The Challenge

This Housing Agency is a values-driven Approved Housing Body providing high-quality, secure and affordable homes across the northern and eastern regions of Ireland. With a growing portfolio of homes, an expanding development pipeline, and operations spanning multiple local authority areas, the organisation reached a pivotal point in its organisational journey.

The senior leadership team recognised that continued growth, both in scale and geographic reach required additional executive capacity. While they had strong leadership in place, operational responsibility across housing, tenant services, property and asset management had become increasingly complex.

To support the next phase of growth, the organisation made the strategic decision to create a new Chief Operating Officer role. This position would sit on the senior leadership team and play a critical role in shaping organisational strategy while ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality homes and tenant-centred services across a wider footprint.

The Brief

They sought a senior operational leader who could:

• Act as the strategic lead across housing, tenant and property services
• Bring a joined-up, organisation-wide approach to planning and delivery
• Strengthen operational performance while remaining deeply aligned to the Housing Agency's tenant-centred values
• Lead teams through change in a challenging and increasingly regulated operating environment
• Support the Chief Executive and Board in shaping and delivering the organisation’s long-term strategy

Given that this was a newly created executive role, the successful candidate would need not only strong technical and sector experience, but also the credibility, influence and leadership style required to help define the role itself.

The Approach

A tailored executive search approach was designed to reflect the seniority and strategic importance of the role.

The search focused on identifying candidates with:

• Proven executive-level experience across housing, property or asset-led environments
• A track record of leading complex operations and driving service improvement
• Strong commercial and financial acumen alongside a clear commitment to social purpose
• Experience operating at Board and regulatory level
• A leadership style that balanced performance, people and purpose

Considerable emphasis was placed on cultural alignment, particularly their commitment to being tenant-centred, collaborative and values-led, while also embracing innovation, accountability and continuous improvement.

The Outcome

They successfully appointed a Chief Operating Officer who brought the right blend of strategic insight, operational expertise and people leadership to the role. As a member of the senior leadership team, the COO now plays a pivotal role in:

• Shaping and delivering the organisation’s strategic plan
• Aligning housing, tenant services and property functions into a cohesive operating model
• Strengthening performance, governance and regulatory readiness
• Supporting sustainable growth while maintaining service quality and community impact

The creation of the COO role has provided this organisation with the senior operational capacity needed to support expansion, ensuring that growth is delivered in a way that remains true to the organisation’s values and commitment to tenants.

 

Key Impact

• Enhanced strategic focus at executive level
• Stronger alignment between strategy, operations and service delivery
• Increased leadership capacity to support geographic and organisational growth
• Reinforced commitment to high-quality homes and tenant-centred services