Board Member Recruitment PackTogether we’re stronger.

Your application

Dear Applicant

Thank you very much for your interest in this position. On the following pages you will find information about Merthyr Valleys Homes and the role of a Board Member to assist you in completing your application.

Being a Board Member is an opportunity to make a difference, and a valued social contribution. The management of a housing association requires a range of different skills, and as well as contributing your own skills and knowledge, the role is likely to broaden your experiences and bring personal satisfaction.

In order to apply please submit:

• An up to date CV which details your career history, skills and experiences.• A supporting statement explaining why you are interested in this role, why you are a good

candidate for this post and how you fulfil the person specification.

Please send your application, preferably in MS Word format by email to:allison.soroko@mvhomes.org.uk

Applications must be received by Friday 27 January 2017.

You will receive an acknowledgement within 2 working days of receipt.

Further information about the organisation can be found on our website: www.mvhomes.org.uk

Please contact me on 01685 727768 if you wish to have an informal discussion about the role / organisation or if you have any other questions.

Best regards

Allison SorokoHead of Engagement & Ownership

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Contents

Welcome Letter from the Chair 3

About Merthyr Valleys Homes 4

Our Mutual, Our Future 5

Our Priorities 6

Our Board 7

Our Executive Management Team 8

Role and Responsibilities of the Board 9

Person Specification 11

Principal Terms and Conditions 13

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Dear Candidate,

I am pleased that you are considering applying for the Board Member position at Merthyr Valleys Homes. Now is a particularly exciting time to join us, as we have recently undergone a considerable transforma-tion, positioning ourselves for a strong and vibrant future where we can fulfil our ambition to do even more for the local area and people.

On 1st May this year, Merthyr Valleys Homes became Wales’ first tenant and employee mutual Housing Association. This major change has had a positive impact on our homes and our communi-ties, and it is a fantastic opportunity for both tenants and members of their households to work together with employees to make key decisions that affect them.

We are looking to recruit a Board Member to complement our existing Board.

We place great value on the contribution and insight a quality Board of Management brings. The role is complex, with responsibility for the affairs of the organisation, including shaping strategy, managing risks, controlling finances and ensuring that all our decision-making is transparent and influenced by members. Under our mutual structure the Board will be accountable to the Democratic Body.

We hope the information in this pack gives you a good insight into our organisation, and our future, and conveys our passion for quality homes and customer focused services.

We thank you for your interest and look forward to receiving your application.

Kind regards,

Nicola EvansChair

“Now is a particularly exciting time to join us as we have recently undergone considerable transformation, positioning ourselves for a strong and vibrant future...”

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About Merthyr Valleys HomesMerthyr Valleys Homes (MVH) is a community focused housing association, housing over 4,200 families across the Borough of Merthyr Tydfil. Merthyr Valleys Homes is registered as a social landlord with the Welsh Government and we are registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefits Societies Act 2014. We are regulated by the Welsh Government.

The majority of our homes are for general needs rent, and the majority of our homes are two and three bedroom houses. A small number of our properties are designated as sheltered housing, with approximately 200 homes across six schemes. We also offer a small amount of temporary accommodation, and provide tenancy support. We also provide services to over 200 leaseholders, and own a number of commercial properties. We employ a professional and experienced team of 195 staff working from our Head Office in Merthyr Tydfil town centre, and a sub-office in Gurnos.

Merthyr Valleys Homes was established in March 2009 following a stock transfer from Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council (MTCBC) following a ballot where tenants voted in favour of transferring to a new not-for-profit housing association. Since 2009, we’ve gone from strength to strength. We have invested over £69 million in our programme of property improvements and neighbourhood regeneration in our first five years to bring our homes in line with the Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS), and have successfully delivered on our promises made to tenants upon transfer. We are proud of our achievements, and although we recognise that there is still work to do, we have been able to make a difference by improving the physical appearance of our homes and neighbourhoods and have made them safer places to live.

Whilst our founding roots have been through development of our existing homes, we have undertaken a housing development programme, which we are delighted about, building 27 new and affordable homes. These new properties have assisted a move for a number of tenants affected by the Bedroom Tax.

Customer satisfaction is paramount, and we want to continue achieving high satisfaction levels across all service areas. We have seen improvements in our performance over the past few years. We now have profiling information for 96% of our tenants which allows us to better tailor our services to meet tenants’ needs.

Recognition from our tenants is the best result, but it is always nice for others to reward our work too, and last year we won a number of national and local awards. MVH was ranked as the top performing housing association in the UK, by 24 Housing Magazine in 2016.

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Our Mutual, Our FutureOn 1st May 2016 Merthyr Valleys Homes became Wales’ first tenant and employee owned mutual housing association. We wanted to create a suitable democratic structure that would allow us to continue to be a good landlord, a good employer and to support our communities. Being a mutual organisation means that both our tenants (and their families) and our employees can become members, and members, through the exercise of a vote and ‘their say’, will be given more control and more say over the running and future direction of the organisation.

The new mutual builds on our existing values and has, at its heart, the highest standards ofgovernance and accountability. Our decision to change was supported by tenants, employees and other key stakeholders including our lenders, the Welsh Government and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council.

Our mutual has three tiers of governance:

1. Membership There are two categories of membership. Membership is open to any tenant, and those living in the tenant’s household, who are 16 years of age or older, and to Merthyr Valleys Homes’ employees. The membership elects the Democratic Body at an annual members meeting (tenant members elect tenant representatives and employee members elect employee representatives).

2. Democratic BodyThe Democratic Body is and is made up of member representatives including:

• 11 tenant representatives (elected by tenant members).• 8 employee representatives (elected by employee members).• 2 Local Authority representatives appointed by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council.• An independent Chair (if required).

The Democratic Body also have the option to co-opt up to three additional representatives.

3. Board of DirectorsThe Board is made up of 8 Non-Executive Directors with the relevant skills and experience that have been appointed by the Democratic Body to run Merthyr Valleys Homes on their behalf.

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Our Mutual Governance Structure

Our PrioritiesWe have recently launched our new Corporate Strategy ‘Yfory’. This document was developed by our Democratic Body, and sets our goals and and priorities for the next five years. Our ValuesThrough the collective endeavour of our tenants and employees we will create a pride in our homes, our community and our mutual. Our PlanWe will act with integrity and openness. We need the spirit of the mutual to spread further, we need to makethe right financial decisions and we need to be confident in our new way of working. We need to focus onbeing a landlord and we will not dilute our effort in other directions. Our VisionFor us Yfory will bring: • Pride in the communities we live in • Pride in the organisation that we own and work for • Greater opportunities to take for each of us to take responsibility And to ensure that Yfory can be achieved we need to remain financially strong.

Members

Tenants (and their household) and

employees

Democratic Body

Elected members and appointed representatives

Directors of the Board

Appointed Directors

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Our Board The direction and control of the organisation is exercised by our Board of Directors, made up of eight independent Non-Executive Directors.

Chair: Nicola EvansNicola has been the Chair for two years and is the youngest Chair of a major housing association in Wales and England. In January 2015 Nicola took the role of Legislative Lead for the Older Person’s Commission for Wales. Previously Nicola worked for Cymorth Cymru, the umbrella body for organisations working with vulnerable people, and for five years worked as their Policy and Information Manager.

Vice-Chair: John ChownJohn is a qualified chartered accountant and is a director of Williams Ross Limited in Cardiff. In that ca-pacity he has been providing assurance services, advice, support and training to businesses in general and, specifically, in the not for profit sector to charities, credit unions, social enterprises and other volun-tary organisations for a number of years.

His voluntary activities include being a board member of Merthyr Valleys Homes since January 2012, a management board member of the Wales Co-operative Centre for the last twelve years and, in the past, being a board member of two different housing associations for a combined total of eighteen years.

Our Board Members are:Marc FuryStephanie HowarthCarol JamesElizabeth LenderingDavid Lewis

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Our Executive Management TeamThe Chief Executive of the organisation is Mike Owen.

Mike has been the Chief Executive of Merthyr Valleys Homes since April 2011. Prior to 2011 Mike worked at Carrick Housing in Cornwall, which was recognised as one of the leading housing organisations in the UK. During his time at Merthyr Valleys Homes, Mike has helped to deliver some major projects including completion of the promises made at stock transfer to tenants, the completion of the WHQS programme and the achievement of the organisation’s first new building housing scheme, as well as our mutual. Mike is very active in the national housing movement.

Mike is supported by an executive management team, consisting of:

Paul Allen Asset Management DirectorLorraine Oates Finance & Resources DirectorVictoria Slade Housing Director

The Engagement and Ownership Team sit within the Chief Executive’s Directorate and are responsible for Governance, Compliance & Regulation, Communications & Marketing.

Asset Management DirectoratePaul Allen has responsibility for a range of strategic and operational areas of the business. The Property Services division undertake responsive repairs; cyclical maintenance and all planned works in line with the Welsh Housing Quality Standard. The directorate also leads on asset management, including property investment, and Health and Safety compliance.

Finance & Resources DirectorateLorraine Oates is responsible for a range of central services. Finance services, including treasury and management accounting, sit here. Functions including risk management, internal and external audit programmes are also key areas within this directorate. Lorraine also manages the Human Resources, Complaints and ICT Teams as well as providing support to the Cronfa Gymorth David Lewis Trust.

Housing DirectorateVictoria Slade leads on housing management, including lettings; tenancy management and support; estate management and support services. The income team deals with income management and arrears, as well as offering money and benefits advice and support. Front line customer services; regeneration and performance improvement (including monitoring of performance and policy development) also sit in this directorate.

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Role and responsibilities of the BoardIntroduction

The Board and committees have ultimate responsibility for the governance of MVH. Their roles are to lead, direct, control, scrutinise and evaluate the association’s work. This includes determining the strategic direction of the association, without becoming involved with the day-to-day management of the association, which is delegated to the Chief Executive. All board members share the same legal status and have equal responsibility for decisions taken by the board or committee that affect the success of the association.

The Board work within the core principles of mutualism, and work positively with the Democratic Body and members of the organisation to achieve positive outcomes.

Core Responsibilities of the Board

The Board will:

1. Set and ensure compliance with the values and strategic objectives of the organisation to ensure its long term success.

2. Safeguard and maintain the financial viability of the organisation, meet its strategic objectives and its obligations to funders.

3. Ensure that there is an effective framework in place for approving strategies and policies in order to achieve the business plan objectives.

4. Identify appropriate resources to put strategies and policies into practice, satisfying itself as to the integrity of financial information and approving annual budgets, accounts and business plans.

5. Establish, oversee and regularly review a framework of delegation and systems of internal control, and satisfy itself that the organisation’s affairs are conducted lawfully and with probity.

6. Establish and oversee a risk management framework in order to safeguard the assets of the organisation.

7. Monitor the organisation’s performance, and take timely action if required. The Board will have overall responsibility for self-evaluation.

8. Ensure they understand the organisation’s constitutional, legislative and regulatory frameworks as they apply to the organisation, and act within the set powers.

9. Act in an impartial way and be aware of the need to manage outside interests to prevent or avoid any suggestion of impropriety. To declare any relevant interests and avoid conflicts of interest. To act only in the interests of the organisation and not on behalf of any constituency or interest group.

10. Establish effective communication mechanisms, including receiving feedback from the organisation’s stakeholders.

11. Contribute to and share responsibility for decision making, accepting and abiding by collective board decisions.

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12. Uphold the values, principles and objectives of MVH, and to respect confidentiality.

13. To act as an ambassador with external stakeholders. To represent the organisation as appropriate, promoting the organisation’s work and values and protecting its reputation at all times.

14. To develop a Code of Conduct for board members in accordance with the CHC Code of Governance. To behave in a professional and courteous manner in all their dealings, and not tolerate unprofessional or discourteous behaviour from other board members or staff.

15. Promote the association’s policies on equality, diversity and inclusion, and not tolerate discriminatory behaviour from other members or staff.

16. Regularly attend Board meetings and other events, and prepare for Board meetings by reading and considering papers in advance of meetings (MVH expects a minimum attendance at Board meetings of 75%). To give apologies in advance, if not able to attend and to seek special leave of absence in advance if four consecutive meetings will be missed.

17. Attend and actively participate in board effectiveness and governance reviews, and individual Board member appraisal. To attend training sessions identified as appropriate for all Board members, and those identified during individual reviews.

The Board and committees have ultimate responsibility for the governance of MVH. Their roles are to lead, direct, control, scrutinise and evaluate the association’s work.

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Essential Core CompetenciesStrategic thinking An understanding of the organisation’s overall strategy, with

the ability to assess the effects a particular decision will have before making a decision.

Leadership A successful track record of leadership having operated and contributed effectively at a senior level in either the private/public, voluntary or community sectors.

Judgement A proven track record of providing clear, balanced advice and guidance with the ability to challenge constructively in a positive way

Communication Excellent interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to listen and have respect for other people’s opinions, and make reasoned contributions to a debate. Good networking skills.

Team working Experience of working in partnership with others, working towards common goals and shared objectives. Supports shared decision-making and stands by the decisions of the Board.

Skills, knowledge and understandingEssential Desirable

Knowledge of property management and construction

Knowledge of contract management and procurement

Ability to assess risks with a balanced view without being opposed to taking risks.Knowledge of good governance

Ability to analyse information and, when necessary, challenge constructivelyKnowledge of social housing / housing management

Knowledge of regeneration and development

Accounting and financial managementExperience of loan financeKnowledge of strategic information technology

Knowledge of marketing, public relations and communicationsKnowledge of human resources and organisational developmentKnowledge of the local community – Merthyr Tydfil

Prior experience of Board or committee membership

Personal Specification

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Personal attributesEssential Desirable

A high level of integrity, honesty and independence

Clear commitment to equality and diversity

Shares the vision, values and commitments of the organisationAbility to establish and maintain strong working relationships Respecting and maintaining confidentiality

An ability to solve problems and find solutions, with good decision making skillsAbility to research issues, communicate ideas and is open to training and personal developmentA commitment to making a positive contribution to meetings, including preparation challenge and discussion to aid the decision making process

Commercial acumen

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Principal terms and conditionsPosition: Board Member Responsible to: Board ChairSupported by: Company Secretary & Governance Officer

Payment The position is a voluntary one, and therefore, is not paid. However, genuine expenses incurred whilst undertaking duties will be refunded, for example, the cost of transport to and frommeetings, childminding and care costs, conferences and training.

Time commitment As a Board Member you will be expected to attend regular, scheduled Board meetings and training events. The location and time of meetings will be agreed by the Board however they are likely to be at our Head Office and held early evening.

Whilst demands may vary, as a general guide, the Association anticipates a commitment of:

• Attendance of 8 board meetings per year.• Membership of and attendance of committee meetings as applicable.• Attendance at the Annual General Meeting and any Special General Meetings.• Attendance at any relevant training and development sessions.• Attendance at 1 strategic away day per year.

You will act within the Rules of the Association and commit sufficient time to read Board and Committee papers as appropriate to fulfil your role.

Terms of appointmentBoard members are appointed on a three-year term that can be renewed up to two times to a maximum of nine years.

Location Merthyr Valleys Homes - Head OfficeMartin Evans House, Riverside Court, Avenue de Clichy, Merthyr Tydfil CF47 8LD

Our Head Office is readily accessible by public transport, and although we have limited on site parking, there are two public car parks close by.

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