£85,000 (pay rise pending) + pension.

About Thirteen Housing

We are a housing association that provides around 100,000 people in the North East, Yorkshire and Humber region with homes, support, and opportunities to grow.

We invest millions of pounds each year to keep our homes safe, secure, and well maintained. We support people who need help to get onto the housing ladder, pay rent and to keep their home in good repair.

We have an excellent track record of building new homes for rent and shared ownership. We build hundreds of high-quality and modern homes that meet the needs of local people. As a Homes England Strategic Partner, we are delivering an ambitious five-year affordable homes programme, which runs until 2026.

We don’t just rent and build homes. We support our customers and communities by investing in services to help people to live their best lives.

The Opportunity

Thirteen Housing is looking for a dynamic Head of Empty Homes to lead and transform our approach to void property management. This critical leadership role will ensure our homes are brought back into use quickly, efficiently, and to the highest standards, enabling us to meet customer needs while driving operational excellence.

As a key member of Thirteen Housing’s leadership team, you will shape and deliver strategies that align with our organisational goals, balancing quality, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness to maximise the value of our housing stock.

About You

You’ll bring extensive experience in managing voids, repairs, or related housing operations, with a proven track record of improving processes, delivering customer-focused outcomes, and fostering a culture of accountability and performance.

Strong leadership, strategic vision, and excellent communication skills are essential. Your ability to inspire and engage teams, combined with technical expertise and a commitment to continuous improvement, will enable you to make a real difference in this vital role.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage the end-to-end voids process to minimise turnaround times, reduce financial void losses, and meet quality standards.
• Lead a geographically dispersed team of 5 Void Managers, each overseeing ~25 operatives.
• Oversee adaptations delivery, managing a £1m annual budget and liaising with local authorities to provide timely adaptations for customers.
• Set clear standards for void works, ensuring consistency and efficiency across multiple teams and regions.
• Analyse void performance data, identify bottlenecks, and implement improvements in resource planning and process efficiency.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external contractors to optimise voids management and service delivery.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

• Operational Expertise: Deep understanding of voids processes, from handover to re-letting, with a focus on efficiency and cost management.
• Leadership Skills: Experience managing dispersed teams, including direct labour operatives and contractors.
• Process Improvement: Track record of implementing changes that reduce void turnaround times and enhance service standards.
• Customer and Stakeholder Engagement: Strong communication skills to manage expectations and deliver excellent outcomes for tenants and partners.
• Adaptability Knowledge: Familiarity with delivering adaptations and managing funding streams in collaboration with local authorities.

Why Join Us?

This is an outstanding opportunity to join an ambitious organisation that plays a vital role in supporting communities across the region. As Head of Empty Homes, you will lead a key function that directly impacts the lives of our customers, ensuring safe, quality homes and outstanding service delivery.

You will be part of a supportive, dynamic leadership team, driven by a shared vision to make a difference. If you are ready to shape the future of repairs at Thirteen Housing and leave a legacy for our communities, we want to hear from you.

For further information and to arrange a discussion please contact, Jim Allcroft, jim@allcrofta.com on 07783 701 922.

Applications should be made via email to jim@allcrofta.com and must include on separate documents:

Closing date for application: Thursday 30th January, 1200

Final stage interviews will be held in person in Stockton, on the 3rd and 4th of March

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

At Thirteen, we believe everyone is an individual. That is why we don’t just provide properties; we offer a home to suit each person’s needs.

We are responsible for promoting inclusivity for everyone, particularly people from underrepresented or marginalised groups.

We aspire to have inclusive working culture and embrace diversity across ‘Thirteen’ for both our customers and colleagues. In 2024 we were awarded a Bronze Talent, Inclusion and Diversity Evaluation (TIDE) Award for our approach to embedding an inclusive work culture.

If you have a disability, a learning difficulty such as dyslexia, a medical condition or an individual need which you believe may affect your performance at selection, we’ll be happy to adjust our processes to enable you to perform at your best.

In making an application for this role we ask you also to view our Privacy Notice which outlines our compliance to General Data Protection Regulations and the use and storage of your data.

Personal Data is held and processed on the lawful basis that such action is in the Legitimate Interest of the company in pursuing the purposes described and has been considered through the use of a Legitimate Interest Assessment utilising the Balance Test to not be outweighed by risks to the rights, freedoms and interests of the Data Subject.