Assets and Repairs Manager

To apply for this role, send your CV and a covering letter to recruitment@isha.co.uk by 9am on Monday, 16 November.

In your cover letter, you must answer the following questions:

1. After reading the job description and person spec, why you feel you are a great fit, and how your experience matches the skills and requirements of the role.
2. About one challenge you’ve had delivering a responsive repairs service, how you managed it, and what you learned.
3. What you love most about leading a team; share an example of how you’ve developed colleagues to succeed.
4. Anything else you want us to know about you.

Please keep your responses to a maximum of 300 words per answer.

Unfortunately, we cannot consider your application if you do not answer these questions.

Reports to: Head of Assets and Repairs
Direct reports: 1x Senior Surveyor, 1x Disrepair Coordinator, 4x Repairs Advisors, 1x Awaab's Resident Liaison Officer.
Team: Assets and Repairs
Directorate: Housing and Neighbourhoods

Job purpose

Reporting to the Head of Assets and Repairs, the postholder will lead the delivery of ISHA’s responsive repairs service, managing staff, contractors and budgets to ensure homes are safe, compliant and well maintained.

The role is responsible for contract management, disrepair and Awaab’s Law compliance, performance monitoring, financial control and service improvement, ensuring excellent customer service and value for money.

Working collaboratively across the organisation and with residents, leaseholders and contractors, the postholder will ensure ISHA fulfils its statutory and landlord obligations, delivers on its customer promises and maintains high standards across its housing stock.

The role requires a proactive, hands-on approach, strong leadership and a commitment to delivering high-quality services that meet and exceed resident expectations, while demonstrating ISHA’s values in all aspects of service delivery.

Our values

Consistently demonstrate and champion ISHA’s values through your behaviours, decisions, and interactions, whilst always acting as a positive and visible role model for our values:

• Professional
• Motivated to Deliver
• People Focused
• Compassionate 

Key accountabilities

1. Manage the performance of ISHA’s responsive repairs contracts, using performance data to drive continuous improvement, set service targets and hold contractors accountable for delivery.
2. Ensure regular contract management meetings are held, involving residents where appropriate, and challenge poor contractor performance to secure improved outcomes.
3. Support and participate in resident engagement activities relating to repairs services, including Tenant Forums, residents’ association meetings and other consultation events.
4. Oversee the responsive repairs process, ensuring repairs are managed from initial report through to completion, residents are kept informed, and issues are escalated appropriately.
5. Ensure all team members maintain up-to-date health and safety training and comply with relevant legislation, policies and procedures.
6. Manage responsive repairs budgets, monitoring expenditure, reporting variances and implementing corrective actions where required.
7. Authorise repairs, variations, works orders and contractor payments, ensuring expenditure is controlled, and suppliers are paid in accordance with contractual terms.
8. Monitor contractor accounts and performance, resolving disputes and queries promptly while protecting ISHA’s financial and operational interests.
9. Ensure all contracts and contractors operate in compliance with ISHA’s health and safety arrangements, including construction design and management (CDM) regulations, asbestos regulations, the Health and Safety at Work Act and other relevant legislation.
10. Procure contracts and services in accordance with ISHA’s procurement and financial regulations.
11. Undertake property inspections and surveying duties as required, including supporting joint inspections relating to repairs, housing management and anti-social behaviour matters.
12. Maintain accurate asset, repairs and stock condition records, ensuring all relevant databases and systems are kept up to date.
13. Lead, motivate and develop staff through regular one-to-ones, objective setting, performance reviews and annual appraisals, addressing underperformance where necessary.
14. Provide leadership and oversight to surveying teams, supporting the Senior Surveyor in managing performance and achieving service objectives.
15. Lead on legal disrepair cases, Awaab’s Law compliance, housing condition and hazard-related matters, customer complaints and statutory obligations, ensuring risks are effectively managed and residents receive a professional, customer-focused service.
16. Manage and oversee Awaab’s Law processes, ensuring compliance with statutory timescales and legislative requirements under the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023.
17. Ensure data protection requests are handled efficiently and in accordance with legislative requirements, with appropriate review and authorisation processes in place.
18. Contribute to the delivery of ISHA’s corporate strategy by participating in the out-of-hours rota, supporting insurance claims and defects, advising internal stakeholders on building-related matters, developing maintenance strategies, and overseeing stock condition survey programmes to maximise asset performance and longevity.

Essentials

In addition to the principal accountabilities of the role, there are significant elements that we deem essential for every role at ISHA:

Ensure safeguarding responsibilities are fully and effectively met by promoting a safeguarding culture appropriate to the scope and seniority of the role.

Champion equity, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of work, ensuring policies are actively applied, and the principles of fairness, inclusion and respect are positively promoted.

Maintain a safe, compliant and responsible working environment by ensuring full adherence to health and safety and data protection requirements, and by promoting practices that protect personal wellbeing, organisational data and the safety of others.

Ensure priorities are met through flexible and responsive working, adapting approach and taking on additional reasonable responsibilities to support the needs of the team, directorate and ISHA, as and when required.

Personal specification

Dear applicant

Thank you for your interest in joining ISHA as our Assets & Repairs Manager. We’re delighted you’re considering becoming part of our team.

ISHA was founded on a simple but powerful purpose: to provide safe, secure, and genuinely affordable homes for the communities we serve. Our residents are at the heart of everything we do, and our commitment to them shapes every decision we make from how we maintain our buildings to how we design our services and support our teams.

You will work closely with our Head of Assets and Repairs and lead a team at the heart of delivering frontline services to residents. Together, you’ll help shape our approach to repairs, and maintenance always with an eye on continuous improvement and delivering excellent outcomes for residents.

At ISHA, we value collaboration, openness, and a genuine willingness to make things better. We’re looking for someone who thrives in a busy environment, enjoys working with people, and has both professionalism and a customer-focused approach. In return, we offer a supportive workplace, opportunities to develop your skills, and the chance to be part of a team making a meaningful difference every day.

We hope this candidate pack gives you a clear picture of who we are, what we stand for, and what this role can offer. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in shaping and improving services that have a direct impact on residents' homes and lives. If what you read resonates with you, we’d be thrilled to receive your application.

Best wishes

Rob Welsh
Head of Assets and Repairs

Shape Better Services. Drive Meaningful Change. Make a Real Difference.

At ISHA, we’re passionate about making sure our residents feel safe, supported, and proud of their homes. If you care about people just as much as you care about well-maintained buildings, this could be the perfect role for you.

As our Assets and Repairs Manager, you’ll play a key role in shaping how we look after our homes and support our communities. You’ll oversee the planning, delivery, and monitoring of all repairs and maintenance programmes across our housing stock making sure our services are customer-focused, great value, compliant, and aligned with our long-term goals.

But don’t worry, you won’t be doing this alone. You’ll work closely with ISHA’s Head of Assets and Repairs, collaborating to drive continuous improvement across all service areas and helping us achieve our organisational objectives.

The job

• Coaching and advising a Senior Building Surveyor and a small team of Repairs Advisors.
• Leading the day-to-day management of responsive repairs, ensuring customer satisfaction stays high, and supply chain KPIs are consistently met.
• To lead and take ownership of all service-related legal disrepair cases, Awaab’s Law compliance, housing condition and hazard-related matters, and customer complaints, ensuring statutory obligations are met, risks are mitigated, and residents receive a responsive, professional, and customer-focused service within prescribed timescales.
• Using data and asset information systems to support smart, informed decision-making.
• Building positive, constructive relationships with internal teams, contractors, and residents.
• Managing budgets effectively, ensuring strong financial controls and value for money.
• Championing continuous improvement across repairs and asset services, always looking for ways to enhance customer experience and service quality.
• Managing repairs and maintenance contractors, ensuring excellent service delivery and great resident outcomes.
• Ensuring robust monitoring, reporting, and forecasting systems are always in place and working well.
• Contributing to budget planning and compiling accurate monthly budget/KPI reports, with effective management of responsive repairs budgets.

We’re looking for a confident, people-focused individual with strong interpersonal skills and a friendly, collaborative approach. This is a busy role, so being organised, proactive, and solutions-driven will really help you thrive.

You’ll be someone who:

• Is a strong leader who works well with others and loves bringing teams together to deliver a fantastic service for residents.
• Enjoys problem-solving while remaining professionally curious.
• Is resilient, calm, and ready to make a real difference in Social Housing.
• Communicates clearly and builds trust and credibility quickly and easily.
• Brings positivity, and ideally a sense of humour, to a fast-paced (and sometimes stressful) environment.

We need someone with:

• Strong experience in repairs, maintenance, or asset management within social housing or a similar sector.
• A solid understanding of compliance requirements and building safety regulations.
• Proven experience managing contracts and contractor performance.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills with the ability to engage and motivate staff and stakeholders alike.
• Strong analytical and IT skills, including experience using systems.
• The ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on operational delivery.

Why join ISHA?

This is an exciting time to join ISHA as we continue to invest in our homes, services and resident experience. As Assets and Repairs Manager, you will play a key leadership role in delivering high-quality responsive repairs, disrepair management and Awaab's Law compliance across our housing stock.

This role offers the opportunity to drive service improvement, influence contractor performance and shape how repairs and maintenance services are delivered. Working closely with residents, contractors and colleagues across the organisation, you will have a direct impact on the quality of residents' homes and their overall experience of our services.

You will lead a dedicated team, manage significant service contracts and budgets, and help ensure ISHA continues to meet its regulatory and landlord obligations while delivering value for money. If you are passionate about customer service, asset management and making a tangible difference to residents' lives, this is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in a forward-thinking housing organisation driven by strong values and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Ready to make a difference? We'd love to hear from you.

At ISHA, community and neighbourhood mean everything to us, and our roots run deep in the areas of North London that we serve. Founded over 90 years ago, we provide around 2,500 homes for over 5,000 people across Islington, Hackney and Waltham Forest. We are proud to remain a community-based housing association with a strong social purpose and an ambitious future.

We offer a wide range of housing choices: social rent, shared ownership, intermediate rent, market rent, supported housing, and options for the elderly. We also provide homes and support for the Vietnamese, South-East Asian and wider communities. We are committed to ensuring equality, diversity, and inclusion of all communities in our approach to services and the way we work.

ISHA is smaller and more local than many other housing associations operating in London. The roots of ISHA go back to 1933 when we were involved with tackling slum clearance, poverty, overcrowding, ill-health, and high rents. Today we employ close to 80 staff and have over 2,500 homes.

We are proud to be a London Living Wage employer, and no employee will earn below that level. It is calculated independently to reflect the high cost of living in the capital, giving a worker in London and their family enough to afford the essentials and to save.

Our purpose

To provide quality, safe, and affordable homes across north and east London.

Our mission

Provide high-quality homes and services and contribute to thriving communities.

Our values

Professional, Motivated to Deliver, Compassionate and People Focused.

We live our values every day and take pride in the diversity of our communities. We are committed to creating inclusive spaces where residents feel happy, respected, and able to be themselves. Our values are at the heart of everything we do, which means we are committed to ensuring that every colleague feels they belong and can contribute fully to our success.

We offer a generous pension scheme, 29 days annual leave, eye care vouchers, a cycle to work scheme, health cash-plan, and other great benefits. And we will invest in your professional development with on-going learning and career development opportunities.

Contractual

29 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) rising to 31 days after five years’ service (pro-rata for part-timers). There are three compulsory office closure days between Christmas and New Year, which need to be taken from an employee’s annual leave entitlement.

Non-contractual

Pension: Defined Contribution as a salary sacrifice. Starting at employer (ER) contribution of 6% and 2% employee (EE), or match funded up to a maximum of 10% from ER and EE.

Emergency leave: Up to five days per annum for unexpected emergencies. Day one is paid on five occasions to allow employees time to make alternative arrangements.

Financial services: We joined the London Credit Union that provides employees with fair, ethical, and affordable financial services. You can also access the home contents insurance negotiated for our residents.

Working flexibly: Up to three days working from home per week, if your role allows and with prior managerial approval. With monthly designated ‘all in’ days.

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), offering emotional and practical support, advice for legal or financial matters, a manager support line and access to online self-help resources that can help you stay focused and protect your mental health and wellbeing.

Support for continuous professional development: Everyone has a personal development plan, and we offer opportunities to take qualifications, contributing partial funding and study leave. We also offer study loans repayable over 10 months.

Management Academy for managers: Ongoing professional development for all managers that supports ISHA to set minimum standards and helps us meet best practice as line managers. We are members of the Institute of Customer Service and other relevant bodies with access to training through them. We also support all colleagues by paying for one relevant professional subscription (with approval).

Social opportunities: as a small organisation we meet regularly as a whole team, celebrate successes and share experiences.

Health and wellbeing: a health cash plan to reclaim a percentage of the costs for a variety of health services, virtual GP appointments, second opinion diagnosis, online physio, shopping, and gym membership discounts. We also offer eye care vouchers, Cycle to Work scheme, and an interest-free season ticket loan (these are all available post-probation).

At ISHA, we are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels welcome, valued and able to thrive. We believe that having a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve helps us make better decisions, deliver better services and create a stronger organisation.

Working in partnership

We work in close co-operation with our local authorities, the social housing regulator Homes England, the Greater London Authority (GLA) and other local housing associations, including Black and Minority Ethnic, special needs Housing Associations and co-operatives. Investment in development is provided through our own borrowing, the GLA and through local authorities. ISHA leads the North River Alliance (NRA), which is a consortium of North and East London community-based housing associations.

We have a G1 Governance rating, C2 Consumer Standards rating, and a V2 Financial Viability rating. 

Our commitment to inclusion

We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences. We value diversity of thought, experience and perspective, and believe these differences strengthen our team and enrich our culture.

Our address is: 102 Blackstock Road, London, N4 2DR

Getting to the office

Parking: There is very limited parking in the Finsbury Park area, but ISHA can provide a parking permit to staff with a disability who can only commute via car. We have pool cars, and staff can book parking spaces when transport is essential for their role, subject to availability and approval.

Bicycle racks are available outside the back and front of the office.

Tube/Underground: The nearest tube station is Finsbury Park on the Victoria and Piccadilly lines (10 minutes’ walk to our office).

Trains/overground: The nearest train station is Finsbury Park with trains from Moorgate and Kings Cross. London Overground operates a train from Stratford to Finsbury Park.

Buses: Many buses run between Finsbury Park station and our office: 4, 19, 106, 236. Other buses stop on Seven Sisters Road (7 minutes’ walk) 29, 253, 259, 279.

Physical layout and features

Our reception and Repairs Team are located on the ground floor. All other departments are on the first and second floors. There is a lift that serves each floor.

Our office is wheelchair accessible, and there is a disabled toilet on every floor, and one at reception. The height of some desks can be adjusted and would be suitable for wheelchair users or very tall people.

There are soft strip lights throughout with good natural light. Some managers’ offices are further away from windows and rely more on artificial lighting. However, those offices have an air-cooling system to facilitate temperature control.

As the office is mainly open plan, noise levels vary and can, at times, be high. Most employees sit in an open plan office area with colleagues, with computers and printers operating intermittently during the day.

There are audio loop systems in the main meeting room, the tenant interview rooms, and at reception.

If you prefer, you can download or view all this information in a single file.

• Full recruitment pack for Assets and Repairs Manager (PDF, 428kb)