Case studies
Barnet Homes
Development Accountant
Finance Business Partner
Client Profile
Barnet Homes was created by Barnet Council in 2004, and the housing association has since grown to manage and maintain 15,000 council homes, including 3,900 leasehold properties. It aspires to provide great services, at great value, to make a positive difference to people, homes and communities, and in 2011 completed its £185million Decent Homes programme. The organisation exists to improve lives, not just housing, and prides itself on involving residents in all that it does.
Assignment
The Robertson Bell team had previously been in touch with the Head of Finance and its business development outreach secured this new brief to recruit a Development Accountant. Several other agencies had already been unsuccessful in finding suitable candidates, given the niche requirements of the role, but Robertson Bell’s specialist experience in the sector gave the line manager confidence that she was exploring the market fully.
Barnet Homes is usually open to candidates without specific housing sector experience. However, for this role, taking the route of hiring a technical accountant and teaching them housing nuances had not proved effective and the search therefore focused on applicants from the housing sector.
The consultants reached out to a candidate who they had previously profiled. She was not actively searching but the role appealed to the applicant as an opportunity for progression.
Following the work carried out for this initial hire, the client reached out for support in placing a temporary Finance Business Partner. Barnet Homes had very specific requirements for a candidate with a background in care homes or adult social care.
Considerations and challenges
The Development Accountant role presented a unique opportunity for those who had not yet been exposed to development finance to gain experience in this area. On top of this, the salary was competitive, and the role offered a generous benefit scheme, which made it an attractive prospect.
Finding talent who had both housing specific expertise and strong finance accounting skills, was difficult. But the team was able to overcome this issue by broadening the search to those not yet fully qualified.
Sourcing a suitable candidate for the Finance Business Partner role who also had care home experience substantially narrowed the talent pool and made the hiring process more challenging, despite the vacancy offering a competitive salary.
Solution
The Robertson Bell team sent over a CV for the Development Accountant position day after receiving the brief. Although this applicant wasn’t yet fully qualified, housing experience and technical accounting expertise was more important for this role than the qualification. The candidate impressed the line manager and was invited to interview, along with three others. After being brought into a second interview, Roberston Bell’s candidate was offered the position. The client was impressed with the speed of the process and the quality of the applicant.
A more consultative approach was required for the Finance Business Partner position, after the client felt that Robertson Bell’s candidate put forward was not quite right for the position. After liaising with the line manager, the team was able to showcase the strengths of the suggested candidate, such as their background in a not-for-profit care home organisation, background in housing and proximity to the organisation, and they were invited to interview.
The candidate interviewed well, received good feedback and was successful in being offered the role.
Outcome
The successful placement of both candidates can be attributed to Robertson Bell’s strong reputation in the sector and comprehensive knowledge of the profiles of candidates on the market, allowing the team to quickly and effectively match applicants to suitable roles. Since working with the client successfully, Barnet Homes has returned to Robertson Bell to recruit exclusively – an outcome which is a testament to the thoroughness and expertise of the consultants.