We are hiring a Head of Building Safety

Welcome from Fleur Whittingham, Property Director

This role is an opportunity to be part of a team that makes a genuine difference in our communities. In this pack, you’ll find details about the position and insights into what it’s like to work with us. Connexus is a rural housing association rooted in Shropshire and Herefordshire. We provide over 10,000 affordable rented homes and associated support services across the two counties, supported by a workforce of approximately 530 colleagues.

Our vision is simple yet ambitious: to provide homes you can build a life in. Central to achieving this vision is our belief in the value and potential of our people. We recognise that a positive, empowered, and engaged workforce is essential to delivering outstanding service to our customers and communities.

We are always looking for people who are motivated, hard-working, flexible, full of ideas and most importantly, people who really want to make a difference. We want people that will embrace our culture and the freedom it offers and continue with the innovation in service delivery we have become known for. If you like the sound of this, then we might be the organisation for you. I hope the information in this pack proves useful and gives you all the guidance you need to pursue your application.

Fleur Whittingham
Property Director

Our corporate plan

Our new Corporate Plan, homes you can build a life in was launched in March 2025. This new plan has focuses on our commitment to providing good-quality, safe, and affordable homes — fundamental principles that will always guide Connexus. Where we do want to see change is in our service delivery, with a focus on building trust in our services as well as ensuring we are operating as efficiently and effectively as possible.

As well as building trust, we will of course continue to build new homes, with this plan shifting the focus to look at our existing land, the properties we have, and the needs of the local communities we serve. Regeneration will play much more of a role in our developments over the next five years, aiming to replace homes which are no longer fit for purpose in the same places or close by — ensuring affordable housing doesn’t disappear from our communities.

This plan is a confident step forward, shaped by those we serve and work alongside. It reflects our commitment to providing good quality, affordable homes while adapting to the evolving needs of our communities.

Read the Corporate Plan 2025-2030 here.

Our direction of travel

At Connexus, we are committed to delivering safe, high-quality homes and services that our customers can trust. As we continue to evolve in response to a changing regulatory landscape, we are seeking a strategic and forward-thinking Head of Building Safety to lead our approach to building and fire safety across our diverse property portfolio.

This is a pivotal leadership role within our Property Directorate, responsible for shaping and embedding a culture of safety, compliance, and continuous improvement. You will ensure that Connexus not only meets but anticipates the requirements of the Building Safety Act 2022, Fire Safety Act 2021, and other relevant legislation.

What we can offer you

The benefits at Connexus


Hybrid & Home Working Where possible, we offer hybrid working which involves working from home and working in an office/hub for an amount of time during the week as agreed with your line manager.	Personal development A healthy learning and training budget to support your development	Flexible working We’re supportive of flexible working wherever possible and this can be discussed with your line manager and a flexible working request can be made if needed.

Annual leave You’ll be entitled to 27 days annual leave which are bookable and 3 additional days which are used for closure days between the Christmas and New Year period.	Pensions We’ve got a great pension with the Social Housing Pension scheme that you’ll automatically be enrolled into, with employer contribution of up to 15%.	Enhanced maternity/paternity pay Dependent on service qualifying criteria we offer enhanced maternity and paternity benefits.

Volunteering We’re a community-focussed organisation and encourage our colleagues to take 1 day every year to volunteer in the community and you’ll receive your normal pay for that day.	Equipped for the job All IT equipment along with uniform, van and tools where required are provided.	Your wellbeing Your wellbeing is very important to us and we have a number of offerings to help keep you well in and outside work.

Healthcare Cash Plan We offer a plan from Westfield Health that gives you money back for costs of treatment from various health care providers such opticians, the dentist and physiotherapists.	Discounts Scheme This is provided through Westfield Rewards. You can get discounts and cashback using an online portal for major high street brands, leisure, and services.	Parking At each of our offices.

Meet with us

Expect to hear from us soon.

If invited to interview, we’ll provide all the details in advance, including any interview formats we may use. During the interview, we’ll chat about your experience, and you’ll have the chance to ask questions too. There may also be a task or presentation so you can showcase your skills.

If you’re successful, we’ll be in touch to discuss the next steps and make sure you have everything you need to get started.

Directors

Kate Smith

Chief Executive

Kate has a wealth of experience gained from 15 years at executive level in the social housing sector, with organisations of scale, complexity and ambition. Before joining Connexus Kate worked for national housing and care provider Anchor, where she was group executive director of business services for five years.

Kate has held executive leadership positions at Southern Housing and bpha, as well as a number of non-executive positions.

Matt Pitt

People Director

An experienced senior leader, Matt’s last role was with maintenance business Novus Property Solutions, where he spent four years as people director.

Before this, he worked for six years at the global environmental solutions business Veolia in a variety of senior HR roles, including head of people development. He also has experience within the housing sector, as well as manufacturing and financial services.

Nick Batt

Communities and Customer

Services Director

Nick joined Connexus from Pobl Group - Wales’ largest social landlord and provider of care, support and other accommodation services across South Wales. Prior to joining Pobl, he worked in customer-focused roles with organisations primarily in the technology sector, after nearly a decade in financial services. Nick is responsible for leading teams delivering housing, support and customer services, with overall accountability for Connexus' compliance with the consumer standards.

Fleur Whittingham

Property Director

Fleur is passionate about social housing, with a particular focus on ensuring customers are safe and feel safe in their homes. In a career spanning 20 years in housing, she is proud to have worked with colleagues and organisations across the sector, to collectively drive-up safety standards. Fleur has been instrumental in driving up safety standards across the industry.

Fleur is leading the transformation of services through innovation and the integration of new technologies, Fleur is committed to enhancing the customer journey and ensuring that individuals feel safe and supported in their homes.

Fleur is the lead responsible for Health and Safety.

James Taylor

Finance Director

James joined Connexus in January 2024 as head of finance and procurement, playing a key role in securing £100m of funding by the end of that year. James will oversee our long-term financial planning as well as leading procurement, development and several other support functions.

Our Non-Executive Directors

Anne Turner

Chair of the Board

A qualified accountant, Anne spent 25 years in executive positions in three large housing association groups in the Midlands which has given her an excellent knowledge and understanding of the sector and the issues it faces. Over the years she has highlighted the importance of sound finances, excellent treasury and cash management as well as the need for surpluses to invest in new and improved homes and services.

Since retiring from her role as chief operating officer at Orbit Group in March 2016, she has concentrated on non-executive positions, primarily in housing associations. This has included group board roles in three large and varied registered social landlords, including chairing treasury and audit committees.

Having previously served on numerous CIPFA and NHF committees and working groups on housing related issues, Anne was a regular speaker at housing and finance conferences. In 2023 she was appointed as treasurer trustee of the Stratford upon Avon Foodbank, as she was keen to use her skills to support local projects and initiatives.

Nicola de Iongh

Senior Independent Director

Chair of People Committee

Nicola is passionate about social transformation, and in particular the systemic relationship between education, health and housing.

As Chair of Council at the University of Gloucestershire, she is an advocate for education as a means of transforming people’s lives so that they can make the world a better place, and for the civic role the University plays in its community. She is a champion for the University’s pioneering approach to Sustainability. She is currently Vice Chair of the UK’s University Chairs representative body, the CUC, becoming Chair in June 2024.

Nicola sits on the Board of the Gloucestershire Health and Care Foundation Trust.

In the private sector, Nicola chairs the Reference Committee for the Premier Miton UK Responsible Investment Fund, with a remit to advise on the fund’s investment policy and scrutinise investment decisions from the perspective of sustainability and ethics.

Previously, Nicola worked in the financial services sector as a global change lead. She also spent several years working as a freelance management consultant majoring in complex, strategic change across different sectors, both in the UK and internationally.

Simon Ewins

Non-Executive Director

Chair of Customer Committee

Simon is the Managing Director of Whitbread Plc Hotels and Restaurants, overseeing the day to day running of 1,300 operations and a team of 35,000 people, delivering in excess of £2.5bn annual turnover.

His strengths centre on leading complex and scale operations, transformational change, and rapid organisational growth. This through a lens of sustainable 21st century leadership.

His life experiences, combined with family ties to Shropshire and Herefordshire, have given Simon a real passion for the Connexus journey.

Imran Patel

Non-Executive Director

Board member

Imran is an experienced director in the telecoms sector with extensive experience driving results in large scale leadership roles, with a track record improving customer experience, transforming operations, and increasing employee engagement. He has experience in collaborating with executives to successfully lead strategic change initiatives and new business ventures. Imran recently moved into an executive role as Group Director of Customer Experience at Yorkshire Water.

He joined Connexus as a Co-optee to the Customer Services and Enterprise and Development Committees in November 2020 before the Board in November 2021. Imran is the Board member at Connexus responsible for complaints.

Julian Bill

Non-Executive Director

Chair of Audit and Risk

Julian has board experience within both financial services and social housing. He is a chartered accountant and in a 30-year career within financial services has held executive roles in finance, risk and internal audit.  His most recent role is chief risk officer at Monmouthshire Building Society. He has served for 10 years as a non-executive director at Pobl Housing Group in South Wales, where he chaired the audit and risk committee.  

Helen Southwell

Non-Executive Director

Helen has over 30 years’ professional experience as a senior leader in the health sector, primarily in the NHS. Her roles extend across general management, transformation and organisational change, strategic planning, and commissioning both at local system and regional level in the Midlands.

She is an experienced non-executive director across several Midlands-based housing associations as well as holding trustee roles in special education. Helen recently retired from the board of Platform Housing Group, where she was chair of their people and governance committee and board member responsible for complaints 

Helen is a passionate advocate for listening to customers, and through strong partnerships and governance, delivering positive impact to people and local communities

Helen lives in rural Worcestershire with her family.

James Savage

Non-Executive Director

James served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) for more than 35 years. His career encompassed senior roles leading HR strategy for both the RAF and all three UK Armed Forces; and in infrastructure, with responsibility for major portfolios of military bases in the UK and overseas.

He rose to lead the RAF’s infrastructure profession and, in his final role, led the provision of housing to circa 40,000 families of all three Armed Forces in the UK and across 16 countries in Europe. For his work leading Defence housing through an exceptionally challenging period while setting the conditions for a major programme of improvements, he was made a CBE in the 2025 New Year's Honours List.

He has experienced housing services as both a customer and the provider of military housing and is passionate about the importance of delivering high-quality housing and related services. He also brings extensive experience developing strategy for very large organisations, and leading large, dispersed teams through major change.

Philip Ingle

Non-Executive Director

Philip is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, qualifying while working for the Consulting Engineers WS Atkins.

Following a move to Finance Director for the Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority he enjoyed a career in the housing sector for nearly 20 years as Deputy Chief Executive and Finance Director at The Housing Plus Group in the Midlands. In this role Philip gained significant experience in finance, treasury, business planning, mergers and governance.

Following his retirement, Philip continues to play a role in the housing sector as a Non-Executive Board Member which include being Chair of Audit and Risk and Board Member at Muir Group.

Thank You

Thank you for considering a career with Connexus.

If you have any questions or need further information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Hiring Manager or our People Team.

Your journey with Connexus starts here and we can’t wait to see where it leads!