Housing Officers Make a Real Difference in Portsmouth and Havant!

37 hours per week

Posts available (PLEASE CLEARLY STATE IN YOUR APPLICATION WHICH POST/S YOU ARE APPLYING FOR):

• Permanent • Temporary/Secondment for up to 9 months

Portsmouth City Council is the largest social landlord in the area with responsibility for managing over 17,000 council owned and leasehold properties!

If you believe you can make a valuable, positive contribution to our team then please read below for more about the role. Please take the time to read 'how to apply' carefully to ensure your application is not disregarded. Do not send us a C.V.

What's in it for me?

You will be starting on a salary of £23,398 going up to £27,668 as you progress. You will be entitled to 26 days holiday per year (plus bank holidays). The Council also offers a generous Pension Scheme and other staff benefits including free eye tests, discounts at local venues and childcare vouchers!

You may need to have the use of a car for the role, but the Council will pay 45p per mile you drive as part of your business so you won't be left out of pocket!

We value our employees and want them to reach their full potential. Although there is an induction period, you will be expected to learn on the job with the full support of the management team and your peers. Additional training is available if appropriate and as necessary.

What is the job?

The Housing Officer is expected to help tenants meet their responsibilities in order that they can sustain their tenancies as outlined in their tenancy agreement whilst delivering excellent customer service. Housing Officers support their customers by providing budgeting advice, assistance with maximising income, tackling anti-social behaviour, working as part of the multi-agency team involved with a family and advising tenants on how to maintain their homes and keep their gardens in good repair. The Housing Officer will take appropriate tenancy enforcement action when proportionate and necessary to do so.

Our service is shaped by understanding what matters to our customers and what they need from the Housing Service. Many of our work processes have, in recent years, been redesigned and will continue to change in response to customer and legislative demands. There are 7 area Housing Offices and you could be based at any one of these providing housing management on a patch of approximately 250 local authority homes.

Who is the person?

As one of the housing officers you will need to have the following:

• Demonstrate an ability of working with customers in a challenging front-line service and be comfortable visiting customers in their home. • The ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post • Demonstrate experience of building a positive rapport with customers. • Understand the demands of the customer, prioritise and respond accordingly, whilst tailoring your approach to the needs of different individuals. • Have experience of using your sound judgement to make informed decisions regarding the cases you manage and being able to consider all the facts of a case, including working with others and utilising other resources to achieve the right result for customers. • Demonstrate examples of how you would provide help and support to our customers to enable them to meet their responsibilities as a tenant and actions you have taken as a consequence of a tenant not adhering to the tenancy agreement. • Be pro-active and highly motivated with the ability to work quickly, accurately and consistently when under pressure, managing your time effectively and be able to manage conflicting priorities appropriately • Be able to work independently in a focused, diligent and transparent manner • Be competent with using Microsoft software including: Excel, Word and Outlook and be able to use IT systems to keep clear, accurate, concise and methodical records. • Be able to communicate in writing to customers, including the use of emails and have experience of preparing documents to be used in case conferences or as evidence in court. • Be confident with speaking in public, including representing the local authority at Court hearings (usually without legal representation) and at multi-agency case conferences. • You may be expected to work from any of the 7 area offices and carry out work outside of office hours as per the needs of the service and customer. • The ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post

How to apply?

Please write to tell us how you meet the criteria for the role. You will need to demonstrate transferable skills from your current or previous employment against each of the points described in 'Who is the person?' Applicants will be shortlisted based on their ability to use good examples illustrating what they've done, why they've done it and how they went about it?

If you have any questions, or would like an informal discussion about the role, please call Lauren Taylor, Estate Manager

Closing date: 11th August 2017 Applications received after this may not be considered.

Assessment process: 22nd August 2017

Previous applicants within the last 6 months need not apply.