Empty Homes Officer

Salary: £37,938 to £41,511 per annum

Two Posts - One post based in Wychavon, One post based in Malvern Hills

Two years fixed term contract, 37 hours per week

These roles are a new and exciting opportunity within the Housing team at Malvern Hills and Wychavon District Councils as Empty Homes Officers. We are looking for dynamic and organised individuals to design and implement the council’s strategic and operational approach to tackling empty homes across the Malvern Hills and Wychavon districts.

You will work to understand the scale and nature of empty homes across the districts through data analysis and site inspections, and then develop the council’s approach to tackling empty homes. These roles will require you to undertake both formal and informal enforcement action to bring empty homes back into use, and the development of an incentive package.

You will be required to have skills in negotiating and influencing with internal teams as well as with homeowners. The successful candidates will need to work with other departments to identify a comprehensive list of properties which remain empty, and to make contact with those owners to understand why the properties remain empty, and how the Council can assist them to bring the properties back into use, including both formal and informal enforcement action.

About you

• Hold a relevant degree or further or higher education course. For example environmental health, construction, surveying.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience within a housing related field
• Good computer literacy and be able to use MS Office
• Knowledge and understanding of private sector housing legislation and regional and local housing priorities.
• Experience of multi-agency working and delivery of agreed objectives, meeting targets and working to tight deadlines
• The ability to work under pressure and manage a complex caseload is essential.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills
• You will be required to undertake site visits so flexibility, a full driving licence and use of a car is essential. You will also need to be able to travel throughout the Malvern Hills district.

What we can offer

Our staff are at the heart of what we do, and as a result we are always looking to recruit, develop and retain the very best talent we can find. So, as well as a rewarding career, we offer a range of attractive benefits, such as:

• Excellent pension scheme with employer contributions
• Generous annual leave entitlement with options to purchase additional annual leave
• Committed training programme and development opportunities
• Onsite nursery with 20% staff discount
• Discounted Gym and swim membership
• Health and Wellbeing support and a Free Employee Assistance scheme including access to counselling services
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Employee Discounts with a range of companies including EE and the Kaarp discount scheme.

We are an employer that values face to face communication, collaboration and connection, therefore all our roles have an office-based requirement with some agile working as part of the role.

To discuss the post or for further information, please call Rachael Tooth, Principal Housing Officer on 07773 642 862 or Ann Marie Bishop, Empty Homes Officer on 01386 565 627 or email HousingStrategyAndEnabling@wychavon.gov.uk.

Closing date: Sunday 6 April 2025

Interview date: Wednesday 23 April 2025

Please note if we experience a high intake of applications, we may close the role and interview for the position sooner than advertised.

Location: Pershore