What do our team think?
We think Southern Housing is a great place to work.
But don't just take our word for it, find out from our colleagues:
Lola (based in London)
"I like the open-door policy where colleagues have access to the Executive Team. There’s also flexibility to move around different jobs and gain new skills. Optivo is a place where you can be yourself.
The organisation is not just about buildings, it’s also about the people. I also really appreciate the opportunities we’re given to help make a positive difference in people’s lives through our charity, Fresh Visions.”
Adam (based in Kent)
"I am proud to be part of an organisation that offers such a variety of opportunities to develop a career as well as offering the chance to give something back to the community.
I've really enjoyed my time so far and I look forward to a strong career at Optivo."
BAME leadership programme
In April 2020 the leaders of the G15 group of leading housing associations collectively signed a BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) diversity pledge.
This pledge commits to a set of actions to improve the ethnic diversity of our organisations, particularly at senior managerial, leadership and board levels. The work to support this pledge includes a target for doubling the BAME proportion on our boards to 30% by 2025. We'll do this by improving our recruitment practices, working to remove unconscious bias, and raise the profile of talented BAME colleagues at Southern Housing and in the G15.
We know diversity brings strength and we need to better reflect the communities we serve at all levels of our organisation. By ensuring we support diversity throughout our organisation we’ll build trust with our residents, improve our decision-making and attract and retain talented staff.
Leadership 2025
Os Osman
Leadership 2025 is a development programme for BAME leaders. It’s aimed at helping to raise BAME presence in Housing generally and to support individuals in their careers.
On the programme you work with five other participants. You read and feedback on each other’s works, it’s an interesting way of learning.
I think I’ve learned quite a bit about myself and how my background has shaped me. I’ve met interesting people with really interesting stories, who have achieved great things. I’ll be taking away learning, which I hope will make me a better leader.
“I think I’ve learned quite a bit about myself and how my background has shaped me.”
Future of London leaders
– Leaders Plus
Ryan Ward
I applied for this course because I wanted to further my knowledge and understanding of leadership and management. I’ve been managing teams for 13 years but the majority of my training has been on the job and learning from mistakes. Having the opportunity to discuss different approaches with other managers and the coaches has given me more confidence in dealing with situations.
This programme has opened my eyes to my role as a leader and my responsibility as a manager. The course work challenges and stretches you and it has helped me to understand aspects of leadership that I wasn’t aware of before. By researching and discussing theories in a workshop environment it allowed me to express my opinions on certain situations which have either reinforced my confidence or given me a new insight that I wouldn’t have appreciated before.
The content of the programme is broad and covers all elements of management that you’re likely to come across. It’s this level of understanding that is supporting me to become a better leader by giving me the tools to tackle problems head on and to encourage my managers and colleagues to think differently.
“This programme has opened my eyes to my role as a leader and my responsibility as a manager.”
John Barr
John Barr, Director of Customer Experience, celebrates ten years at Optivo.
John has 28 years experience working in the housing sector and five years providing English language services to businesses in Italy.
John explains :
"I'm driven by the idea that (often disadvantaged) customers deserve the same level of service as anything offered by the private sector. I love to surround myself with positive, like-minded people (no moaners) and enjoy mentoring colleagues to be the best they can be."
John's experience in Customer Service has seen him invited to judge a number of awards. This includes European Call Centre and Customer Service 2012 & 2014, and UK Customer Experience Awards 2013-2019.
BAME Leadership programme
In April 2020 the leaders of the G15 group of leading housing associations collectively signed a BAME diversity pledge.
This pledge commits to a set of actions to improve the ethnic diversity of our organisations particularly at senior managerial, leadership and board levels. The work to support this pledge includes a target for doubling the BAME proportion on our boards to 30% by 2025. We'll do this by improving our recruitment practices, working to remove unconscious bias and raise the profile of talented BAME colleagues in the G15.
We know diversity brings strength and we need to better reflect the communities we serve at all levels of our organisation. By ensuring we support diversity throughout our organisation we’ll build trust with our residents, improve our decision-making and attract and retain talented staff.
To find out more about a career at Southern Housing click here.