Senior Housing Officer East

An opportunity has arisen for a Senior Housing to join the Housing Advice and Homelessness Team. We are a team that is continuing to establish and deepen their skills following a restructure of the whole Housing Team.

Our Housing Officers are already busy and we continue to see an increase in the number of people approaching the department for advice and assistance as economic factors make it harder for our customers to access an exceptionally competitive housing market.

We value a collaborative approach and work to build strong relationships with our colleagues, customers and partner agencies. As the Senior Housing Officer you will be key to these discussions.

The Team is Dorset based with the benefit of adopting hybrid working with office hubs across the county.

What you will be doing

• Shape the future of housing support in Dorset: Join a dynamic team at a pivotal time, helping to refine and enhance the way housing services are delivered following a team restructure. Your role will directly impact how the Housing Advice and Homelessness Team supports vulnerable residents.
• Lead and inspire: As a Senior Housing Officer, you'll take on a key leadership role, providing mentorship, guidance, and support to Housing Officers. This is your opportunity to develop your skills in coaching and team management.
• Tackle meaningful challenges: Engage with complex and multi-agency homelessness cases, using your expertise to make a tangible difference in the lives of individuals and families during challenging times.
• Be a key decision-maker: You'll authorise crucial decisions, such as financial assistance to prevent homelessness, allowing you to have a real influence on housing outcomes.
• Collaborative working environment: Work in a supportive team that values strong relationships with colleagues, customers, and partner agencies, ensuring a joined-up approach to housing solutions.
• Flexibility and work-life balance: Enjoy the benefits of hybrid working, with office hubs located across the beautiful county of Dorset, giving you flexibility and reducing commuting time.
• Contribute to innovation: Collaborate with Housing Solutions and other teams to identify creative and effective housing outcomes, bringing fresh ideas and solutions to the forefront.
• Professional development: Hone your knowledge of homelessness legislation and expand your expertise through handling diverse, high-impact cases.
• Make a real impact in a challenging housing market: Be part of a team addressing the growing challenges of an exceptionally competitive housing market, providing critical support and advice to those who need it most.

 About you

• have significant experience of assessing homeless applications and providing housing advice
• have detailed knowledge of homelessness legislation and case law
• have experience of supervising, coaching or managing staff
• be able to demonstrate excellent communication skills which can be tailored to your audience
• be able to work effectively by prioritising tasks and workloads
• be able to keep calm whilst working in a pressured environment.

We’re passionate about making Dorset a great place to live, work and visit. Working for us should be no exception.

At Dorset Council we:

• provide more than 450 services to over 300,000 residents
• have ambitious aspirations
• are excited about our future
• care about Dorset and all the people who live here
• know that all roles make a difference and that our employees are key to our success

You will:

• have access to a range of employee benefits 
• be part of an organisation that supports each other to grow and succeed
• have access to range of training opportunities which will help with your personal development and career progression

We are challenging ourselves to become a more diverse and inclusive organisation.

We recognise that recruitment and inclusion of individuals with diverse skills, perspectives and backgrounds will bring real strength to the council and our communities. We have a commitment to equality and welcome applications from everyone.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We offer an interview to everyone who declares a disability and meets the essential criteria for the role.

We are keen to make our interviews accessible. Let us know on your job application if you have a disability and need any reasonable adjustments.

We also look for applicants who share our commitment to our behaviours. We will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process.

If appointed, the personal information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected, you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found at https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn.

This role is UK based and we will need to establish your Right to Work as part of the appointment process.

We use generic job descriptions and person specifications. This means the job title on any attachments may differ from the job title in the advert. We may provide specific information in a context statement if relevant.

Find out more about how to apply.