Service Manager - Housing Needs and Standards

- Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils
- Address: Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 2BX.
- Salary: £55,224 - £65,092 per annum (pro rata for part time)
- Hours: Full Time, 37 hours per week
- Contract: Permanent

This role is open to full time , part time , and job share applications , all of which will be assessed equally.

Join our team

We are looking for a Service Manager - Housing Needs and Standards to lead our Housing Needs and Standards team .

If you share our values and you are motivated to make a difference for our residents, clients, and communities, we would love to hear from you.

About the role

Lead the Future of Housing Standards and Regulatory Services

We are seeking an outstanding housing professional to lead the delivery of our Housing Standards and Private Sector Housing services.

This is a high-profile leadership role with responsibility for shaping services that improve housing conditions, protect residents, and ensure compliance with an evolving regulatory landscape.

As a key member of the Housing Solutions management team, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across Housing Standards, Environmental Health (Private Sector Housing), grants and adaptations services, and housing regulation.

Working closely with senior leaders, elected members and partners, you will help deliver our ambitions for safe, healthy and sustainable communities

In this important management role, you will:

- Lead, develop and transform Housing Needs and Standards services.
- Provide expert Environmental Health Officer (EHO) leadership and professional oversight.
- Ensure effective enforcement of housing legislation and regulation within the Private Rented Sector.
- Manage complex, high-profile and legally sensitive cases.
- Drive service performance, continuous improvement and innovation.
- Lead and develop high-performing teams and managers.
- Manage budgets, resources and investment programmes.
- Influence strategic housing priorities and contribute to corporate objectives.
- Respond to legislative change, including delivery of new responsibilities arising from the Renters' Rights Act.
- Lead the team to improve the quality of homes within the private rented sector, working with landlords and tenants.
- Support residents to be able to continue to remain in their homes with the help of disabled facilities grants.

About you

Are you an experienced Environmental Health professional looking for your next leadership challenge?

We are looking for a qualified and experienced leader who can bring both professional credibility and strategic vision.

You will have:

- A degree or equivalent professional qualification in Environmental Health or a related discipline.
- Qualified Environmental Health Officer (EHO) status and ongoing professional development.
- Significant post-qualification experience in housing regulation, environmental health or related regulatory services.
- A strong track record of managing enforcement activity, including complex investigations and legal proceedings.
- Experience leading managers, professional staff and multi-disciplinary teams.
- Strong leadership, organisational and decision-making skills.
- The ability to interpret legislation and translate policy into effective service delivery.
- Experience advising senior officers, elected members and external partners.

About us

At Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils we are passionate about building communities that people want to live, work, visit and invest in.

We serve around 200,000 residents across our two districts and are well known for our collaboration and partnership working across public, private and voluntary sectors.

We believe that the heart of Suffolk is an incredibly special place to live and work, with:

- 60 conservation areas
- two National Landscapes
- many picturesque market towns

It is no surprise we are ranked among the top 50 places to live in the UK (United Kingdom).

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including:

- Generous leave entitlement (26 days a year, rising to 31 days after 5 years).
- Competitive Local Government Pension Scheme.
- Wellbeing Support and Employee Assistance Programs.
- Private Health Care Options.
- Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme.
- Paid volunteering days.
- Flexible and hybrid working arrangements (Business needs permitting).
- Great learning and development opportunities.

For more information, visit our Employee Benefits page .

Our ways of working

We believe work is what we do, not just where we go.

We work in a hybrid way, with a mix of office, home, and remote based working (Business need permitting). Our hybrid working arrangements support flexibility and collaboration, helping our teams to thrive.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, providing opportunity and ambition for all, supporting and enabling our people to deliver the best possible services for our residents.

For more information

For an informal discussion or to learn more about this role, please contact Amma Antwi-Yeboah by either calling 01449 724873 or emailing [email protected]

Please read the Job Description and Person Specification.pdf before applying for this job opportunity.

Closing date: 11.00pm, 29 November 2026.

Interview date: Week commencing 14 December 2026.

How to apply

Please ensure your:

- application form is fully completed, including employment and education history
- supporting statement clearly addresses how you meet the criteria in the Person Specification

Using AI in your application

We value authentic applications that reflect your own skills, experience and achievements. AI can be a useful tool when preparing your application, but the information you provide must be accurate and genuinely reflect your abilities.

Please read our guidance on using AI in job applications to understand what is acceptable during recruitment. Providing false or misleading information, or using AI inappropriately during assessments, may affect your application.

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.