Military Family Housing Manager

Who we are

VIVO provides facilities management and accommodation maintenance for the UK military and its partners. VIVO embodies both experience and innovation.

What we do

We put our Customers and Families First. They are the driving force behind everything we do. We drive forward improvements for them to ensure the service they receive, whether reactive repairs or a major project, is completed safely and on time. In order to achieve this, we have 4 core values: open, caring, agile and collaborative. These are at the heart of everything we do.

Location: RAF Lakenheath - on site role

Permanent, Full time

Salary: £55,000-£60,000

Are you an experienced housing, property maintenance or facilities management professional looking for a leadership role where your work directly supports Service families and the operational readiness of the Defence estate? As a Military Family Housing Manager with VIVO, you’ll take ownership of the safe, compliant and efficient delivery of housing services across your area, helping to ensure homes are ready, maintained and fit for occupation.

This is a key leadership position where you’ll bring together operational delivery, customer service, commercial performance and compliance to manage a varied Military Family Housing estate. You’ll oversee reactive and planned maintenance, Change of Occupancy (COM) activities and Billable Works, working closely with VIVO teams, DIO, Housing Offices, US Visiting Forces, supply chain partners, Heads of Establishment and, most importantly, residents and their families.

A major part of your role will be owning the end-to-end Change of Occupancy process, from the initial notification through to handover, occupation and post-occupancy support. You’ll ensure each stage is carefully planned and delivered, coordinating pre-inspections, scopes of work, resources, specialist contractors, scheduling, repairs, decoration, cleaning and grounds maintenance.

You’ll monitor progress against COM targets, resolve access and supply chain issues, oversee quality and snagging, and coordinate final inspections with Housing Office representatives. You’ll make sure documentation, certification and records are complete and retained, while using customer feedback, performance information and lessons learned to continually improve the process.

Alongside COM, you’ll lead the delivery of planned and reactive maintenance across the estate, ensuring statutory and mandatory requirements are met and that work is delivered safely and to a consistently high standard. You’ll work closely with operational teams and supply chain partners to maintain the estate, manage performance and ensure homes remain safe, compliant and operational.

You’ll also have a strong commercial focus. You’ll manage budgets and financial performance, support forecasting and resource planning, monitor supply chain performance and ensure value for money across the services you manage. You’ll identify opportunities for Billable Works and contribute to monthly reporting and contract performance reviews, while also supporting VIVO and MOD sustainability and carbon reduction objectives.

People leadership will be central to your success. You’ll lead and develop operational teams, coach and mentor supervisors and site managers, and create a culture where accountability, safety, customer focus and high performance are part of everyday delivery. You’ll ensure teams have the right competence, training and authorisations, while providing clear direction and support when priorities or challenges change.

You’ll also act as a key Single Point of Contact for stakeholders, developing strong relationships across VIVO, DIO, Housing Offices, USVF representatives, contractors, community organisations and residents. Your ability to communicate clearly, influence effectively and build trust will be essential in delivering a positive customer experience while meeting contractual requirements.

Safety and compliance will underpin everything you do. You’ll promote a strong safety culture and ensure appropriate Safe Systems of Work are followed, while supporting compliance with JSP 375, MOD Mandatory Requirements, asbestos and legionella management plans, fire safety, environmental management, CDM requirements and wider health and safety obligations. You’ll also manage risk registers and ensure corrective actions are closed within agreed timescales.

This is an opportunity to take genuine ownership of an important part of the Defence estate. Your leadership will help ensure Service families receive safe, well-maintained homes and a responsive, high-quality service, while your commercial and operational expertise will help VIVO consistently deliver its contractual commitments.

The role may include some on-call responsibilities and will require SC Clearance.

About You

We’re looking for an experienced operational leader with a strong background in Military Family Housing, property maintenance, construction, facilities management or a related environment.

You’ll have demonstrable experience managing reactive and planned maintenance programmes and leading operational teams to achieve challenging KPIs. You’ll be comfortable planning, directing and controlling activities, agreeing priorities, managing resources and making effective decisions when issues arise.

Experience of Military Family Housing operations and end-to-end Change of Occupancy delivery is particularly important. You’ll understand the demands of managing homes through inspection, scoping, works delivery, quality assurance, handover and post-occupancy support, with a strong focus on both contractual performance and resident experience.

You’ll be commercially aware, with experience managing budgets, forecasting, supply chain performance and contract outcomes. You’ll understand the importance of controlling costs while maintaining quality and delivering value for money.

You’ll also be confident managing contractors and supply chain partners, resolving performance issues and ensuring work is delivered safely and to the required standard. Experience working within an MOD or Defence environment would be highly advantageous, as would familiarity with the establishments and geography within the area of responsibility.

A strong understanding of safe systems of work is essential. Knowledge of JSP 375, CDM, asbestos, legionella, fire safety, environmental management and MOD Mandatory Requirements would be beneficial, alongside experience managing risk registers and corrective actions.

You’ll be a confident people leader who can motivate, coach and develop multidisciplinary teams while setting clear expectations and maintaining accountability. You’ll be resilient under pressure, comfortable managing competing priorities and able to make sound decisions in a fast-moving operational environment.

Strong IT skills are required, including Microsoft Excel, Word and Teams, with experience using Maximo or another CAFM system highly desirable. A relevant HND or equivalent qualification in Building Services, Construction Management, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a related discipline would be advantageous, as would SMSTS, IOSH Managing Safely, NEBOSH, CDM, project management or responsible person qualifications.

Above all, you’ll be customer-focused, collaborative and results-driven, with the ability to build effective relationships across a complex stakeholder environment. You’ll bring a continuous improvement mindset and the confidence to lead from the front, ensuring that safety, quality, customer satisfaction and operational performance remain at the heart of everything you do.

What We Offer

• 6% employee matched pension contribution
• 25 days annual leave
• Single private medical cover
• Company car/Car allowance
• Life assurance 2x annual salary

VIVO Defence Services

The role you have applied for is with VIVO Defence Services, a joint venture between Serco and EQUANS. By applying for this role, please be aware that information contained within your CV may be shared between VIVO Defence Services, Serco and EQUANS during the recruitment process.

At VIVO, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. Therefore, we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool.

We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working and operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly a Disability Confident Leader. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.