Director of Financial Services — Housing Association

JOlivier & Partners has been retained to identify a Director of Financial Services for one of the longest-established housing associations in London and the South of England. Joining the Senior Management Team and based in London under a hybrid working model, the Director will play a pivotal role in the next phase of the organisation’s transformation, with a mandate to strengthen financial governance and to place finance at the heart of better decision-making and better outcomes for residents.

The Organisation & Context

For more than seventy years, our client has built and maintained homes across London and the South of England. Today it provides homes for over 70,000 customers and manages a portfolio of more than 38,000 properties, guided by a simple purpose: to ensure that every resident has a safe, high-quality home and the support they need to enjoy living there.

Following a period of regulatory challenge, the organisation is now firmly focused on strengthening financial governance, risk management, data quality and operational excellence. This is a highly visible leadership position, calling for a strategic finance professional with deep knowledge of the housing sector, strong business partnering capability and a proven record of leading change.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic financial leadership across the organisation, shaping the finance vision and roadmap, partnering closely with executive colleagues and leading the budgeting, forecasting and reporting cycle so that the leadership team and the Board have a clear, reliable view of performance.
• Lead and embed a high-performing business partnering model, ensuring that finance teams proactively support operational decision-making, challenge assumptions constructively and contribute directly to improving performance across the business.
• Oversee rent and service charge management, ensuring full regulatory compliance, transparency and resident confidence, while carefully balancing affordability for residents with the long-term financial sustainability of the organisation.
• Strengthen governance, risk and finance operations by maintaining robust financial controls, ensuring compliance with the regulatory framework for social housing, managing financial risk proactively and leading a genuine culture of continuous improvement within the finance function.

Candidate Profile

• A qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with a strong track record in senior finance leadership roles, ideally gained within complex, regulated organisations.
• In-depth knowledge of the housing sector, including rent and service charge regulation, financial governance requirements and the regulatory environment that applies to social housing providers.
• Demonstrated success in leading finance transformation and business partnering, with clear evidence of driving organisational change and measurable improvements in financial performance.
• Strong people leadership and strategic capability, with the ability to guide teams through change, embrace innovation and influence stakeholders at executive and Board level as well as throughout the wider organisation.

Compensation

The anticipated base salary for this position is £135,000–145,000 per year, depending on experience, complemented by a generous annual leave entitlement and a comprehensive pension scheme.

Application

Senior executives interested in exploring this opportunity may submit their profile to JOlivier & Partners. All approaches are handled in strict confidence.