Principal - Homelessness and Temporary Accommodation

GMCA

Manchester

Full Time

Fixed

Expires 07/09/2025

About the Role

Principal - Homelessness & Temporary Accommodation

Contract: Fixed Term until 31/01/2027

The rising number of families and individuals being placed in Temporary Accommodation is a national crisis. We need somebody to help us to tackle this crisis in Greater Manchester.

As a member of the Greater Manchester Housing First Unit, you will play a critical role in delivering the GM Temporary Accommodation Action Planby working with our Local Authorities to deliver on its 6 priorities:

Improving ourData:Working with research colleagues to better understand Temporary Accommodation usage, spend and demographics.

Enhancing strategicCollaboration:Working with our Local Authorities to ensure our efforts to address temporary accommodation use have collective impact.

Developing and deliveringNew Supplymodels for temporary housing: working with Local Authorities and GMCA colleagues to develop new supply models that provide good value for money.

You will oversee the project management of new supply programmes:ensuring both new and existing schemesdeliver housingfor people experiencing homelessness on time and on budget.

Working to drive up Temporary AccommodationStandards:Working with GMCA Place colleagues and our Local Authorities to drive up housing standards through initiatives like the Good Landlord Charter.

EmbeddingCo-productionin our work: ensuring that the voices and experiences of families who have been in temporary accommodation inform the projects emerging from the Action Plan.

Understanding and supporting the statutory homelessnessWorkforce:considering the extreme pressures faced by Local Authority housing options teams and ways in which we can support them.

You will be our policy lead for temporary and emergency accommodation: driving forward our long-term vision for homelessness prevention in Greater Manchester.

This is ameaningfulrole; you will be directly playing a part in a whole-system effort toreduceand preventhomelessness, working closely with local and national partners to tackle the worst effects of the housing crisis.

The role is also incrediblycollaborative; you will be a key contact forLocal Authorities, national government partners and other stakeholdersin Greater Manchester, as partGMCA's Housing First Unit.

About You:

The fact that the complexity of this work is appealing to you means that you're a systems thinker who iscomfortable working within a complex environment with multiple private, public and third sector partners and you'll be keen to put your strong interpersonal and communication skills to the test.

You will have a strong understanding of homelessness legislation and the work of Local Authorities in preventing homelessness and providing temporary and interim accommodation.

You will thrive on the variety of managing multiple, complex programmes and projects and be excited by complex work that has an immediate social impact.

You will have a good understanding of the housing sector and the role of private, social and other landlords in tackling homelessness.

Whatever your circumstances, we’re looking for someone with the core skills to hit the ground running, but we recognise that we will need to invest in the right candidate. You will be able to learn from and lean on the advice and expertise from across a wide range of experts from across the Housing First Unit and our Local Authorities.

Taking this into account, we’re really looking for someone who is:

A leader: Able to drive forward an ambitious programme of work, whilst bringing people along on the journey.

Confident:Able to be assertive in achieving the aims of your projects and confident presenting to a wide range of audiences.

Organised and focused:the ability to stay on top of several complex projects with different timescales.

Personable:to make projects a success, you will need to secure the buy-in of a broad range of partners.

Resilient and persevering: success in this work is often hard-fought and definitelya marathon, not a sprint.

Passionate about tackling homelessness, poverty, inequality and disadvantage:enthusiasm and drive for social change, through reforming public services and working with communities.

About us:

As an employer, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is made up of a number of key Greater Manchester strategic functions and service providers including; Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS); Waste and Resources; Environment; Work and Skills; Research; Public Sector Reform; Police, Crime and Criminal Justice; Homelessness; the Greater Manchester Ageing Hub and the Commissioning Hub.

We value the diversity of our employees, and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects our diverse communities across Greater Manchester. We encourage applications from all suitably qualified individuals, irrespective of people's age, disability, Trans status and Non-binary identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. We have guidance in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability.

In return for your hard work, we offer our employees a competitive package as part of our offer that you can find out more about here:

We embrace AI to enhance our operations and to innovate our services. However, we value human talent and are looking for passionate individuals to join our organisation. Please ensure you personally complete your application and read all the instructions carefully to maximise your chances of success.

Applications that rely too heavily on AI may be rejected during shortlisting, however we understand that AI may be used as a reasonable adjustment, if using AI to support your application, please give a brief explanation why to help ensure fair selection process.

Employees on the redeployment register will be given priority for any vacancies in the first instance. If employees are identified as a match from the register then the vacancy may be withdrawn or put on hold pending an outcome.

This role is part of GMCA’s hybrid working scheme. As part of our commitment to ‘Build Back Fairer’ in Greater Manchester following the Covid-19 pandemic, we have evolved our management methods by trusting and empowering staff to deliver their work in the best way that suits the business and their individual needs, and supports health and wellbeing. Our hybrid working policy sets out a flexible approach, combining attendance at our [Manchester city centre office / Fire and Rescue service HQ in Swinton / other location] with remote working, typically from home; the location of work is primarily dictated by the needs of the business: ‘Do what is right for you and the business on that day’. If appointed to the role you will work with your manager to agree and regularly review the best working pattern for you, your team and your work.

GM Elevate Programme

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme within the last two years, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application?

Tootal Buildings, 56 Oxford Street, Manchester, M1 6EU, United Kingdom