Job Category : Housing, Benefits & Planning
Location :Lewes and Eastbourne Council
Hours Per Week : 30.00
Start Date : Immediate Start
Start Time :08:30
End Time : 17:00
Salary: £15.00
This is an exciting role where no two days are the same and you will need to enjoy working with people and be keen to play a key role in improving the lives and independence of our tenants. This role requires the candidate to be multi skilled, managing a range of tenancy related tasks, you should have experience in managing tenancies within the social housing sector or similar transferable skills. You will require good resilience and great time management skills. You will be working with vulnerable customers and undertaking a variety of duties including raising safeguarding concerns and working with our partner agencies, monitoring, and recording health and safety in relation to our retirement housing schemes and writing personal tenancy sustainment plans including risk assessment. You should possess the ability to work well within a team and equally to work alone for long periods, a willingness to learn is essential. You must be IT literate and can work on multiple systems such as MS office and housing management CRM systems.
Job Purpose
• Support the delivery of an efficient, effective, and consistent tenancy management service, predominantly to older and vulnerable tenants across Eastbourne and Lewes.
• Supporting Retirement Housing tenants to maintain their independence e.g. encouraging customer self-serve and spotting opportunities for the Council to initiate further enabling and self-serve.
• Respond to customer concerns, manage processes and liaise with specialists and partner agencies. Maintain confidentiality in line with agreed policy and relevant data protection legislation.
• To support the continuous improvement of processes and procedures within the service using best practice from others where appropriate.
Key Tasks
1. To undertake or support leads in partner agencies on a range of cases, assessing the risk and vulnerability of customers and considering all aspects of the customer’s situation in order to provide the best avenue of support e.g. safeguarding referrals.
2. To maintain the statutory landlord and health and safety requirements within Neighbourhood Housing and provide advice on Retirement Housing matters to tenants and the public.
3. To take decisions, prioritise and action urgent queries from tenants and the public.
4. Access and accurately update all relevant information systems, both customer and back office ensuring that the Golden Customer Record is updated and maintained through verification and validation, and in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation principles
Qualifications
Good standard of general education including GCSE at grade C or above or equivalent in English and Maths.
Basic first aid (or a willingness to undertake training if required)
Relevant transferable work related skills, experience or Housing Qualification.
Training
Customer Service (or willingness to undertake training)
Willingness to undertake relevant housing related training, including basic first aid.
Commitment to undertake continuing professional development.
Equalities knowledge and understanding
Skills and Abilities
Able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing with customers, colleagues, council officers and external agencies and partners to provide excellent customer service
Ability and commitment to work with vulnerable people and help challenging and distressed customers
Ability to actively listen in order to extract and assess important information to ensure that the appropriate arrangements are made to support the customers’ needs
Ability to work calmly and sensitively
Ability to draft reports to support decisions and court action
Ability to use IT systems to gather, store and produce reports and process information
Ability to work, support and deliver services within the Councils Equalities Policy
Customer focused
Negotiation skills and the ability to positively manage and diffuse challenging situations
Confident, resourceful and flexible team worker with ability to work on own initiative
Customer focused and ability to engage residents and encourage to maintain an independent lifestyle.
Experience
Experience of working in social housing service environment.
Awareness of basic health and safety issues connected to maintaining the security of building.
Ability to deal sensitively with challenging situations.
Experience of working in customer services environment
Knowledge
Best practice relevant to the post e.g. Health and safety checks, low level ASB, tenancy sign ups, viewings, introductory tenancy visits and tenancy management.
General Data Protection Regulatory Act.
Equalities.
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office software.
Knowledge of Retirement Housing and issues relating to older people e.g. pension benefits, adult social care services
Knowledge of services provided across the councils.
Mental Health Act
Professional boundaries and Safeguarding good practices
Physical, legal and other requirements
Ability to undertake site visits.
Full driving licence and access to own vehicle with business insurance
DBS Clearance.
Be available to work additional hours outside of normal working hours when need arises.
Ability to travel across Lewes District and Eastbourne Borough.
An engaging, enthusiastic and positive manner with a strong “can do” approach and personal resilience.
Willingness to work within the Core Competency Framework.