Riverside
Group Chair
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Time commitment: Approximately six days per month
Appointment effective from: 1 April 2027
Closing date: 19 October 2026
The Riverside Group Limited is seeking an exceptional Group Chair to lead its Board through the next phase of its development, supporting the organisation to deliver its social purpose, strategic ambitions and long-term financial resilience.
Riverside is one of the UK’s largest housing association groups, owning more than 75,000 homes across England and Scotland and operating as the nation’s largest housing association provider of supported housing. With annual turnover of approximately £680 million and assets of £5.2 billion, Riverside combines significant scale and complexity with a clear social purpose.
Its five-year strategy, Brighter Future Together 2026–31, is underpinned by the vision “Homes for the life you want to live” and focuses on safe and high-quality homes, reliable customer services, sector-leading care and support, an inclusive high-performing workforce and maintaining financial resilience while delivering new homes. At its heart is a commitment to listening to customers, improving the quality of homes and services, and ensuring that Riverside’s decisions are shaped by the lived experience of the people and communities it serves.
The role
The Group Chair will lead the Board in providing strategic oversight, assurance and accountability across Riverside, helping to create the conditions for an effective, high-performing and inclusive governance environment. A key focus will be overseeing delivery of the Brighter Future Together 2026–31 strategy and Riverside’s longer-term ambitions, ensuring the organisation remains firmly focused on its social purpose while maintaining strong commercial and financial stewardship.
The Chair will support effective governance and compliance with relevant legal and regulatory requirements, while providing constructive oversight of organisational performance, risk management, assurance and internal controls. They will promote the highest standards of integrity and ethical behaviour, build a trusted and constructive relationship with the Chief Executive and ensure Board members are able to contribute fully, independently and effectively. Central to the role will also be championing Riverside’s values, culture and social purpose, ensuring that customer insight and feedback continue to inform Board discussion, decision-making and strategic oversight.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
About you
Riverside is looking for an accomplished Board-level leader who can bring sound judgement, independence and credibility to a substantial and complex organisation.
Candidates should demonstrate:
- Significant Board-level leadership experience within a substantial and complex organisation.
- Previous experience as a Chair, Vice Chair, senior Non-Executive Director or in an equivalent Board leadership role.
- Experience of leading organisations through periods of change while maintaining stability and strong performance.
- A strong commitment to customer voice, service quality and tenant accountability, with the ability to ensure customer insight informs Board-level decisions.
- A strong understanding of governance, risk management and organisational performance oversight.
- Experience of non-executive leadership, oversight and constructive challenge within a regulated environment.
- The ability to build productive relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders.
- A clear commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
- An applied understanding of the social, economic, political and regulatory environment in which Riverside operates, including the Regulator of Social Housing’s Standards.
The successful candidate will be collaborative, inclusive and values-led, with the ability to balance support and challenge appropriately. They will bring integrity, resilience and curiosity, alongside a genuine commitment to Riverside’s purpose and the communities it serves.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Time commitment and remuneration
The role requires an average commitment of approximately six days per month, with some additional time required during the initial induction period. The commitment will include Board and Committee meetings, strategy sessions, appraisal activity and engagement with the Chief Executive and senior stakeholders.
The remuneration is £32,500 per annum.
Recruitment timetable
Applications close on 19 October 2026, with preliminary interviews taking place between 2 and 6 November 2026. Final interviews are scheduled for 24–27 November 2026, with Board appointment planned for 10 December 2026. The appointment will take effect from 1 April 2027.
To apply, candidates should submit a CV and a short covering letter outlining how they meet the requirements of the role.
For more information
Please reach out to Tom Neely, Director at Neemar Search – tomneely@neemarsearch.com, Jonathan Robinson, Consultant – 07942 342 757 / Jonathanrobinson@neemarsearch.com, or Eliot Jeffries, Senior Delivery Consultant – 07942 331 067 / eliotjeffries@neemarsearch.com.
Our Commitment to Inclusion
Riverside is committed to building a diverse, inclusive and values-led organisation. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Our recruitment process is fair and accessible, and we are committed to providing equal opportunities for all candidates.. As a Disability Confident employer, we’re happy to make reasonable adjustments throughout the process, please let us know if there’s anything we can do to support you
By submitting your application, you consent to Neemar Search sharing your details with relevant third parties as part of the recruitment process.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London