POST TITLE: Accommodation Assistant
SECTION: HOUSING & COMMUNITY SERVICES
SALARY: Grade 3 £22,402 - £23,756
Location: HYBRID (Swale House) Sittingbourne, Kent
Contract Type: Permanent, 34-hours per week
Are you looking for a career in housing and in helping to reduce homelessness and make a difference to residents? Join our Dynamic Housing and Homelessness Team!
Our Housing and Homelessness Team is expanding, and we’re excited to announce multiple new roles due to significant investment and growth in the team. We are looking for dedicated individuals who thrive in a collaborative and supportive environment. As part of our highly dynamic team, you will have the opportunity to deliver impactful results while working alongside friendly colleagues committed to positive change. If you like to be busy and are ready to take on a rewarding challenge and contribute to meaningful solutions in housing and homelessness, we want to hear from you.
About the Role
Swale Borough Council has an exciting opportunity for a full-time Accommodation Assistant to join our team on a permanent basis. You will help deliver a proactive, high-quality housing service in accordance with housing legislation with a view to relieve homelessness and help households secure more permanent accommodation.
You will monitor and record all compliance and safety information required for the Temporary Accommodation (TA) homes on the Council’s Housing database systems.
You will deal with enquiries from TA providers and customers to ensure all issues such as repairs and complaints are dealt with effectively.
You will arrange emergency temporary accommodation for homeless households, ensuring suitability and cost-effectiveness of each placement. You will be required to maximise housing benefit for those in TA placements and ensure that claims are kept up to date.
This is a busy & challenging role, but we work as a supportive team who together make a difference.
This is a full-time position working 34 hours per week on a permanent contract.
About Swale Borough Council
Swale Borough Council is a progressive and ambitious Local Authority, located less than an hour from Central London in an attractive and diverse part of Kent involving urban, rural, and coastal areas. We believe that staff are our most valuable asset, and we’re committed to attracting and retaining the very best. In recent times we have adapted and evolved to meet the current world by introducing a highly flexible hybrid working policy, along with a 34-hour week, recognising that staff wellbeing and work-life balance is high on our agenda.
Our Offer
A range of benefits including:
1. 34 hour full-time working week with the offices closing at 1:30pm on Friday
2. Highly flexible hybrid working opportunities
3. Generous holiday entitlement which increases after 5 years LG service plus bank holidays with the option to buy additional leave
4. Additional 3 days leave given to enable a close down of the offices between Christmas and New Year
5. Free parking
6. Range of flexible working opportunities to accommodate people’s home/work-life balance including compressed hours, 9-day fortnight, part-time
7. Invitations to staff events to celebrate success and support wellbeing that include holistic therapies and outdoor activities
8. Employee Assistance Programme which provides confidential & independent information and access to counsellors
9. Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) with valuable life cover and financial protection for your family
10. Life Assurance – three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
11. Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/bus journey, to & from work
12. Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand-new car. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing, and road tax
13. Annual flu vaccine
14. Cycle to work scheme
15. Staff benefits discounts on leisure, eating out, holidays, and shopping
16. Excellent learning and career opportunities for committed individuals
17. A professional fee payment, if required for the role
About You
You will be a self-starter who is able to work on your own initiative and organise your own workload with a positive and flexible attitude.
You will have good communication skills and the ability to confidently communicate with a wide range of people.
We are seeking a motivated and innovative person, with good attention to detail, who can work proactively with customers and partners.
Selection Process
Following the submission of your application form, it will be reviewed by the recruiting manager. Those that are successful in securing an interview can expect a job-specific interview assessment, followed by an interview.
Swale Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
If you would like to discuss this position, please contact Kerry Wright, Accommodation Compliance Manager.
To apply for the position please click apply and complete the online application form.
Closing Date: 16th February 2025
Interview Date: W/C 3rd March 2025
This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: £22,402.00-£23,756.00 per year
Work Location: In person
Reference ID: 002103
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