My career in Progress | Graham, Compliance Manager

Compliance Manager (Mechanical and Electrical), Graham, has worked at Progress Housing Group for two and half years.

We recently caught up with Graham to find out more about his career journey at the Group so far.

Hi Graham, how did your career at Progress Housing Group begin?

I wanted to take a slight change in direction with my career, and ideally work for a company that was local to where I live, that offered good career opportunities, and also provided a service that I could be proud to contribute towards.

I was contacted by a recruitment agency for my initial role, and once I had researched the Group and the role advertised I decided that it was too good of an opportunity not to apply.

Can you tell us about the career progression and learning and development you've received at the Group?

Since joining as a surveyor I have been promoted to a manager role, this followed my previous manager moving on to another company.

Both roles have been steep learning curves for me, and the knowledge of my colleagues has been vital for me to develop. In addition, I have embarked on a Level Four Gas Management qualification which I hope to complete over the next 12 to 18 months, and I am also currently on a course to help improve my leadership skills.

What is it like working in Property Services and Compliance?

The job is fast-paced and we are starting to overcome some of the challenges faced, with plenty more ahead.

I feel supported by my team, colleagues and managers alike and am confident that we will continue to work together towards our goals.

What does an average week look like for you and your team?

We have a mixture of office and home working which gives us flexibility. Our team is predominantly looking at the servicing and maintenance of all things mechanical and electrical to help keep our customers safe in their homes.

We have a wide variety of tasks, including the monitoring and reporting of our compliance levels, scheduling appointments for our engineers, and managing the various contractors that we use to assist us.

What are the team's current priorities?

Our main priority for 2022 was to maintain our high compliance levels and we were successful with this.

The top priority is always to remain compliant across all areas, but other than this, in 2023, we will be moving the compliance monitoring over to a new system called C365. We are also recruiting for some new roles which will help us in our journey towards being a high-performing team that feels valued in their work.

What do you think the challenges will be for compliance professionals in the housing sector for 2023?

The housing sector faces a financial challenge with the rent cap. Within compliance, we have the constant introduction of new regulations to keep up to date with. And with our servicing programmes, the biggest challenge we tend to face is access to tenants' homes.

What are you looking forward to getting involved in as part of your future career?

I look forward to further developing my knowledge and skills in all areas of compliance and housing and look forward to the variety of opportunities the housing sector presents as a whole.

What would you recommend about working for the Group?

The best thing about working at Progress Housing Group is without a doubt the people we work with, from our team to peers, managers and colleagues in other departments.

What can someone expect if they come and work for the Group?

You will be coming to work somewhere that offers great benefits and cares about the well-being of its employees. Within the Property Services Team, you can guarantee to be challenged in a fast-paced environment, but also empowered and supported to overcome those challenges.

What makes you most proud about working for Progress?

I'm proud to be part of a team that works together to achieve its goals.

Famously Proud to be Progress

Our teams come from a variety of backgrounds bringing a wealth of knowledge, skills and experiences to the Group, and we've got one thing in common - we are immensely proud and passionate about changing lives.

Every day our team of almost 900 colleagues rise to the challenge of delivering high-quality homes and related services that make a real difference in our communities and to the people who live in them.

As one team, we work together and empower and support each other, to ensure we do everything we can to make a positive difference.

Thanks to Graham for sharing his career journey with us so far.