Temporary Accommodation Officer

Do you have a passion for Housing, Homelessness or Property Management?
This an exciting role operating on the frontline of West Northants Council response to Homelessness and Housing Solutions. As a new unitary Council, embedding a new structure, this is a great time to join us as we develop staff and shape the way we work in Homelessness and Housing Solutions within our local community providing the best possible service.

This role will cover the whole of West Northants with travel to Northampton, Daventry, Towcester and Brackley. For more information about this role, please contact Toby Wallace on 07775 552787 / toby.wallace@westnorthants.gov.uk

We also have a part time position available (14.8 hours over 2 days) please state on your application your preference. 

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days annual leave per year, 29 days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
• Cycle to Work scheme. 
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Car Lease scheme
• Payment of professional subscription / membership - If your job description requires that you are registered with or are a member of a professional body, WNC will pay for your professional subscription or membership fees.
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Ongoing training and development opportunities.
• A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
• Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
• Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.

Working alongside colleagues in the Homelessness & Housing Solutions Team, you will:

• To manage occupants of interim and Temporary Accommodation including the move-ins, check outs, rent accounting and day to day management of placements.
• Ensure that the accommodation that the Council uses is safe, clean and in a good state of repair and that it is allocated in a manner to help minimise the cost of Temporary Accommodation.
• Support customers during their time in Temporary Accommodation specifically regarding their Housing Benefit and housing register applications as well as other aspects of their life
• Working collaboratively with other services, partners and organisations to ensure the best possible outcome for people, playing an active role in changing someone's life.  

Candidates would have a minimum of two years relevant work experience in a customer focussed environment with an ability to work at a fast pace, demonstrating excellent verbal and written communication. You will be a skilled negotiator with an ability to problem solve, prioritise your own workload and make effective contributions to an incredible team. The successful candidate will be resilient, a self-starter and able to make sound decisions.

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services. 

Hear more from our Chief Executive, Anna Earnshaw, about what it's like to work at West Northants Council https://youtu.be/lV0EfeUF4aU  

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential.  We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.