A finance professional to join the Board of Directors

South Western Housing Society is an independent, locally-controlled and community focused housing association. Our mission is to provide high quality, sustainable affordable housing and services to tenants and to support communities where we own or develop stock. Our core business is the provision, management and maintenance of 620 homes for affordable rent and low cost home ownership in Somerset and Devon. We have an annual turnover of approx. £3m.

We are looking to recruit a finance professional to complement our current members of the Board, who set overall strategy, oversee performance, provide support and guidance to the executive, and generally ensure that the vision is defined and achieved. Between them, Board Members need to have the wide range of skills needed to run a successful social housing business. They also need to be committed to South Western’s purpose and support our values as a not-for-profit, charitable housing association.

We wish to recruit someone who can help ensure that we continue to provide value for money and maintain the financial strength and capacity to achieve our plans. The successful candidate will have the following skills:

• Business skills/commercial acumen
• Ability to think and operate strategically
• Strong listening and communication skills
• Ability to foster effective relationships and work well in a team
• Commitment to, and understanding and experience of delivering excellent customer service

You will need to be able to devote sufficient time to the business. As a minimum, this means attendance at approximately four board meetings per annum plus two away days. In exchange, you will build on your experience in the strategic management of an important local social business, receive appropriate induction and support, and benefit from an opportunity for further personal development whilst making an important contribution to improving peoples’ lives.

We remunerate our Board Members at c £1000 pa, and we meet reasonable expenses for attending meetings. For further information, please contact Sue Thackeray, Corporate Services Manager on 01934 750780 or e-mail sthackeray@swhs.org.uk