The role: Chief Investment Officer
This ‘once in a career’ role is instrumental in the catalytic regeneration of places.
The Chief Investment Officer (CIO) is part of our Executive Leadership Team and plays a critical role in executing our strategic objectives and championing a ‘one agency’ approach to delivery. It is instrumental in the catalytic regeneration of places working in partnership with devolved authorities through strong regional structures and driving national programmes critical to the provision of housing supply and market health and diversification.
With a significant portfolio of capital to deploy (loan, grant, equity and guarantees) the CIO will work collaboratively with colleagues and partners to maximise Homes England investment and support the creation of vibrant and successful places, raising awareness and understanding of how Homes England can partner with the private sector and how they in turn, can support our ambitions.
The CIO will cultivate and manage relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders including the Board, ministers, other government departments, a variety of external stakeholders at C-suite and throughout the wider commercial market.
The postholder will provide intellectual leadership and advice to increase investment, and ‘advocate’ for the sector. They will also seek to influence new and existing market players and investors to diversify the sector maximising private and institutional investment in the Governments agenda, whether with direct Homes England investment or not. The role will also be responsible for delivering an effective and efficient portfolio of financial instruments including grants, loans, equity and guarantees.
The role reports to the Chief Executive Officer and will be responsible for strategic leadership of the Investment Directorate (c190 colleagues). The Directorate is responsible for a significant investment and management portfolio that underpins our ability to deliver our mission and strategic objectives.
A key member of the Executive Leadership Team, the CIO will:
- Impact and stimulate market diversification.
- Initiate, develop and implement the Investment business plan in line with Homes England’s strategic direction and meet the Government’s aim and priorities.
- Provide engaging and inspirational leadership of the organisation to drive delivery of the Strategic Objectives and other Agency wide objectives.
- Contribute significant expertise to the development of innovative solutions to housing and regeneration activity and be involved in the key decision-making meetings where these solutions are shaped.
- Embrace and role model the Values and Behaviours as a leader and colleague.
Headline responsibilities and outcomes
Market leadership
- Instrumental in the catalytic regeneration of places and driving national programmes critical to the provision of housing supply and market stability and diversification.
- Seeks to operationally leverage the agency’s ambitions from private sector partnerships, utilising private sector capital to meet national objectives.
- Brings together market players with a particular emphasis on capital markets and driving greater levels of investment through a variety of investment vehicles such as joint ventures to increase investment in housing and regeneration (whether with direct Homes England investment or not).
- Materially deepen the awareness and opportunities of working with the Agency in the wider private sector that includes residential, commercial and regeneration real estate players, global institutional capital, the housing association sector, banking and financial partners, Housebuilding and Regeneration SMEs and those that wish to stimulate market diversification.
- Drives and oversees the implementation of Homes England strategic and annual investment plans in accordance with its strategy, with the buy-in of a diverse set of stakeholders including government departments, external stakeholders (including regulatory bodies) and the wider market.
- Grows Homes England brand awareness, educating current and future partners in how we can positively impact the private sector and how they can support our ambitions.
Strategic leadership
- Employs strong strategic leadership across Homes England; this will be demonstrated through identifying and bringing together the organisation’s technical experience, capacity, capital/land and brokering relationships to maximise opportunities for delivering the Government’s ambitions.
- An ambassador for the development of the agency’s new operating model – role modelling collaboration within the directorate and across the Agency working with peer Executives to deliver a single pipeline for delivery and ‘one agency’ approach.
- Evolves ways of working for the Directorate and wider agency, ensuring collaboration with delivery partners and multi-functional teams to support place-based approaches, ensuring that the Directorate has appropriate systems to enable it to conduct its activities both lawfully and ethically.
- Manages a diverse range of Infrastructure and Housing Delivery programme budgets ensuring innovative approaches are taken to achieve value for money, link into wider agency objectives and deliver the intended impact.
- Accountable for meeting the delivery KPI’s/portfolio performance and delivery of wider Homes England KPIs and targets and act as the first line of defence in managing operational risk across the investment business.
- Takes corporate responsibility for cross cutting legal and ethical obligations regarding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Health and Safety.
- Keeps abreast of all material undertakings and activities of the Agency and all material external factors affecting the agency and ensuring that processes and systems are in place ensuring that the CEO and Board are adequately informed.
- Sits on committees of the Board where appropriate as determined by the Board.
- Drive the Agency’s approach to government ambitions with regard to the use of financial transactions to stimulate higher volumes of activity in the UK housing sector.
- Work in partnership with other partners within the agency to deliver an effective outcome of the forthcoming Spending Review.