Head of Housing Solutions
Job Description
Job Title: Head of Housing Solutions
Salary: £75,312 - £87,033 per annum
Grade: I
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Hours: 37 hours per week
About the Department
The Housing Solutions Service sits within the Place Directorate and plays a critical role in delivering Thurrock Council’s housing and homelessness responsibilities. The service is focused on preventing and relieving homelessness, supporting residents to access suitable accommodation, managing temporary accommodation, and delivering housing allocations and housing register services.
As part of our wider ambition to improve outcomes for residents, the service is undergoing significant transformation to ensure it is innovative, customer-focused, financially sustainable and compliant with legislative requirements.
About the Role
As the Head of Housing Solutions, you will be responsible for:
- Providing strategic leadership and management of Thurrock Council’s Housing Solutions Service.
- Leading homelessness prevention and relief services, housing allocations, the housing register and temporary accommodation functions.
- Driving service transformation, continuous improvement and innovation to deliver excellent resident outcomes.
- Managing temporary accommodation demand, supply and expenditure, reducing reliance on high-cost accommodation and improving move-on opportunities for residents.
- Ensuring robust governance, performance management and compliance with homelessness and housing legislation.
- Developing strong partnerships with Registered Providers, landlords, health partners and other key stakeholders to maximise housing opportunities.
This role offers the chance to make a real difference by leading one of the Council's most important frontline services, helping vulnerable residents access housing, preventing homelessness and shaping the future delivery of housing services across Thurrock.
What We're Looking For
We're looking for someone who has:
- Significant senior leadership experience within a housing and homelessness environment.
- Expert knowledge of homelessness legislation, housing policy and regulatory frameworks.
- A proven track record of leading service transformation, managing change and delivering improved performance.
- Experience of managing large, complex budgets and delivering financial sustainability.
- Strong partnership-building skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across organisations and sectors.
- Experience of leading and developing high-performing teams within a complex public sector environment.
Essential Qualifications:
- Qualified homelessness practitioner with at least five years' relevant experience.
- Evidence of leadership and management development through training, personal development or a relevant qualification.
DBS Check: No DBS check is required for this post. Standard recruitment process applies.
Important Dates
Closing Date (Redeployment Only): 30th July 2026
Closing Date (Internal & External): 23rd August 2026
Additional Information
If you have any questions about the role or interview process, please contact:
Anthony Fletcher – Director of Place Delivery and Service Implementation
To view the Job Profile and Person Specification, please follow the link below:
Download Job Profile (PDF Document)
If the Job Profile and Person Specification list any qualifications as essential, please also upload copies of those relevant qualifications.
About us
Why Thurrock?
Working at Thurrock Council gives you the opportunity to join an organisation that is changing at pace, one where you can make a real difference to the lives of the people we serve.
Thurrock Council is moving towards a new community leadership approach which involves linking with local partners and communities as we shape our improvement for the years ahead.
This is an exciting time to join us, to shape the future success of our changing organisation and to have a positive influence on our borough.
Our location
Thurrock is located on the north bank of the river Thames. Our urban centres are a vibrant mix of established towns and new young communities, with a diverse and growing population of around 160,000 residents.
We are an emerging cultural and arts centre, home to the production centre for the Royal Opera House and the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills. We have excellent retail and leisure opportunities, including Lakeside Shopping Centre, country parks, forests, and marshes.
Thurrock is just half an hour journey away from the centre of London by train and well connected by road.
Staff benefits
We offer lots of staff benefits, including a generous annual leave entitlement and hybrid working. We champion flexible working and job share applications are welcome.
Further information can be found here Employment benefits | Working for the council | Thurrock Council
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Thurrock Council is committed to equal opportunities. As a Disability Confident Employer, disabled people will be offered an interview where they meet all essential criteria on the person specification.
We serve a diverse community where people are different yet equal. Diversity underpins everything we do.
For further information about Thurrock Council please visit our website: Thurrock Council
Salary range
- £75,312 - £87,033 per year