Property Services Director

Client: Aster Group
Reporting to: Chief Operating Officer (Emma O’Shea)
Location: Home-based with regular travel across Aster’s operating geography (South of England – 47 Local Authorities)
Salary: Competitive six-figure package

Aster Group is seeking an experienced and engaging Property Services Director to lead its large-scale in-house repairs and maintenance operation. This is a key leadership appointment within the organisation, reporting directly to Chief Operating Officer, Emma O’Shea, and forming part of a highly collaborative senior team driving operational excellence and service transformation.

This opportunity arises as Aster completes the first phase of a significant structural change programme, moving towards a locality-based operating model designed to strengthen regional accountability, optimise workforce performance, and enhance customer experience. The successful candidate will inherit a stable platform and will be responsible for leading the next stages of this transformation, embedding a high-performing culture and ensuring sustained service improvement.

The Property Services Director will take full ownership of Aster’s responsive repair service, managing a Direct Labour Organisation (DLO) of approximately 500 staff supported by around 120 SME subcontractors. With a turnover in the region of £100 million, this is a substantial and complex operation requiring strong commercial acumen and the ability to deliver continuous improvement through people, process and technology.

The role focuses on leading a large, dispersed workforce across 47 local authority areas. The individual will spend significant time out in the field, engaging with trade colleagues, quality assuring delivery, and ensuring that the workforce feels connected, valued and accountable. This is not a remote, desk-based leadership role – Aster is seeking a visible, hands-on leader who understands the detail of day-to-day operations and who can inspire and drive cultural change through personal presence and credibility.

The successful candidate will also oversee the ongoing delivery of digital and operational transformation, including improvements in financial management systems and workforce optimisation. While specific systems experience (such as DRS or TotalMobile) would be beneficial, more important is a demonstrable track record of implementing change that drives measurable improvements in service quality, productivity, and cost efficiency.

Aster is looking for a proven leader of property repair and maintenance services – someone who combines operational excellence with authentic, people-centred leadership. The ideal candidate will bring:

• Extensive experience of running a DLO or large-scale property services function, ideally within social housing, local authority, or contracting environments.

• A background managing blue-collar workforces, with deep understanding of productivity, utilisation and service optimisation.

• Strong commercial and financial management skills, able to deliver efficiency while maintaining service quality and workforce engagement.

• A hands-on, approachable leadership style, capable of building trust and credibility with operational teams as well as at executive level.

• Experience of leading organisational change, ideally within complex, multi-site operations.

• Cultural alignment with Aster’s collaborative and non-ego driven values – someone who leads through inclusion, integrity and delivery.

While prior housing association experience is advantageous, Emma is equally open to candidates from the contracting sector who can demonstrate the right mindset, leadership credibility and understanding of responsive repair environments.

This is a pivotal appointment for Aster’s Property Services business, following recent restructuring and the appointment of an interim director who has supported the early stages of transformation. The new Director will join at a critical point — with the foundation in place, but significant opportunity to shape the next phase of delivery and improvement.

Emma is seeking a long-term, committed leader who will bring stability and direction to the team, delivering sustained change rather than short-term fixes. A structured handover period with the current interim is planned to ensure continuity and a smooth transition.

This is a rare and compelling opportunity to lead one of the sector’s most progressive in-house repairs operations at a time of major positive change. The role offers the scope to influence strategy, shape service delivery, and make a tangible difference to the lives of Aster’s customers and colleagues.