Defects and Improvements Lead WCC623747

As Defects and Improvements Lead, you too can make a powerful contribution. You'll be joining the Housing Directorate, which delivers essential services to residents across the City, managing a diverse portfolio of over 21,000 homes. The Major Works team delivers complex capital projects across Westminster's housing stock. Our goal is for homes to be safe, high quality and sustainable. To check that the Major Works Programme is being fully realised, you'll lead on the end-to-end identification, management and resolution of defects and aftercare. You'll be ensuring that all projects result in long-term satisfaction for residents.

You'll oversee robust inspections, legal close out processes and final sign off, working closely with contractors, housing teams and consultants to embed lessons learned across the service. You will approve and assure technical proposals for defect remediation, engaging with project teams to diagnose issues and verify corrective solutions. Plus, you'll oversee accurate collection, analysis and reporting of all defects and remedial actions, maintaining a comprehensive, auditable register and performance tracker. Alongside this, you will mentor and support the Defects and Improvements Officer, ensuring consistent processes, accurate reporting and a culture of continuous improvement that strengthens the overall aftercare experience. You will input lessons learned processes, ensuring recurring issues are captured and handled.

As the Council's lead contact for Major Works, you'll manage enquires from residents, members and internal teams. You'll communicate clearly - resolving matters quickly and efficiently. We strive to continuously improve, and as part of our Council, you'll do the same. In particular, you'll develop and better customer communication channels. You'll co-design effective home user demonstrations and prepare a clear information guide for residents. As well as the residents, you'll build trusting relationships with tenant groups, Ward Councillors and community representatives. This will mean representing the Council at internal and external meetings.

To do this role, you'll need to be flexible and comfortable with travel around the borough to visit sites and attend resident meetings - this may take place outside working hours.

We're a thriving, forward-thinking place to work. This is your opportunity to see that Major Works results in the meaningful, lasting change that it is meant to for residents.

To be ready for the role, you'll bring proven experience in managing defects, snagging and aftercare processes across housing, regeneration, or capital works programmes. This is supported by a strong track record in inspections, contractor performance management, and resolving remedial works. You've successfully coordinated handover and close-out procedures, from practical completion through to the end of the defects period, ensuring quality and compliance from external partners throughout. Plus, you can competently produce reports, maintain defects registers and provide assurances. To do this effectively, you'll bring a strong technical knowledge of construction and a sharp eye for detecting defects.

Experience of working directly with residents and members is key. You've dealt with post-completion issues, enquiries and complaints in a professional, responsive way. With your strong communication skills, you're able to explain technical issues easily. With contractors, you can be influential and negotiate for the Directorate.

As we're always looking to improve, you will have contributed to the lessons learned process, feeding back to quality management and future project design. You've led others to do the same.

Excellent organisational skills are key, as you'll be managing multiple projects and their deadlines at once. You're a strong problem solver with an analytical ability - able to assess technical proposals and recommend innovative, effective, value-for-money solutions. As you care for accountability and transparency, you excel at maintaining accurate records, trackers and audit trails. Proficiency in Microsoft Office (especially Excel and Word) with the ability to learn new systems quickly is also important.

As a leader, you have the passion to take our services to the next level. You can motivate, develop and support teams through change. With us, you'll foster a positive organisational culture.

You will hold a degree, HNC/HND or equivalent qualification in construction, building surveying, engineering or a related discipline, and be a member of- or working towards- a relevant professional body such as RICS, CIOB, CABE or CIH.

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF KATE'S PASSION FOR NUMBERS AND PEOPLE. Housing in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories. Where dedicated and compassionate professionals bring everything to their work. Take Kate, an absolute wizard at managing housing asset data for our annual £50m capital programme. Kate's an inspiration to her team. Now a senior manager, she first joined as a college leaver in finance. Through Westminster's encouragement, as well as her own hard work and determination, she's gained professional qualifications and taken on a series of increasingly stretching roles. Today, we depend on Kate's analytical powers to keep track of the condition of over 21,000 of our tenanted and leasehold homes - from roofs and windows to kitchens and bathrooms. Kate's committed to achieving the Decent Homes Standard for all our tenants and a high standard for all our leaseholders. Her passion is numbers but, because she grew up in social housing, she also understands the human stories behind the data. More than that she understands the disruption renewal work entails. So when an elderly resident's family mentioned that their mother needed not just a new kitchen, but adaptations to her bathroom, Kate got right on to it. She co-ordinated with colleagues to assess the resident's disability needs. Kate's worked hard to ensure our routine external and internal stock condition surveys pick up on repairs and health & safety issues at the same time. And, by recognising patterns in the data that's gathered, she makes a vital contribution to forward planning for large-scale capital renewal works., Westminster City Council is committed to supporting Care Leavers into the workplace. Care Leavers seeking their first job and who wish to be considered under our scheme, will automatically be invited to interview should they meet the essential criteria for the role. The Council is committed to achieving diverse shortlists to support our desire to increase the number of staff from underrepresented groups in our workforce. We especially encourage applications from a Global Majority (GM), people who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and or have been racialised as 'ethnic minorities' (formally known as B.A.M.E, Black, Asian and multiple ethnic) background and, while the role is open to all applicants, we will utilise the positive action provisions of the Equality Act 2010 to appoint a candidate from a global majority background where there is a choice between two candidates of equal merit. If you are from a Global Majority background you can self-declare this to the hiring manager as part of our positive action commitments., Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council's strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city's future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe. At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health-strategy-policies-and-reports/equality-duties As a forward-thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.