£140,000 a year for new housing boss

Housing association Gentoo is looking to recruit a new £140,000-a-year manager to take care of day-to-day operations.

Bosses at the organisation, which is responsible for the homes of more than 60,000 people in Wearside, have created the new chief operating officer (COO) position from two previous roles.

And they’re hoping to entice the right person into the job with options for private health and life insurance and a cycle-to-work scheme – as well as the top salary.

Nigel Wilson, who took over as Gentoo’s chief executive in January 2019, said: “The board and I have spent time assessing the organisation and have identified some key areas for transformation and modernisation that will allow us to deliver our services to tenants and residents in Sunderland more efficiently and effectively.

“The role of chief operating officer is a newly-created position as part of an executive team restructure and it will bring together the responsibility for both housing and property services – a role previously held by two separate people.

“We’re excited to launch a campaign to find the best talent for this new position and look forward to welcoming applications from candidates who are both passionate about affordable housing and have the ability to work collaboratively to drive forward positive change here in Sunderland.”

The new COO role would oversee the work of three existing directors for development, housing and property and report directly to Wilson.