Finance Compliance Manager - Rent and Service Charges

We have an exciting new opportunity to join Sovereign Network Group (SNG) as Finance Compliance Manager in our Rent Setting team. Based from our office in Wembley, you'll combine office and home working in line with our hybrid approach, with occasional travel to other sites as required.

The Role

Reporting to our Head of Rent Setting and Administration, you'll lead a specialist team responsible for ensuring full compliance with rent and service charge legislation, regulatory standards (including the rent standard and the leasehold and freehold reform act 2024), and internal policies across SNG's housing portfolio.

You'll be responsible for overseeing the accurate setting, reviewing and communication of rents and service charges, ensuring transparency, affordability and regulatory compliance, while supporting financial viability.

Key responsibilities include:

• Ensuring compliance with national rent policy frameworks (EG Rent Standard 2020, RSH requirements) and relevant legislation (Housing Act 1985, Welfare Reform etc)

• Owning the governance of rent and service charge policies, procedures and controls, ensuring they compliance and alignment to any changes in government regulations, as well as being clearly communicated and embedded in operational practice

• Overseeing the annual rent and service charge setting and annual service charge actuals processes, including reviewing rent and service charge calculations, collating final rent and service charge data and updating systems with new charges.

• Working with teams across Localities, Specialist Housing, Asset Management and Procurement to ensure accurate and timely setting of service charges and rent for both new and existing schemes and tenants

• Identifying and managing rent and service charge compliance risks, ensuring material errors, regulatory breaches, or weak controls are escalated appropriately, remediation plans are delivered, lessons are learned and repeat failures are prevented

• Owning the fair rent compliance framework, ensuring all fair rent accounts are maintained and updated, re-registrations are managed to schedule, successions are correctly monitored and recorded, and fair rent properties being re-let are promptly reclassified and charged in line with the Rent Standard and internal policies

• Managing the Finance compliance team with a focus on articulating a clear vision, providing direction, and promoting a culture of accountability, high performance, and continuous improvement

What we're looking for

You'll be a Qualified Accountant (ACA, CIMA, ACCA) or Qualified by Experience, with strong knowledge of rent setting and service charge processes within social housing. You'll also need:

• In depth knowledge of UK rent legislation, regulatory frameworks and service charge principles affecting social housing (E.g. Rent Standard, Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024)

• To be an experienced leader, skilled in developing high-performing teams and consistently maintaining high operational standards

• Ability to take ownership and work independently whilst meeting tight organisational deadlines

• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, demonstrating collaborative, cross-functional working relationships, including experience liaising with external stakeholders, e.g. auditors

• Demonstrable experience with solving data quality issues and improving processes, including delivering key change initiatives in an organisation

• Experience with NEC/Active H housing management systems, Workday or similar finance and housing management systems is desirable