About the job

Job summary

The regulation team, based in the Strategy and Regulation Division, carry out the statutory regulation of Welsh registered social landlords (RSLs) on behalf of the Welsh Ministers. RSL’s are key partners in delivering the housing outcomes we want to see in Wales: 

RSL Sector Profile (source – RSL Global Accounts 2022) 
•    Welsh RSLs own and manage more than 173000 homes, with a forecast increase to around 188000 by 2027
•    RSLs spend Spent £1.3bn - 85% of that spent in Wales
•    Turnover of over £1.15bn
•    Fixed asset value - £9.4bn
•    £575m of new debt facility in 2021
•    Forecast borrowings of £4.5bn by 2027
•    Supports around 27,000 jobs in Wales, 11,000 directly
•    Welsh Gov investing over £300m social housing grant, plus various other funding
•    Estimated to bring in £5.73 for every £1 of Welsh Government funding
•    Provide homes/ services to over 200,000 tenants/ residents 

The main purpose of regulation is to protect tenants and significant public investment in the RSL sector in Wales. Effective regulation also ensures the sector remains attractive to private investors to continue to provide cost efficient funding to supplement grant for the development of new social housing in Wales.  

The Head of Regulation Operations is responsible for maintaining the statutory register of registered social landlords in Wales, the delivery of the annual programme of regulatory judgements, the regulatory oversight of RSLs, regulation case work, government business and communications. The post holder will lead a multi – skilled team based across Wales which includes governance specialists and qualified accountants undertaking assessments of compliance with regulatory standards set under section 33A of the Housing Act 1996 and the regulatory framework. 

Case management is an important element of the role with the postholder being a moderator for high level team decisions and responsible for commissioning a wide range of regulatory intervention and enforcement action which can have significant and wide-ranging impacts on RSLs and individuals.

Job description

The regulation team, based in the Strategy and Regulation Division, carry out the statutory regulation of Welsh registered social landlords (RSLs) on behalf of the Welsh Ministers. RSL’s are key partners in delivering the housing outcomes we want to see in Wales: 

RSL Sector Profile (source – RSL Global Accounts 2022) 
•    Welsh RSLs own and manage more than 173000 homes, with a forecast increase to around 188000 by 2027
•    RSLs spend Spent £1.3bn - 85% of that spent in Wales
•    Turnover of over £1.15bn
•    Fixed asset value - £9.4bn
•    £575m of new debt facility in 2021
•    Forecast borrowings of £4.5bn by 2027
•    Supports around 27,000 jobs in Wales, 11,000 directly
•    Welsh Gov investing over £300m social housing grant, plus various other funding
•    Estimated to bring in £5.73 for every £1 of Welsh Government funding
•    Provide homes/ services to over 200,000 tenants/ residents 

The main purpose of regulation is to protect tenants and significant public investment in the RSL sector in Wales. Effective regulation also ensures the sector remains attractive to private investors to continue to provide cost efficient funding to supplement grant for the development of new social housing in Wales.  

The Head of Regulation Operations is responsible for maintaining the statutory register of registered social landlords in Wales, the delivery of the annual programme of regulatory judgements, the regulatory oversight of RSLs, regulation case work, government business and communications. The post holder will lead a multi – skilled team based across Wales which includes governance specialists and qualified accountants undertaking assessments of compliance with regulatory standards set under section 33A of the Housing Act 1996 and the regulatory framework. 

Case management is an important element of the role with the postholder being a moderator for high level team decisions and responsible for commissioning a wide range of regulatory intervention and enforcement action which can have significant and wide-ranging impacts on RSLs and individuals.

Person specification

What the organisation will expect

• You will be responsible for managing defined areas of work using your specialist knowledge or experience to exercise sound judgement when interpreting complex or conflicting information weighing up all evidence to produce innovative solutions to problems.
• You will be adaptable, flexible, open to, and accepting of change affecting you and your area of work and deal with that change efficiently and professionally.
• You will show political awareness and an understanding of the political landscape when considering the impact of your decision and work on the wider business area and when formulating proposals for Senior Managers and Ministers.

What your team will expect 

• You may be required to manage a team setting clear direction on achieving their objectives.
• You will support team members in their work such as complex areas of work; work allocation and prioritisation; performance management; training and development; mentoring and coaching.
• You will value diversity and inclusion, creating an environment where individuals feel safe to challenge, share ideas and express concerns adopting an inclusive leadership style.
• You will be responsible for developing, implementing and maintaining systems or processes ensuring excellence or value for money.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Welsh Government, like all other Government Departments use Success Profiles when we recruit. For each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job. It raises performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

The selection process and stages are:

Number of Stages:	2 stage process
Stage 1	Application Form
Stage 2	Interview

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.