About Us

Job Title: Executive Director of Housing

Salary up to £233,967

Contract Type: Permanent – Fulltime (36hours)

Location: Richmond and Wandsworth Councils

Housing is one of the most important responsibilities in local government. It shapes people’s security, health and life chances and is fundamental to strong, thriving communities.

Join us and turn shared ambition into safe and well-maintained homes, trusted and responsive services, responsible investment and demonstrably better outcomes for residents.

Following the establishment of a dedicated Housing Directorate, we are seeking an exceptional Executive Director of Housing to join our Executive Board and lead the next phase of housing improvement, reform and delivery across Richmond and Wandsworth.

This is a significant leadership opportunity. You will provide visible executive accountability for a complex portfolio at a time of increasing homelessness and rising demand for temporary accommodation, acute housing affordability pressures, significant financial constraints and heightened regulatory expectations. You will turn our commitments and improvement plans into consistently better outcomes for residents.

The opportunity

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, you will lead housing across two sovereign London boroughs with distinct responsibilities, political priorities and housing markets.

In Wandsworth, you will provide dedicated executive leadership of the Council’s landlord responsibilities for its housing stock of over 33,000 tenanted and leasehold properties, driving improved outcomes via the Housing Improvement and Transformation Plan. You will secure measurable improvements in safety, compliance, repairs, maintenance and resident services, while ensuring that investment is rigorously prioritised and delivers value for tenants and leaseholders.

Across both Richmond and Wandsworth, you will lead homelessness prevention, temporary accommodation, allocations and housing strategy. You will use each Council’s strategic influence and partnerships with registered providers to improve housing supply, standards, affordability and the experience of residents living in social housing.

Across both boroughs, you will:

• provide clear and visible accountability to residents, elected Members, the Chief Executive and the Executive Board;
• lead earlier intervention and prevention to reduce homelessness and reliance on temporary accommodation;
• ensure that Wandsworth’s tenants and leaseholders have a meaningful voice in shaping priorities, service standards, performance measures and investment decisions;
• strengthen governance, financial stewardship, performance management, risk control and regulatory compliance, ensuring investment delivers value for money and improved resident outcomes;
• build effective relationships with Members, communities, partners and housing providers;
• lead and support experienced senior housing professionals; and
• ensure housing remains a whole-organisation priority, drawing on the capacity and expertise of services across both councils.

The Housing Directorate has been established to provide the sustained specialist leadership, authority and focus that the scale and complexity of the challenges now demand. 

Success will not be measured by the creation of a new structure. It will be measured by safer and better-maintained homes, reliable and responsive services, earlier and more effective homelessness prevention, stronger resident influence, fewer avoidable complaints, disciplined use of public money and clear, demonstrable regulatory progress.

Our ambition

The housing services that residents trust and that make a tangible difference to people’s lives.

We want to prevent homelessness wherever possible, improve outcomes for people facing housing insecurity and reduce reliance on temporary accommodation through earlier intervention, effective prevention, increased access to suitable housing and practical innovation.

We want our tenants and leaseholders to live in safe, warm and well-maintained homes, receive reliable and responsive services and know who is accountable when standards are not met.

We want residents to have a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect their homes and communities. We also want housing to have a strong and influential voice at the most senior level of both councils.

About you

You will be an accomplished and values-led senior leader with the authority, experience and personal credibility to lead a major, highly visible public service portfolio.

You will bring:

• substantial executive or director-level leadership experience in housing, local government, social housing or a comparably complex public service environment;
• a strong record of delivering sustained service improvement and organisational change;
• deep understanding of housing management, homelessness, housing strategy, building safety or regulatory improvement;
• experience of leading complex services carrying significant operational, financial and reputational risk;
• the ability to provide clear, impartial advice and build trusted relationships in a politically led environment;
• a strong command of governance, performance, financial management and organisational assurance;
• the ability to listen and respond meaningfully to residents, including when services have fallen short; and
• the resilience, judgement and collaborative leadership needed to convert ambition into measurable and lasting improvement.

You will be visible, open and accountable, ambitious for residents and uncompromising about safety and service standards. You will combine strategic ambition with operational grip, financial discipline and the ability to bring residents, Members, staff and partners with you.

Why join us?

You will have the opportunity to:

• shape housing strategy and services across two ambitious London boroughs;
• lead a newly established Housing Directorate from its outset;
• provide a stronger and more visible voice for residents in senior decision-making;
• deliver meaningful improvements in people’s homes, services and life chances;
• influence housing policy, partnerships and investment at the highest level; and
• join an Executive Board committed to collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement.

If you are motivated by public service, committed to listening to residents and ready to lead complex improvement at scale, we would like to hear from you. 

If you would like an informal chat about the role, please contact Maureen.Waygood@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk 

Indicative Recruitment Timeline

Closing Date: Sunday 18th October 2026

Shortlisting Date: W/C 19th October 2026

Interview Date:  TBC (Interviews will be held in person)

We may close this vacancy early once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Useful Information

Richmond & Wandsworth Better Service Partnership are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. 

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know. 

We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts may be exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to these posts will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). 

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to attract, develop, and reward our employees such as 40 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays), flexible working and a generous pension plan.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils