Achieving Net Zero by 2050: Key Talent Your Housing Association Needs

Is your housing association operationally ready to meet its net zero obligations?

The path to net zero is often talked about as a technical challenge, but for housing associations, it’s just as much a talent challenge.

Because even the strongest decarbonisation strategy will stall without the right capability in place if you don’t have the people to understand the real starting point of your stock, turn data into investable plans, manage delivery at scale, and keep residents engaged and well communicated with during necessary programmes of works.

The Net Zero Housing Agenda in Numbers

2050 may seem like a long way off, but net zero is quickly moving from strategic ambition to delivery scrutiny:

Home heating currently makes up around 15 to 18% of the UK’s carbon emissions.¹
80% of homes due to be occupied in 2050 have been built, but the majority need retrofitting with low-carbon heating systems and energy efficiency.²
Currently, fewer than 3% of homes are connected to a heat network, and fewer than 1% have a heat pump installed.³
The UK housing stock is among the least energy efficient in Europe,2 with 39% of housing association homes currently fall below EPC C, requiring upgrade to meet future energy efficiency expectations.⁴
Low-carbon heating is predicted to support circa 41,000 FTE jobs by 2028 and 122,000 by 2035, signalling a tight skills market to come.⁵

For housing associations, the gap between net zero ambition and reality has direct implications. Delays open organisations up to the risk of higher costs, scarcer skills, and more difficult resident conversations.

That’s why net zero obligations need attention now. Not just as an asset strategy, but as a workforce strategy. Because the organisations that progress fastest are those that secure key talent early, across survey and data capability, sustainability leadership, delivery management, and resident engagement.

Adecco have partnered with over 200 housing associations across the UK. Based on our expertise and conversations we’re having with clients, here are the five biggest challenges affecting net zero delivery, and the key roles housing associations need to hire:

You Can’t Plan Against What You Can’t Measure

Many housing associations are still working with incomplete, inconsistent or outdated stock data.

This matters because retrofitting is not like routine, scheduled maintenance. It requires a granular understanding of heating systems, insulation constraints, ventilation, heritage considerations, and local supply chain options. Housing association stock also typically varies in age, construction type, and standards, meaning planned solutions are rarely one-size-fits-all.

Without credible surveys and a clear data view, organisations are left guessing:

Which homes are hardest to treat.
What measures are realistically feasible.
Which technologies are needed.
What the true cost curve looks like over the next 10 to 25 years.

Key Talent to Prioritise

Retrofit Assessors/EPC Surveyors – to create reliable baseline data at scale.
Asset Data Managers/Asset Planning Managers – to turn surveys into usable insight and actions.
Sustainability and Retrofit Leadership (Managers/Heads of Function) - translate data into delivery strategy and co-ordinate technical and operational teams
Director/Head of Sustainability – to develop the strategy by analysing the stock, what measures can be taken to achieve targets, and what technologies may be needed.

Adecco Insight

Typically, the older the house, the more it costs to bring it up to standard. This carries an average cost per home between £20,000 to £25,000, depending on factors such as property age, type, area, any specific works that need doing, and the local cost of contractors. These costs can quickly exceed the standard scope of planned and reactive maintenance at scale.

With most housing associations under internal pressure to reduce costs, this shifts the focus to cost-effective forward planning.

Because survey delivery is often a volume and pace challenge, housing providers are increasingly shifting from traditional one-person, one-day-rate models to outcome-based approaches. Adecco’s outcome-based approach deploys specialists at scale, paid by output, not time, giving providers faster progress and clearer accountability.

Technology and Compliance are Evolving

Decarbonisation and retrofit can feel like moving targets, with technologies evolving, approaches changing, and standards tightening. Many housing associations hesitate because they don’t want to lock into a solution that becomes obsolete, uncompliant, or unaffordable before it scales.

This uncertainty increases the need for strong technical governance, options appraisal, and programme leadership that can adapt plans and stay aligned with evolving compliance requirements without derailing delivery.

Housing associations s are also having to navigate and align with changing regulations and shifting policy expectations, including:

Building safety expectations.
Standards, funding criteria and procurement compliance.
Planning constraints (especially where heritage, high-rise, or dense urban environments apply).

Key Talent to Prioritise

Retrofit Programme Managers/Sustainability Managers – to evaluate options, plan delivery of works, and manage both internal and external contractor teams.
Asset Planning/Options Appraisal Specialists – to connect technical choices to property prioritisation and investment logic.
Retrofit Project Managers or Coordinators – to manage works with regular site visits and uphold standards
Programme governance and assurance capability – to manage risk, dependencies, suppliers, and delivery sequencing.
Strategic sustainability leadership – to align net zero delivery with compliance, risk, and priorities.
Governance and reporting capability – to evidence progress, manage funding conditions, and maintain transparency.
Change and transformation leads – because retrofit directly links to organisational change.

Adecco Insight

To meet net zero obligations, providers need more than just specialist technical skills. They need people who understand building performance and compliance, and those who can provide oversight to complex programmes and tech initiatives.

For one Adecco client, we installed critical leadership capability utilising a three-stage approach drawing on data, infrastructure, expertise, and specialist leadership profiling. The appointments have contributed to vital priorities and helped guide future direction.

Poor Resident Engagement Increases Costs and Delays

Retrofitting is highly intrusive for residents, affecting their homes, routines, comfort, and subsequent trust. When engagement is poor, programmes not only slow down, but costs increase – both financial and reputational.

This is where net zero becomes a customer experience challenge:

If residents don’t feel informed, they will naturally resist change.
If programmes feel imposed, trust erodes.
If providers cannot deliver consistently, complaints and reputational damage grow.

Key Talent to Prioritise

Resident/Tenant Liaison Officers – to explain what’s happening, why it matters, and what residents can expect.
Resident Engagement/Resident Managers – to build trust, handle concerns, reduce no-access rates, and improve satisfaction.

Adecco Insight

Across our client base, we see one in three appointments with residents result in no access, costing time and money.

Dealing with residents requires empathy and patience – and communications delivered by specialists usually land better than those delivered by a project manager or tradesperson. But resident engagement talent is hard to find, with demand rising and less people choosing resident-facing roles.

At Adecco, we help housing associations build dedicated talent pools, leveraging transferable skills, internal mobility, and creative solutions (such as graduate hiring) to address talent gaps. By treating engagement roles as programme-critical, not optional, providers see consistently improved outcomes.

How Adecco Supports Net Zero Delivery

Achieving net-zero targets, implementing retrofits, and meeting regulatory ESG requirements depends on specialised skills. Adecco helps housing providers access the talent needed to drive sustainability initiatives, from retrofit coordinators and energy assessors to finance and IT specialists supporting ESG reporting.

We work with housing-focused consultants who understand building safety, retrofit compliance and ESG reporting requirements, supporting our clients through technically informed shortlisting and selection. This means our clients don’t just fill roles, they hire confidently, knowing candidates have been validated by experts who understand regulatory, safety, and performance standards.

By connecting organisations to this critical expertise, we enable them to meet decarbonisation goals, comply with evolving regulations, and deliver long-term sustainable outcomes.

Net zero delivery is no longer just an asset management challenge. It’s a workforce transformation programme, arrange a confidential discussion with our housing and sustainability specialists to discuss it further.