James Waterton
Wigston,Leicestershire
Summary
With 19 years of housing experience and 14 years in leadership roles, this professional has successfully led diverse housing teams across large and small housing associations, local authorities, and the private sector. Holding a Master's degree in Housing Studies and an with senior leadership experience, they excel in verbal and written communication, partnership working, negotiation, and report writing. Known for producing effective policies and procedures, leadership experience in a multitude of housing functions, inclusive of housing management, anti-social behaviour, decants, voids, and lettings, as well as customer involvement and customer services, they bring unity to teams, empowering them to achieve success while maintaining a positive and calm demeanour under pressure.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
14
14
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Housing Services Manager
Trent & Dove Housing
Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire
03.2023 - Current
- Produced reports, and used performance data to create a pro-active approach to tackling common case types.
- Manage and coordinate all Decants, to ensure swift, effective and efficient decant remedial work, and effective customer communication to affected customers.
- Responsible for the decant process for regeneration projects.
- Manage customer complaints to improve customer satisfaction.
- Adapted communication approaches to customers, and I’ve created and updated housing procedures.
- Empowered team to become high performers, with high quality case handling, ensuring excellent performance results in financial year 2023/24, and current year to date.
Housing and Customer Services Manager
United States Air Force
RAF Alconbury, Cambridgeshire
06.2020 - 03.2023
- Deputised for the Head of Housing.
- improved communication strategies - achieved 98% customer satisfaction ratings.
- Provided excellent housing services to 1000 United States Air Force Service Members.
- Successfully managed a Partnership Programme with landlords to provide housing directly to service members and created policies and procedures.
Tenancy Services Manager
South Kesteven District Council
Grantham, Lincolnshire
11.2019 - 06.2020
- Provided an excellent housing and customer service to South Kesteven's 6,200 social housing properties.
- Managed decant process and void turnaround.
- Created a suite of policies and procedures from scratch.
- Drove my service area forward in line with strategic objectives.
Housing Services Manager
Greatwell Homes
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
04.2018 - 10.2019
- Chaired and organised 6 Customer Involvement Panels, including the Customer Scrutiny Panel, and managed projects.
- Created resourcing proposal which made my team more visible in the neighbourhood and more accessible to all tenants/customers,
- Chaired Operational Managers Team and Safeguarding lead.
- Achieved excellent KPI results and introduced a programme of neighbourhood walkabouts.
Housing Services Manager
Riverside Group
Leicester, Leicestershire
03.2015 - 04.2018
- Managed the team to tackle tenancy breaches, anti-social behaviour (ASB), void turnaround time, decants, effective lettings, rent arrears, estate improvement works, community events.
- Created area plans for patches so that the profitability on my team's patch was maximised, and managed a project to achieved zero voids at Christmas.
- Achieved the best KPI results in the history of the Midlands region for void turnaround time, Starter Tenancy Visits completion, and ASB handling, and effective partnership working in the decant process.
- Nominated for a National Housing Award for significantly reducing ASB in a key neighbourhood.
Housing Team Leader
Leicester City Council
Leicester, Leicestershire
05.2005 - 03.2015
- Split role - managed a team of 6 Housing Officers, and a Gypsy and Travellers Site, and Site Managers.
- Received £1.3 Million funding from Homes and Communities Agency to refurbish the Gypsy and Travellers Site. Managed the refurbishment programme with effective partnerships.
- Decanted the entire Gypsy and Travellers site (21 plots), finding suitable temporary accommodation, to enable the refurbishment works to take place.
- Introduced a programme of neighbourhood walkabouts with local residents, and set up tenant and resident associations.
- Completed one year Secondment as Neighbourhood Improvement Operative Supervisor - successfully managed 17 previously long term unemployed operatives.
Education
Master of Science - Housing Studies
Chartered Institute of Housing and DMU
United Kingdom 09.2008 - 08.2011
Bachelor of Arts - 2:1 Classification (Honours) - Public Administration and Managerial Studies
De Montfort University
Leicester 08.2000 - 08.2004
A-Levels - Sociology, Geography and History
Gateway College
Leicester 08.1998 - 08.2000
GCSEs - 9 GCSEs A-C, inc English Language and Mathematics
New Parks Community College
Leicester 08.1993 - 08.1998
Skills
- 19 years housing experience
- 14 years leadership experience
- Senior leadership experience
- Successfully led a wide range of housing teams with multi-functions and disciplines
- Large and Small Housing Association, Local Authority, and Private Sector experience
- Masters Educated (MSc in Housing Studies)
- Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing
- ILM Level 2 in Team Leading Qualification
- Excellent verbal and written communicator
- Superb partnership working ability and experience
- Highly proficient negotiator
- Easily build rapport with all people and get them onboard
- Report writing skills
- Produced many policies and procedures
- Positive, calm under pressure, high levels of emotional intelligence
- Bring unity to teams and empower them to success
Timeline
Housing Services Manager
Trent & Dove Housing
03.2023 - Current
Housing and Customer Services Manager
United States Air Force
06.2020 - 03.2023
Tenancy Services Manager
South Kesteven District Council
11.2019 - 06.2020
Housing Services Manager
Greatwell Homes
04.2018 - 10.2019
Housing Services Manager
Riverside Group
03.2015 - 04.2018
Master of Science - Housing Studies
Chartered Institute of Housing and DMU
09.2008 - 08.2011
Housing Team Leader
Leicester City Council
05.2005 - 03.2015
Bachelor of Arts - 2:1 Classification (Honours) - Public Administration and Managerial Studies
De Montfort University
08.2000 - 08.2004
A-Levels - Sociology, Geography and History
Gateway College
08.1998 - 08.2000
GCSEs - 9 GCSEs A-C, inc English Language and Mathematics
New Parks Community College
08.1993 - 08.1998
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