Curo is a leading housing association and housebuilder which provides great homes, landlord services, and high-quality care and support services across the West of England. Based in Bath, it is one of the largest landlords in the South West, with a turnover in excess of £100m and a diverse portfolio of affordable and market rented homes. With more than 13,000 homes occupied by 25,000 residents, it is building hundreds more homes in Bath, Bristol, Gloucestershire, and Somerset.

Curo’s property portfolio ranges from starter homes to Grade I listed buildings, in locations from rural villages to city centres. It also invests in neighbourhood services with the intention of creating sustainable, thriving communities where people want to live and work. It provides award-winning support services to a wide range of customers, including homeless young people and families, older and disabled people, and those affected by mental health issues or memory loss. Additionally, it supports customers into education and work, offering apprenticeships, training, and graduate placement programmes.

In addition to owning and managing housing for its residents, Curo has a commercial house-building business which is building hundreds of homes every year. That business generates profit for purpose, to be reinvested into its core social purpose.

The Group is currently working through a new five-year plan (launched in 2020) based on its guiding principle of providing ‘Homes for Good’ in order to best address the need for affordable and high-quality homes in the region. To do so, the Group has identified five key priorities: ‘Delivering renowned customer service’; ‘Providing great properties and places’; ‘Supporting independent and successful lives’; ‘Building high quality new homes’; and 'Maintaining a resilient business’. Curo now intends to appoint up to two new Non-Executive Directors to support the Board in realising these ambitions.

As Curo continues to grow and provide housing in the South West of England, it seeks Non-Executive Directors who will be able to guide it on implementing its Five-Year Strategic Plan. In this role, successful candidates will need to demonstrate an interest in social housing and a strong alignment with Curo’s purpose, strategy and objectives. Curo wishes to appoint individuals who have credible executive-level experience in large and complex organisations, and demonstrable understanding of the distinction between management and governance.  

The Non-Executive Directors will work closely with the management and the rest of the Board to help Curo achieve its vision of providing its customers with 'Homes for Good.' Directors are expected to contribute their individual skills and sector expertise to guide overall strategy, increase profits in its commercial operation to reinvest into its social purpose, and ensure that there is a strong governance framework in place to allow Curo to function as effectively as possible.

The new Non-Executive Directors will quickly become familiar with Curo’s background, purpose, and operations, and will be closely involved in the oversight of its strategy. They will offer strategic and operational advice to the Board and management team, acting as a critical friend to the executives while being available on a flexible basis to provide independent insight. They will ensure that Curo customers’ diverse needs are considered in all Board thinking.

Finally, they will act as an ambassador for the Group, providing oversight and acting on behalf of Curo’s stakeholders.

For these appointments, Curo seeks to appoint two Non-Executive Directors to support the overall strategic goals and vision of the Group. Given the scale and complexity of the organisation, the successful candidates will bring experience in senior roles in large, complex organisations. In addition, they will bring expertise in at least one of the following areas:

Finance: As a part of succession planning and to provide support and challenge to the Finance Director, Curo seeks a Non-Executive Director with a strong background in financial expertise, gained either in a corporate finance-focused role, in a financial leadership role, or as a CEO or general manager with oversight for an organisation’s overall finances. The successful candidate will work closely with the Audit Committee Chair and advise the Board on key financial matters.

Residential property development: In order to support and advise on Curo's housebuilding operation (the profits of which are reinvested into achieving the social purpose of the business) it seeks a senior commercially-minded residential property development expert, likely from a housebuilder, who will be able to advise the Board on maximising profits to support its core social purpose. The successful candidate will be able to provide advice from a commercial perspective, whilst recognising that Curo's social purpose is at the heart of its operating strategy.

Digital strategy: Following the Covid-19 pandemic and as digital tools become ever more central to Curo’s communications and service provision, the organisation seeks a Non-Executive Director to advise the Board on digital strategy and transformation. The successful candidate will be able to advise the group as it further develops its digital and technology strategy. Though they need not be a technical specialist, they will have overseen complex digital transformation processes and will therefore be able to advise the Board on the strategic, financial, and operational challenges of driving such processes.

Finally, all applicants should truly believe in the aims and strategy of the Group, and will be energised by the opportunity to support their realisation. The ideal candidate will also demonstrate a strong affinity for or interest in the Southwest of England and the local communities Curo serves.

The Board meets 10-12 times per year, with meetings generally lasting for an afternoon. The Board holds strategic events twice per year, usually lasting for a full day with an overnight stay. Each committee of the Board, and the Board of Curo Enterprise, usually meets four or five times per year, and may meet on an ad hoc basis as needed. Physical meetings (c. 60% of Curo's meetings) are generally held in Bath and/or the surrounding area. Around 40% are held virtually.

Directors are expected to spend sufficient time preparing for meetings and undertaking other appropriate duties. They are also strongly encouraged to participate in other activities, such as stock tours and customer meetings, to gain a rounded view of Curo and hear directly from Curo's customers about their needs. This role is remunerated, and reasonable, pre-agreed travel expenses will be reimbursed. The appointment is for a three-year term, which can be renewed at the discretion of the Board.