Customer Experience Committee Member

Background

The Riverside Group Limited (TRGL) is looking to recruit someone who has the knowledge and experience set out in the person specification. The successful candidate will take up a place on the Committee for an initial three-year term with the possibility of a second three-year term.

About Riverside Governance

The TRGL Board is the senior governance body within Riverside and sets the mission strategy corporate and business plans and policy for the Group as well as overseeing performance against these.

The work of the Board is supported by seven committees. The powers of committees are delegated by the Board and set out in the Terms of Reference of the committees.

After results from an In-Depth Assessment (IDA) in 2024 the Regulator for Social Housing in England announced that Riverside had attained their highest Governance grade of G1 reflecting that the regulator views Riverside to be a very well governed organisation.

About Riverside

Riverside is a group of complementary businesses driven by a clear social purpose with a not-for-profit charitable housing association at its core.

Established over 95 years ago we remain driven by a deep sense of social purpose providing a range of homes and wider support services for a diverse community of people across England and Scotland.

The Riverside Group is a sector-leading national housing association group:

• owning over 75000 homes putting us in the top ten English housing association groups by size.

• operating across a national footprint with weight in London the North-West the East Midlands the East Coast and Scotland.

• being the nations largest housing association provider of supported housing.

• with secure financial foundations: 680 million annual turnover 5.2 billion assets.

Our Corporate Plan for 2023-2026 entitled Forward Together sets out our three-year strategy. The Plan follows our merger with One Housing Group and comes at a time of stronger regulation across our sector. There is an increased emphasis on consumer regulation through a refocused Regulator of Social Housing and a more muscular Housing Ombudsman a new regime for building safety and the strengthening of the CQC and Ofsted regimes applying to some of our care and support services.

The key objectives under our Corporate Plan are:

• Warm and safe decent homes

• Trusted customer services

• Support through the cost-of-living crisis

• Leadership in care and support

• New homes better places.

We are currently developing a new Corporate Plan for 2026-2031.

The successful candidate joining the Committee will provide leadership and help to shape how Riverside delivers on those objectives whilst also expanding their own skills and experiences.

About theRole

We are looking for a non-executive Committee Member to join our Customer Experience Committee.

As a Housing Association it is essential that our governance community promote and champion Riversides values vision and social purpose. Customers are at the heart of everything that we do and Committee members must be committed to work in the best interests of our current and future residents and customers.

TermsandConditions

The total time commitment is estimated at 7 days per year which includes four formal Committee meetings per year(variously in person nationwide and via Microsoft Teams) members will be invited to join a Committee Strategy Day and Group Strategy Day once per year. This is a national role with most in person meetings in the Northwest and London as well as meeting on Teams.

Otheractivitiesincludeinductionappraisalandtraining/developmentactivitiesandotherad-hoc meetings for urgent matters. The successful candidate will also be encouraged to visit Riverside schemesandserviceswhichareorganisedbyRiversidetoallowBoardandCommitteemembers to gain a better understanding of the activities of the Group.

Theremunerationfortherole of Committee memberis3250perannum.

The role of a Committee Member

Committee members will:

• Apply their skills knowledge and experience to actively contribute to the committees work in discharging its responsibilities as set out in the Terms of Reference for the committee.

• Support and constructively challenge the Groups Executive Team and other officers.

• Attend functions away days and other meetings as required from time to time.

• Undertake induction and appraisal activity in line with the Boards agreed programme.

• Keep their knowledge and skills up to date taking part in appropriate learning and development activities that aim to maintain and develop competence and improve performance.

• Promote and champion the organisations values.

• Establish and maintain constructive working relationships with non-executive colleagues executives and officers.

• Attend prepare for and participate in Committee meetings.

• Comply with the Groups Code of Conduct and the Committee Member Agreement for Services.

• Display passion energy and enthusiasm for the role and for Riversides vision and values.

• Be committed to working in the best interests of current and future residents.

• Be a strong leader with personal and professional credibility.

• Be confident in making independent and critical judgments and in facilitating debate to ensure risks and alternative courses of action are properly considered.

• Possess a high degree of probity and integrity.

• Work in a collaborative open and engaging style.

• Be committed to accountability transparency and equality of opportunity.

• Be self-aware and open to feedback and personal development.

• Be able to commit the time necessary to undertake the role to a high standard.

  Key responsibilities of Committee Members

• Build and maintain effective and constructive working relationships with other members of the Committee the Chief Executive Executive Director (Customer Service/Care and Support Services) and other senior staff.

• Prepare adequately for meetings by reading and accessing all relevant papers and reports seeking clarification from authors as required (preferably in advance of the meeting).

• Act as an ambassador and representative for the organisation upholding the reputation of TRGL and its values objectives and principles.

• Act in accordance with TRGLs adopted Code of Governance and Code of Conduct for individuals.

• Apply personal expertise with due regard to both the business and social aspects of the business.

• Have awareness of and keep up to date with sector issues.

Personal behaviour and style for Committee Members

• Displays passion energy and enthusiasm for the role and for Riversides vision and values.

• Is committed to working in the best interests of current and future residents and customers.

• Is a strong leader with personal and professional credibility.

• Skilled at developing and maintaining relationships with others.

• An assured influencer who is able to question and challenge with independence and integrity and who does not cross over the line of operational management.

• Pragmatic with the maturity and sensitivity to analyse complex issues and deliver sound judgment.

• Possesses a high degree of probity and integrity.

• Works in a collaborative open and engaging style.

• Is committed to accountability transparency and equality of opportunity.

• Is self-aware and open to feedback and personal development.

• Can commit the time necessary to the role.

• Is able to generate new ideas and bring new perspectives.

• Be confident in making independent and critical judgements and in facilitating debate to ensure risks and alternative courses of action are properly considered.

• Keep their knowledge and skills up to date taking part in appropriate learning and development activities that aim to maintain and develop competence and improve performance.

Person Specification for Committee Members

• Ability to manage key organisational risks in a complex environment and analyse large volumes of information to identify fundamental issues.

• An understanding or willingness to develop knowledge of governance and how committees operate and add value.

• An understanding or willingness to develop knowledge of how a Registered Social Housing Provider operates.

• Demonstrate a willingness to make recommendations to support business growth aspirations while protecting the fundamental core objectives of the charitable nature of Riverside.

• A strong awareness of and commitment to embedding equality and diversity principles.

• Non-Executive experience is preferred but not essential.

About the Customer Experience Committee

The purpose of the Committee is to support the Group Board and scrutinisedelivery of social housing and home ownership customer service objectives. The Committee will carry out its duties in conjunction with the Customer Influence and Accountability Framework.

The Committee will focus on monitoring how well Riverside delivers on and complies with Regulatory compliance of the Consumer Standards for social housing and home ownership customers:

• Transparency Influence & Accountability Being open with tenants treating them with fairness and respect so that tenants can access services raise complaints when necessary influence decision making and hold their landlord to account. This standard incorporates the Tenant Satisfaction Measure requirements.
• Tenancy -Letting homes in a fair transparent and efficient way as well as setting requirements for how tenancies are managed and ended by landlords.
• Neighbourhood and Community Which requires the landlord to engage with other relevant parties so that tenants can live in safe and well-maintained neighbourhoods and feel safe in their homes.

The role of the Riverside Customer Experience Committee is:

• Support the Board by closely monitoring and evaluating services provided by Social Housing and Home Ownership offering advice and recommendations where needed.
• Ensure customer experiences are positive by overseeing service management value for money and risk management.
• Review and assess risk maps for Social Housing Customer Services and Riverside Home Ownership providing feedback on risk management.
• Scrutinise the Groups engagement with customers and communities with attention to diversity and inclusion.
• Monitor the delivery of objectives from customer-focused strategies particularly those relating to income customer satisfaction and customer safety.
• Review responses to any regulatory interventions concerning housing services including corrective action plans.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of arrangements for gathering and using customer feedback to meaningfully influence decisions.
• Oversee the operation and performance of customer complaints policies and procedures.
• Oversee delivery and effectiveness of Neighbourhood Plans and approve Regional Plans.

Monitor progress against the Business Plan and Budget.

Person Specification for Customer Experience Committee Member

The successful applicant will have the following knowledge and experience

• We are particularly interested in hearing from candidates with a background in customer service from outside of the Housing Sector ideally in a consumer focused (and regulated) sector with experience in one or more of the following areas:

  • Customer experience/Voice of customer
  • Customer communications digital and marketing
  • Equality diversity and inclusion and vulnerability

If you have any queries please contact