, media, stakeholder engagement, omni channel customer contact).	Essential
Knowledge of risk management processes and business continuity.	Essential
Understanding of PR and media management in a housing or public facing context.	Desirable
Skills & Abilities
Excellent leadership and people management skills with the ability to inspire, motivate and develop teams.	Essential
Strong communication skills, including the ability to influence, negotiate and engage with customers, staff, partners and Boards.	Essential
Ability to write executive and board level reports, analyse complex data and customer insight to inform decisions.	Essential
Highly effective problem solving and decision making skills, especially in high risk or sensitive scenarios.	Essential
Ability to develop and implement strategies, policies and improvement plans.	Essential
Strong financial acumen, including budget management and value for money optimisation.	Essential
Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results at pace.	Essential
Able to build effective partnerships and collaborative relationships both internally and externally.	Essential
High level of political and organisational awareness.	Essential
Ability to represent the organisation externally as a senior ambassador or spokesperson.	Desirable
Ability to use digital tools, CRM systems or data platforms to enhance service delivery.	Desirable
Behaviours and Personal Attributes
Customer focused, compassionate and committed to delivering excellent services.	Essential
Demonstrates integrity, professionalism and high ethical standards.	Essential
Champions equality, diversity and inclusion.	Essential
Resilient, adaptable and able to manage change positively.	Essential
Collaborative approach with a commitment to external partnerships and teamwork at all levels.	Essential
Strategic thinker with a forward looking mindset and continuous improvement ethos.	Essential
Confident, credible and able to work under pressure while maintaining sound judgement.	Essential
Role model for organisational values and behaviours.	Essential
Other
Willingness to work flexibly, including occasional evening meetings for Board/Committees.	Essential
Commitment to ongoing professional development.	Essential
Ability to travel to meetings or sites as required.	Essential