Resident Involvement and Accountability Officer

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Job description

Title: Resident Involvement and Accountability Officer
Contract Type: Permanent, Full time*

Location: West Ham Lane, Stratford, London E15 4PH
Persona: Agile
Salary: £35,000 - £39,000 dependant on experience

Closing date for completed applications: Monday 6 th December at 5pm
Interviews will be held on: Thursday 16 th December at West Ham Lane, Stratford Office

Early applications are encouraged as we reserve the right to close the advertisement and interview earlier than stated

We are looking for a person with experience in and a passion for community engagement and volunteer management to support us with the implementation, monitoring and continual improvement of our Group-wide approach to resident involvement and accountability.

The establishment of our Resident Services Board last year marked a step change in our ambitions for resident involvement and accountability. Our corporate plan recognises that resident involvement and accountability is a key strategic driver to deliver better resident-focused outcomes and working cultures.

Rather than being the responsibility of a single team, we regard resident involvement and accountability as way of working at L&Q, that has a valuable and vital role to play in all that we do to help us continually improve as an organisation for the benefit of the people we serve.

As a result, a big focus of this role will be helping to build our capacity across the business in effective resident involvement and to build resident and staff participation in our revitalised resident involvement and accountability framework.

A renewed national focus on Housing Associations' accountability to its residents makes it a truly exciting time to meaningfully deliver on this important agenda in partnership with L&Q residents.

You will sit at the heart of the organisation, in our central Governance, Strategy and Communications Directorate, reporting to the Head of Resident Involvement and Accountability. You will work across all L&Q business areas and neighbourhoods, building communities of practice among:

• Staff to bring about effective resident involvement and accountability, to drive continual service improvement and resident-centred working cultures across the whole of L&Q.
• Resident groups/volunteers to support residents involved to achieve their goals for the benefit of residents as a whole.

You will bring your skills, expertise and passion for involving people in the decisions that impact on their lives with your strong track record in advocacy, community engagement, stakeholder engagement or volunteer management as well as your facilitation/training/capacity building and project management skills.

You will have an understanding of the principles of good governance and accountability, in a corporate, public sector or not for profit environment.

You will have a proven track record at building rapport and working effectively with a diverse range of people, while setting appropriate professional boundaries, to deliver shared goals.

Previous housing experience is not essential and we are interested in applications from across all sectors that share best practice in strength-based working, coproduction, advocacy and volunteer/customer/service user participation and involvement.

*You will be required to work some evenings/weekends when required on an ad-hoc basis

If you are interested in this role and have the experience required, then apply without delay!

COVID 19: The safety of our staff and our candidates is of the utmost importance. Every effort will be taken to ensure that safe ways of working are adopted throughout the Recruitment and Selection process. We are introducing extra precautions in line with UK Government Guidelines. Our recruitment processes will follow social distancing and COVID-19 Secure requirements. This will include the use of various technologies to support the interview process. Should candidates have any questions regarding this, or if you require additional support please let us know at the interview planning stage.

At the foundation of everything that we do are our corporate values and associated behaviours. Our organisational behavioural framework outlines the core expectations of all employees, which should be demonstrated at all times when representing L&Q. More information about L&Q's values can be found on our website and a copy of our behavioural framework can be provided on request.

Our commitments:

At L&Q, people are at the heart of our business and our success depends on employing the best people and getting the best from them. This is why we are committed to developing our people. It's only by investing in a well-trained and motivated workforce that we can continue to prosper and sustain business success.

In addition to our support and training, the successful candidate will have access to our full suite of benefits including 26 days holiday rising to 31 days with length of service, annual bonus subject to group performance, excellent Pension scheme, an employee assistance programme and non-contributory life assurance.

We are committed to supporting your work-life balance and recognise the changing demands and circumstances in life. Please let us know during the recruitment process if you're interested in part time working or job sharing. In addition, should your circumstances change once you have joined L&Q, you can also request flexible working arrangements, e.g. a change to working hours - if it's feasible then we'll make it happen.

We are recognised externally for our commitment to inclusion. We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Disability Confident (Committed) employer and have signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge to demonstrate our commitment to end mental health discrimination in the workplace.

We expect all of our employees to support our environmental policy and social responsibility work. We are an employer committed to environmental and social responsibility.

L&Q is a regulated charitable housing association and one of the UK's most successful independent social businesses. The L&Q Group houses around 250,000 people in more than 97,000 homes, primarily across London and the South East.

As a charitable organisation, our role goes beyond providing homes and housing services. We are a long-term partner in the neighbourhoods where we work. We hope to build aspiration, opportunity and confidence in our communities through our £250 million L&Q Foundation and our skills academy.

In response to the housing and affordability crisis, we will build 100,000 new homes over ten years. Of these, 60,000 homes will be built or funded by L&Q, whilst a further 40,000 will come through partnerships. Crucially, at least 50% of these new homes will be genuinely affordable, with a target of 60% in London.

Our vision is that everyone has a quality home they can afford, and we combine our social purpose with commercial drive to create homes and neighbourhoods everyone can be proud of.