Southampton City Council
Principal Specialist - Homes Commissioning & Assurance
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Southampton City Council: Homes Commissioning & Assurance Leader
Southampton City Council is transforming the way we maintain, improve and invest in our homes and estates. We are seeking an exceptional strategic leader to establish and lead our new Homes Commissioning & Assurance function, helping to ensure every pound we invest delivers safe, decent homes, outstanding tenant outcomes and long-term value for money.
This is a rare opportunity to shape how a major housing landlord commissions, assures and learns from the delivery of works and services across its housing portfolio. You'll influence significant investment decisions, develop supplier strategy, strengthen commercial grip and ensure Housing acts as an intelligent client that consistently delivers for residents.
The Role
Lead the future of housing commissioning and delivery assurance
Team & Function: Quality Homes – Commercial & Delivery Partnerships
Reporting to the Head of Quality Homes, you will lead Housing's strategic commissioning, supply management capability and delivery assurance approach for works and services to homes and estates. You will develop a modern commissioning framework that translates asset intelligence, tenant needs, regulatory requirements and business priorities into clear, outcome-focused commissions and delivery arrangements.
You will provide leadership across a complex delivery landscape, ensuring Housing makes the best use of internal and external suppliers, including Housing Works, contractors, sub-contractors, supply chain, frameworks, specialist providers and SMEs.
This is not a traditional contract management role. It is about shaping strategy, influencing delivery models, assuring performance, strengthening commercial decision-making and ensuring the organisation learns from delivery experience to continually improve outcomes for residents.
This role is designed to maintain consistent standards, manage delivery risk and secure value for money.
You Will
- Lead Housing's strategic commissioning and delivery assurance function.
- Develop and implement Housing's supplier and supply chain strategy.
- Ensure major investment and operational spend is translated into clear, deliverable and outcome-focused commissions.
- Provide commercial leadership and client assurance across housing works and services.
- Develop commissioning frameworks, performance measures and assurance arrangements to build supply chain capability and flexibility to meet demands.
- Use performance information, tenant feedback, complaints, cost data and operational intelligence to improve services and commissioning decisions.
- Influence investment priorities and service improvement through evidence-based strategic advice.
- Strengthen oversight of delivery performance across commissioned works and services, ensuring issues relating to safety, quality, cost or timeliness are visible and inform improvements.
- Build strong partnerships with internal teams, suppliers, contractors and corporate stakeholders to ensure value for money and effective delivery.
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About You
We're looking for a commercially astute, strategic professional who can operate confidently across housing, commissioning, procurement and service delivery environments.
You Will Bring
- Significant experience commissioning housing works, property services, construction programmes or complex contracted services within social housing or a similar environment.
- Strong commercial, supplier management and delivery assurance expertise.
- Experience developing supply chain strategies and working with a range of delivery partners.
- The ability to translate organisational priorities, technical requirements and customer needs into effective commissions and delivery models.
- A strong understanding of value for money, performance management, quality assurance, customer outcomes and risk management.
- Excellent analytical, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
- A relevant professional qualification and commitment to ongoing professional development such as CIPS, CIOB, RICS or equivalent.
- Experience working with an in-house delivery organisation (DLO), major contractors, framework providers or mixed supplier models would be particularly valuable.
Why Southampton City Council?
This is a pivotal leadership role with the opportunity to influence how millions of pounds of housing investment are commissioned, delivered and assured. You'll join a Housing Directorate with ambitious plans to improve homes, strengthen partnerships and deliver better outcomes for tenants and communities across Southampton.
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We Offer
- A high-profile strategic leadership opportunity.
- Professional development and career progression opportunities.
- The opportunity to make a lasting difference to homes and communities.
What We Can Offer You
- Salary: The salary band for this role is £67,375 - £76,270 per annum. The starting salary is £67,375 with annual progression through the salary bands.
- Benefits:
- Excellent Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution)
- Generous holiday 25–31 days, based on role and service
- Flexible working options (role-dependent)
- Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents
- Training and development, including coaching and mentoring
- Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks
- Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant
- Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform
- Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres
- Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans
- Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer
For Further Information On Our Benefits Package
Join Us
If you're an experienced commissioning, commercial or housing professional ready to shape the future of housing delivery and assurance, we'd love to hear from you.
Help us ensure every commission delivers better homes, better services and better outcomes for Southampton's residents.
Contact Details For Informal Discussion
For an informal chat about the roles, please contact Mark Mullen, Head of Quality Homes via email to arrange a Teams call,
Email:
Recruitment contact details:
Tel: 023 8083 4033
For More Information About SCC
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