Recruiting a Dedicated Team for Co-operative Housing Ireland

Co-operative Housing Ireland (CHI) is one of Ireland’s fastest growing Approved Housing Bodies, providing over 4,500 homes to low-income households. It was formed in 1973 to support the growing housing co-operative movement that emerged in the late 1960s and 1970s to represent, promote co-operative housing nationally.

The Context

Co-operative Housing Ireland’s originated in supporting homeownership co-operatives. Today, their organisation delivers 600-700 homes to low-income households on local authority housing waiting lists. CHI delivers these through a collaborative relationship with Local Authorities, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and trusted developers. It is also at the forefront of policy discussions with Government – working to find solutions to the current housing crisis.

Co-operative Housing Ireland impact

Celebrating the end of phase one of Co-operative Housing Ireland’s ‘Improving Warmth and Wellbeing’ programme.

Co-operative Housing Ireland Head of Asset Management

The Action

Since 2018, using our trusted recruitment process, 2into3 have managed the recruitment of approximately 30 different senior and mid-level positions on behalf of CHI across a range of disciplines, including: Housing, Finance, IT, Asset Management, Risk, Service Delivery, Development, Communications, Finance, Operations and Member Engagement.

In 2020, 2into3 supported CHI in recruiting David McCourt as CHI’s Head of Asset Management. In line with CHI’s continued rapid growth, David’s role and the responsibilities of his department have  also expanded, with the role evolving in 2022 into the Director of Asset Management and Property Services.

The Asset Management and Property Services team (AMPS), originally a sub-section of the Customer Services Team, became fully operational in Q3 2022. During this growth period, we have continued to work as a trusted partner with CHI, and have supported David with the recruitment of five mid-level roles which sit on the AMPS team, including a Procurement Officer, 2x Regional Asset Managers, an Information and Data Analyst, and a new Head of Asset Management. The support of this strong team allows David to focus on the more strategic elements of his role and ensure that the Department can continue to provide a high-quality service to CHI members.

The Result

Through hiring the right people, CHI have been able to make the right impact in delivering on their mission. There are over 12,000 people now living in CHI homes across the country. As an organisation, they have delivered more than 4,500 homes, adding an average of 500-600 homes to this annually.

With the AMPS team now in full swing, CHI have committed to improving the energy rating of their member homes by retrofitting much of their existing property portfolio, and ensuring their new turn-key properties are sustainable both in terms of quality and cost-effectiveness for CHI members.

The AMPS team were shortlisted for Housing Team of the Year in the Chartered Institute of Housing All Ireland Housing Awards 2023 and won the ‘Net Zero in Housing (Retrofit)’ category for their ‘Improving Warmth and Wellbeing Programme’. The team have responsibility for cyclical, reactive and planned maintenance, developing strategies to ensure that over 4,500 CHI members live in energy efficient, safe, and warm homes.

CHI’s mission is to lead the development of social, economic and environmental sustainability in Ireland through co-operative effort and the provision of co-operative housing in particular.

CHI wouldn’t be able to achieve this mission without a team of dedicated people. Of their 90 odd employees, we have placed almost one third of their full-time staff, which we understand have been key to the continued growth of the organisation, and is why 2into3 have been their trusted recruitment partners since 2018.

Interested in learning more about our Recruitment Services?

If you require support with your organisation’s recruitment, contact Shannon Barrett, Head of Talent Services at shannon.barrett@2into3.com or on 086 063 4932. For more information on our recruitment services, visit our webpage.