Project Officer - Specialist Housing and Services

The Housing and Land directorate is responsible for the Mayor’s plans to deliver new and improved homes and strong communities. Working closely with boroughs and partners, we manage the Mayor’s housing investment programmes, commissioned services and land and property assets to support the supply of affordable homes, job creation and regeneration.  

About the team 

Both roles are in the GLA’s Specialist Housing Services (SHS) Team, of about 30 people who work to improve the situation for Londoners who are experiencing barriers to housing in addition to cost. Affordability of housing is a huge barrier for many people in the capital and for some Londoners there are even more challenges – survivors of domestic abuse, rough sleepers, older and disabled people are just some of those marginalised by the housing market. The Specialist Housing and Services Unit consists of the following teams and areas of work: 

• The Rough Sleeping Team leads on the Mayor’s work to tackle rough sleeping in London. The team commissions a wide range of frontline services, manages a variety of different projects aimed at reducing rough sleeping and oversees the revenue element of programmes which deliver more accommodation for this group of Londoners. Find out more at: https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/housing-and-land/homelessness/what-mayor-doing-tackle-rough-sleeping  
• The Specialist and Supported Housing Team manages capital and revenue investment programmes to deliver specialist and supported Housing and Services for groups of Londoners who may be marginalised by the housing market. People experiencing homelessness, survivors of domestic abuse, adults with learning disabilities and older people are just some of the groups the team supports, as well as schemes being delivered as community-led housing. The team also supports the housing mobility of older Londoners, survivors of domestic abuse and Londoners who have experienced rough sleeping through two lettings schemes that support moves within and outside of the capital.  Find out more at: https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/housing-and-land/increasing-housing-supply/funding-supported-and-specialist-housing, https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/housing-and-land/council-and-social-housing/housing-moves and https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/housing-and-land/council-and-social-housing/seaside-country-homes  

About the role  

We are recruiting for two Project Officers roles in the Specialist Housing and Services Team, with a single application process for both.

One of the roles will be working on the Mayor’s programmes and projects that support survivors of domestic abuse, which include the Domestic Abuse Safer Accommodation (DASA) programme, the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Homes Programme (DASAHP) which launched in early 2024 and our Housing Moves scheme as well as the wider work of the Specialist and Supported Housing team. You will be working closely with the team’s Programme Managers and Senior Policy and Project Officers to support the delivery and administration of the team’s programmes.

The other role will work across the whole SHS Team, as described above. You will be working with the Project and Performance Manager, as well as the Head of Specialist Housing Services and other Lead Managers across the team, supporting in the monitoring, reporting and other administrative requirements of all programmes within the team, to ensure successful transition from inception to delivery of projects that help the most vulnerable Londoners.

For both roles, we are looking for a motivated person with excellent administrative and project support skills, who is eager to learn more about specialist and supported Housing and make an important contribution to the Mayor’s work.

You will be responsible for a wide range of tasks, including but not limited to, data analysis, responding to correspondence, project planning, budget monitoring, the administration of meetings and the drafting of funding agreements and contracts. There will be opportunities to develop within the role and gain experience of other aspects of service commissioning and policy development. You will be a team player with excellent attention to detail and the ability to build and maintain good working relationships with varied internal and external stakeholders (including wider teams within Housing and Land, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, central Government departments, delivery and charity-sector partners). Knowledge  or experience of working in the housing sector is not required for this role.

Strong IT skills, in particular the use of Excel, will be essential as reporting on programme finances, milestones and performance indicators will be a key part of the work within the team.

Application process   

In your supporting statement, you should state if you have a preference for one of the two roles advertised or are happy to be considered for either.

Once you have submitted an application, your details will be reviewed by a panel. If shortlisted you’ll be invited to an interview, before which you will be asked to carry out an assessment of your MS Word and Excel abilities. 

Interviews are currently planned for the week commencing 29 April 2024 (please note this is subject to change). Interviews will take place in person at either Union Street or City Hall. 

Please note that if you do not follow the instructions above regarding the application process, your application may not be considered. 

Technical requirements and experience

To be considered for the role you must meet the following essential criteria:  

• Motivated and enthusiastic with relevant experience in professional administration or formal qualification in office administration or project management.
• Significant experience of advanced administration with extensive knowledge of Microsoft packages including Excel and PowerPoint with ability to create and maintain financial spreadsheets and presentations to advanced level.
• Strong understanding of business and organisational risk to analyse situations, apply judgement and make decisions that could affect the agency’s reputation, financial or legal position.
• An understanding of the GLA’s commitment to equality and diversity.

Behavioural Competencies

Planning and Organising

… is thinking ahead, managing time, priorities and risk, and developing structured and efficient approaches to deliver work on time and to a high standard.

Level 1 indicators of effective performance

• Plans and prioritises own workload to meet agreed deadlines
• Advises colleagues or manager early of obstacles to work delivery
• Perseveres and follows work through to completion
• Checks for errors to ensure work is delivered to a high standard first time
• Effectively juggles priorities

Building and Managing Relationships

… is developing rapport and working effectively with a diverse range of people, sharing knowledge and skills to deliver shared goals. 

Level 1 indicators of effective performance

• Builds rapport quickly with people at all levels and from different backgrounds
• Actively listens to others and is open to their ideas 
• Identifies and resolves conflict between self and others
• Makes others feel comfortable and respected by being positive and friendly
• Shares information openly with colleagues within and outside own team

Responding to Pressure and Change 

… is being flexible and adapting positively, to sustain performance when the situation changes, workload increases, tensions rise or priorities shift. 
Level 1 indicators of effective performance

• Stays calm in pressurised and demanding situations
• Responds flexibly to changing circumstances
• Recognises when unable to cope and asks others for help
• Demonstrates openness to changing work priorities and deadlines
• Maintains personal well-being and achieves a balance between work and home life 

In addition to the essential criteria and competencies set out above (which you should reference in your supporting statement), the following competencies and associated indicators may also be assessed at interview and assessment stage: 

• Problem Solving (level 1) 
• Stakeholder Focus (level 1) 
• Organisational Awareness (level 1)

The GLA Competency Framework Guidelines further detailing each competency and the different level indicators can be found here: GLA competency framework.

If you have questions about the role 

If you wish to talk to someone about the role, the hiring manager Alex Denvir would be happy to speak to you. Please contact them at Alex.Denvir@london.gov.uk 

Equality, diversity and inclusion

London's diversity is its biggest asset and we strive to ensure our workforce reflects London's diversity at all levels. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. 

We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic candidates and disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. 

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements.  

Please note, should you require any adjustments through the process, we will accommodate as much as possible. Please contact the recruitment team for further information if required. 

Please note we are a Disability Confident Employer so for candidates who wish to be considered under the scheme and meet the essential criteria, they will automatically be invited to interview.  

Application closing date: 8 April 2024 at 23:59

Additional information 

Please note, all candidates will need to confirm that the information provided in this application is true and correct. Should a candidate deliberately give false information, including the use of AI software, they understand that this would disqualify them from consideration. 

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record (DBS) check. Please note, some roles may require additional security screening.

This role is based at London Fire Brigade’s Head Office (Union Street SE1 0LL)