Introduction
Dear Applicant
Welcome to your first step to joining what the Leader of Calderdale Council recently described as the ‘small but mighty’ Connect Housing.
Why mighty? We don’t define that by power and strength but by tenacity, resilience and a reputation for doing what we say we will do. We seek out like-minded people to work towards our vision of a more sustainable and just society. To that end, we are very active in partnerships across West Yorkshire to help us deliver our purpose and, in so doing, live by one of our values to ‘collaborate creatively’.
For more about what we mean by a sustainable and just society, and a feel for our culture, please watch the short videos we have included on this site.
Successful collaboration is based on building trusting relationships. We put a lot of effort into building inclusive internal and external relationships that bring diversity of thought to delivering the best results that circumstances allow. Much of your first few months will be spent building relationships with the Executive Team, the Board, your directorate and key stakeholders. We can assure you of a warm welcome.
Of course, our Director of Finance and Resources will need to have a strong background in finance. In addition, as we have significant investment plans (in new homes and in energy efficiency/ planned programmes for existing homes), an understanding of social housing funding and regulation is highly desirable. We have just been through our first regulatory inspection under the new regulatory framework. We currently have a G1:V1 assessment and will know our C-rating by the time of the interviews.
You’ll need to have a balanced approach to risk – we don’t expect either excess caution or recklessness from our Executive Team. When you arrive, we will be starting the development of a new 3-year corporate strategy so you will start influencing the future of Connect from Day 1.
Beyond that, the importance of data to any business means that we need someone who understands how we can continue to improve the way we convert data to intelligence to change. Experience in this field is desirable, but it is aptitude and approach that are essential.
I hope that the information on this site is sufficient to assist you with your application. If not, please reach out for more information.
Thank you
Helen Lennon
Chief Executive
A message from our Chair
Thank you for your interest in this role. Being new to the region, I didn’t know Connect until I joined as Chair 5 years ago. What I found was a lovely organisation with a strong social purpose, big heart and clear values.
Our staff, board members and involved tenants love making a difference, which you will see is one of our values. The board are a committed and highly engaged group of professionals who enjoy working in partnership with the Leadership Team to steer Connect through the complexities of the Social Housing world, which has seen a lot of change over the last few years. Our work is serious and we take it seriously, but there is a lot of laughter at Connect. So, if you are looking for your next experience, want your work to contribute to a better future and are willing to be stretched in a supportive environment, this could be the opportunity for you.
In a relatively small organisation you have to work flexibly, but you also get a chance to influence everything and really shape the future of Connect. I encourage you to take the next step and get to know us a little better. I hope to meet you in April.
Diane French
Chair of the Board
Terms and Conditions
Position:
Director of Finance & Resources
Package:
£124k, plus travel allowance
Pension:
Defined Contribution, salary sacrifice pension, with employee contribution matched by Connect up to 9%.
Benefits:
- Electric car leasing scheme, via salary sacrifice
- BUPA Health Cash Plan
- Free GP helpline: 24/7 access
- 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
- Retail perks, discounts and cashback
- Training and development opportunities and support with role-related professional subscriptions and qualifications.
- Travel season ticket loans
- Cycle-to-work scheme
- Paid volunteering leave
Working hours:
Normal hours of work are 37 hours per week based around the usual business working week. However, due to the seniority of this post there may be a requirement for flexibility from time to time to meet the full responsibilities of the post.
Annual leave:
26 days paid working days leave per year, rising to 31 days through the first five years of service, plus bank holidays. Option to buy up to 5 additional days per year.
Probation and notice periods:
6 months for probation and 4 months’ notice
Location:
Your place of work will be Connect Housing, 21 Bond St, Dewsbury WF13 1AX.
We are located 2 minutes from Dewsbury Station which is on the TransPennine route, with a 12-minute train journey from Leeds. It is served by direct trains from Leeds, Morley, Batley, Huddersfield, Rochdale and Manchester. Download map here.
Flexible working arrangements are available as well as a hybrid working model which entails a minimum expectation of working in the office 2 days per week.
Download the job description and declaration form to learn more about the requirements and opportunities this new role offers
How to Apply
Thank you very much for your interest in the Director of Finance & Resources role at Connect Housing. In order to apply, we will need the following from you:
- A CV. Make sure this confirms your current/most recent roles (you can sum up earlier roles, say before the last 15 years), tell us about your achievements so we get a picture of your skills and experience, and try to keep it to two pages or three at most;
- A personal statement. We want to hear about your motivation, why this role/organisation, and you will also want to evidence how relevant your offer is to the role specification; again ideally in two to three pages; and
- The declaration form, which you can access here and includes space to indicate if you cannot attend any of the interview dates.
Please submit your completed application documents by uploading via the ‘Apply for this role’ button. You will receive an email confirmation and see an on-screen confirmation message after submitting your application, but if you have any issues, you can call 020 3434 0990.
The closing date is Monday 9th March 2026 (9am). Please ensure we receive your application in good time.
If you have any questions about the role or wish to have an informal discussion, please do not hesitate to contact me
via email at kelly.shaw@campbelltickell.com or mobile
07900 363803 to organise a prearranged time for a call.
Key Dates
Closing Date: Monday 9th March 2026 (9am)
The longlist will be agreed on Wednesday 11th March 2026. All candidates will be informed of the outcome of their application once the meeting has concluded.
First Interviews: Friday 20th March 2026
Longlist candidates will be interviewed virtually using MS Teams by a Campbell Tickell panel. On the same day candidates will also have the opportunity to have an informal conversation with Helen Lennon – Chief Executive.
The shortlist will be agreed: Tuesday 24th March 2026
Testing & Assessment:
Candidate testing and assessment will take place remotely from Monday 30th March 2026.
Final Interviews:
Final Interviews will be held Friday 24th April 2026 at Connect Housing, 21 Bond St, Dewsbury WF13 1AX. On the same day there will also be the opportunity to meet a range of stakeholders
The interview panel will include the following:
- Helen Lennon – Chief Executive
- Erika Stoddart – Chair of Audit & Risk Management Committee
- Sharon Gillott – Deputy Chair & Chair of HR & Governance Committee
- Simon Topham- Board member
- Kelly Shaw – Campbell Tickell (to support and observe)