Finance Director Candidate Pack

Finance Director Candidate Pack

I would like to thank you for your interest in the Finance Director post at Gentoo. Welcome from the CEO This is a really exciting opportunity to join a values driven business at a challenging time for the housing sector. This year has seen some significant change within the housing sector, much of which has been driven by a re-focus of Government policy in order to address ongoing issues of austerity but also a shift in emphasis from affordable homes for rent to the delivery of new homes for sale. We have responded to these changes and have looked at new and innovative ways to increase housing supply in line with the Government s ambition to deliver 1 million new homes by 2020. The Group already develops and manages homes across a range of tenures which can give us a position of advantage in addressing this new landscape. The challenges presented by the combination of the rent reduction and income pressures from non-core activity led to a fundamental review of the Group s business strategy and business plan, which launched in April 2016. In developing the new business strategy, we have been able to create a clear focus on five strategic aims ensuring outstanding service to customers, managing and growing our assets, supporting our people to deliver the vision and to live the values, working in partnership with others and being well governed and financially strong. We have also refreshed our vision and our brand values which have been embedded across the Group and we will now look to build a solid base from which to position the Group for growth. This will mean that we will have to think and act differently, be leaner and more efficient with a continuing focus on innovation, value for money and constructive challenge across all areas of the business. As a landlord we remain one of the top performing housing associations in the UK and refocusing on our core activity will only help us to maintain our high performance. We continue to strive to deliver outstanding services to customers and have achieved the Customer Service Excellence accreditation as well as maintaining our position as a Stonewall Star Performer in recognition of our work in creating inclusive workplaces. We have also retained our top performing status in Business in the Community s Corporate Responsibility Index. Once again, we were rated as one of the UK s most responsible businesses demonstrating our ongoing commitment to making a positive impact on society and the environment. We have also been continuing our work through the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance and have made huge progress in influencing and improving the housing sectors response to domestic abuse. I am really proud of the positive impact our people have made in our communities, through collaboration, building strong partnerships and working with our customers. John Craggs Chief Executive Officer 2 3

Meadow View development, Houghton-le-Spring About Gentoo Gentoo is a North East-based housing association that owns and manages more than 32,000 homes, making us one of the largest landlords in the North East. Gentoo was formed in 2001 as Sunderland Housing Group following a Large Scale Voluntary Stock Transfer (LSVT) from Sunderland City Council. More than 36,000 homes were transferred from the ownership of the local council and Sunderland Housing Group was formed. In 2007 Sunderland Housing Group rebranded as Gentoo as the organisation moved into its second generation. Since then we have invested more than 1 billion in Sunderland. This includes modernising our homes and regenerating key areas of the city of Sunderland, building more than 1400 new homes across the city and delivering services to help improve our customers quality of life. This is something we re really proud of and we will continue to strive to make Sunderland a better place to live and work. This year we completed the conversion to a charitable community benefit society which is reflective of the Group s strategic focus in terms of fulfilling our charitable objectives within a more efficient operating model. This brings a range of benefits including potential access to new funding streams and significant tax savings for the Group. Within the Gentoo Group we have our main landlord function, Gentoo Sunderland, we have our residential property development business, Gentoo Homes, and we have a strategic partnership with Glasgow-based West of Scotland Housing Association. Gentoo Group Gentoo Homes Gentoo Sunderland West of Scotland Housing Association 4 5

Owen Smith, Trainee Site Manager Working at Gentoo Every organisation wants to make an impact - and Gentoo is no exception. We re here to make a positive difference to our homes, our communities and above all else, our people. We are a values-driven organisation with more than 1300 employees and the sixth largest employer in Sunderland. We are proud of our work, our people, our communities, of the place we call home. We believe that by putting people first we can build great homes and create strong communities. We are focused on delivering an outstanding service to our customers and as a responsible business we pride ourselves on inspiring people to make a difference. We know that everyone is different and at Gentoo we value that and celebrate it. This year we won the Diverse Company Award in the Housing Category, in the Excellence in Diversity Awards. And as a Stonewall Star Performer, we are one of nine employers in the UK that have repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to creating inclusive workplaces in the UK. We were awarded Star Performer status after being ranked the number one organisation in the UK for our approach to equality and diversity in the workplace. We have best in class flexible working policies and are ranked in the upper quartile of housing associations across the UK for our approach to flexible working. VISION Great Homes - Strong Communities - Inspired People VALUES Do the right thing Make a difference Work together Keep learning Give all you ve got 6 7

About the role To purpose of the Finance Director is to lead, develop and effectively implement the Group s strategic approach to Finance. Reporting into the Chief Executive Officer, this is a unique opportunity for a versatile and ambitious senior finance professional to play a critical role in the Group Executive Team and the strategic direction of Gentoo. You will need to demonstrate that you can motivate and inspire your people to develop the finance function to be best in class. You will have strong personal values as well as a hard-headed approach to efficiency and financial viability. You will be responsible for a wide range of tasks and activities as would be expected in a Group such as Gentoo. As with all executive positions there are also specific responsibilities and delegated powers, in relation to financial and operational matters, regulatory compliance, health and safety, environmental sustainability, information security and diversity. These are not all listed here and will change over time as the Group continues to change, grow and develop. Summary of Group Leadership Responsibilities: Provide corporate leadership as a member of the Group Executive Team, to take forward the future direction, development and success of the Group in line with the Business Strategy, Vision and Values, Risk Management Framework and all statutory and regulatory requirements Provide strategic advice, information and expertise to Boards and the Executive Team to enable effective business planning and decision making Ensure that leaders, managers and employees are recruited, developed, engaged, managed and motivated to support the achievement of the Group s objectives on an ongoing basis Develop and maintain key external relationships with all relevant bodies and partners, networking effectively at a national, regional and local level to exert influence in support of the Group s objectives Summary of Operational Responsibilities: Support the Chief Executive to deliver the Group Business Strategy as a member of the Executive Team To develop and ensure effective delivery of the Group Financial Strategy Ensure the Group s financial viability arrangements, procedures, systems and documents remain effective and are regularly reviewed in line with Corporate Governance codes Ensure the accurate and timely preparation and submission of all financial reports, accounts, budgets, returns, analysis and interpretation to meet all business, regulatory and statutory requirements Responsible for the Groups approach to the HCA s Viability Standard, including the submission of the VFM statement, in addition ensuring arrangements are in place for the role of FCA approved person and money laundering reporting Officer Direct and oversee the development of financial and treasury policies, procedures and standards, ensuring financial controls are in place and adhered to Identify and develop sources of external funding whilst maintaining all existing arrangements in line with provisions Assess the financial risks facing the organisation and put in place necessary measures to control and manage those risks Deliver effective financial systems for the Group, improving data and its reliability whilst sustaining efficient and customer focused services Ensure all systems and processes deliver operational excellence, driving continuous improvement and systems thinking whilst ensuring compliance with relevant laws, regulation, internal rules and procedures 8 9

Personal Competencies Recruitment Timescales Values Aligned Do the right thing Make a difference Work together Keep learning Give all you ve got Closing date for applications is 12 noon on Monday 26 September 2016 First round interviews will be held with Campbell Tickell week commencing 3 October 2016 Second round interviews will be held with Gentoo week commencing 17 October 2016 Leading the Organisation Vision Strategic thinking External focus & networking Influence Expertise Managing Self Integrity & ethics Accountability Resilience Flexibility Drive & Commitment Managing People Human resource management Creating inclusive workplaces Conflict management Perfomance management Employee wellbeing Managing Operations Results orientation Customer service Managing resources Interpreting information Continous improvement 10 11

0191 525 5000 enquiries@gentoogroup.com gentoogroup.com Gentoo Group Limited, Emperor House, 2 Emperor Way, Doxford International Business Park, Sunderland, SR3 3XR.