Luton (On-Site)
Permanent
97746 - 103605 GBP / year
About the job
Salary: £97,746 - £103,605 a year plus £3990 car benefit allowance
Hours per week: As and when required
Contract type: Permanent
Are you ready to lead a bold, values-driven housing agenda and shape the future of housing in one of the UK’s most diverse and dynamic towns?
Luton Council is seeking a Director of Housing to lead and transform high-performing, customer-focused services across housing operations, needs and homelessness playing a pivotal role in delivering our ambitious Luton 2040 vision to eradicate poverty, reduce inequality, and ensure access to good quality, affordable homes in a vibrant, forward-thinking town.
As Director of Housing, you will be the Council’s strategic and operational lead for all housing functions, with responsibility for a £22 million budget, 7,700 council homes, and services supporting our 225,000 residents including more than 1,100 in temporary accommodation.
You will be accountable for:
•Fulfilling all statutory housing duties, including homelessness prevention, HRA business planning, and compliance with key legislation and regulation.
•Driving transformation across homelessness, housing management and temporary accommodation, with a strong emphasis on tenant satisfaction, service excellence and financial sustainability.
•Advising and working with elected Members to shape strategy, policy and delivery aligned to Luton 2040.
•Leading effective engagement with tenants, leaseholders and community panels to ensure inclusive and responsive services.
•Working collaboratively with the Director of Property and Housing Delivery to ensure tenants and leaseholders receive good value and effective repairs, asset and estate management services
•Act as Board Member on our wholly owned company Foxhall Homes to ensure affordable housing delivery and the effective sourcing and acquisition of temporary accommodation. Acting as Luton’s housing ambassador locally, sub-regionally and nationally.
This is a role with real impact, addressing poverty, contributing to climate goals through sustainable homes, and improving wellbeing for some of the town’s most vulnerable residents.
About you
We are looking for a housing leader with:
•Significant senior experience in local authority housing services, with a strong understanding of the Housing Act, HRA, and regulatory frameworks.
•A track record of transformation, innovation and delivering improved outcomes in complex housing environments.
•Strategic vision combined with operational grip – able to manage risk, assure compliance, and inspire large multidisciplinary teams.
•Political astuteness and the ability to influence and collaborate across organisational and sector boundaries.
•A strong personal commitment to inclusion, social justice and improving life chances.
Join us and be part of a council that is determined to make a lasting difference.
About us
Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.
The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision.
Application Process
For further information or a confidential discussion, please contact our retained consultant at Penna:
Bruna Varante on 07858 306725 or email: bruna.varante@penna.com
Ali Tasker on 07514 728114 or email: ali.tasker@penna.com
Amin Aziz – 07709 514141 or email amin.aziz@penna.com
On occasions, we may close a vacancy early due to a very high number of applications being received.
Benefits
We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:
- From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
- Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
- Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
- Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
- Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
- Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
- Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
- Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
- Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
- Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel
How to apply
To apply for this role, please click the link below:
Closing date: 26th June 2025
Longlist Interviews: 2nd July 2025
Final Interviews: 17th July 2025
We understand that job applications take time and effort, but a high-quality application shows that you are professional with a good attention to detail. The recruiting manager may receive a number of applications for each job advertised so you want yours to stand out!
Our ‘How to apply' page has more tips to help with your application: How to apply