It’s a busy summer of senior-level recruitment here at Connexus, with recruitment well underway for the all-new Director of People role and two new Board members. These roles are key in helping shape our future direction…but what does that really mean for Connexus and, crucially, our customers?
Customers are always at the heart of what we do and the all-new Director of People position on our Executive Management Team (EMT) will primarily help develop a focus on our customers, resulting in strong customer service and customer satisfaction. We believe in a culture of data driven decision-making and progressive change, and so the new Director will be responsible for our Business Insight & Change Team, monitoring and managing performance to take the lead on organisational development. One of our two new Board members will also be centring their work on customer service.
Connexus aims to provide high-quality affordable housing to all our customers and this includes those living in older properties. Following the Coronavirus lockdown and economic slowdown, there is an understandable governmental and sector spotlight currently shone on new builds. Connexus has an extensive development programme across Shropshire and Herefordshire, but we also recognise that the regeneration of existing homes and the reduction of fuel poverty are intrinsically linked. Our Warmer Homes Project (part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund) has already started taking a look at how 132 of our older properties can be brought up to PassivHaus standards of energy efficiency, using wall cavity insulation, improved ventilation and modern heating systems. This project will both help to inform the next 30-years of our plans of how best to invest in existing properties and contribute to the Government’s efforts to reduce the UK’s net emission of greenhouse gases to zero by 2050.
We’ve already mentioned fuel poverty, which is higher than the national average in both Herefordshire and Shropshire, but this is only one challenge facing rural communities. Higher than average property prices, lack of job opportunities, poor transport links and infrastructure all contribute to making life harder in rural areas, often driving families and young people away. We’ll continue to work with local agencies to help tackle some of these issues, be it through a development programme that suits the local area (considering the right mix of affordable rents and Shared Ownership homes), or our community drop-ins that help struggling households with issues around employment and mental health.
Of course, our Directors and Board cannot build the future of Connexus and our customers on their own. HR and recruitment are vital in ensuring we have the passionate teams that we need to deliver high-quality services across the communities we serve. The Director of People will develop a culture of diversity and inclusion that runs through all of our people, practices and communications to ensure a diverse and inclusive workforce that is able to meet the needs of our customers.
We’re excited about the future here at Connexus and bringing the right people onto the team to help us provide the best services we can for the communities we serve. We want two new enthusiastic and ambitious Board members to strengthen our governance and make positive changes to the organisation. We want a Director of People who can develop our brand and culture. And we want to always be better for our customers.
