Support Co-ordinator - Fixed Term Contract in Sunderland

We’re a values-driven, charitable organisation on a mission to make a real difference in Sunderland. Every day, we provide more than 60,000 people with a place they’re proud to call home. Our vision is clear: everyone deserves a good-quality home they can afford. We invest millions of pounds each year to keep our homes safe and decent, while also playing a part in tackling the UK housing crisis by building hundreds of modern, energy-efficient homes for rent right here in Sunderland.

If you share our passion for creating thriving communities and want to be part of something that truly matters, we’d love for you to join us and help achieve our vision. If you have any accessibility needs or require adjustments, please let us know—we’re here to support you.

Salary: £34,476.00

Support people to thrive in their homes and make a real difference every day. We're looking for an experienced Support Coordinator to join our Housing team on a 9 month fixed-term contract. In this rewarding role, you'll work closely with customers to help them sustain their tenancies, build the confidence to live independently and access the support they need to thrive. Using a proactive and person-centred approach, you'll identify challenges early, provide tailored support and help customers overcome barriers that could put their tenancy at risk. In doing so, you'll play a key role in creating positive outcomes for customers and communities across Gentoo.

We're looking for someone compassionate, resilient and passionate about helping people thrive. You'll work collaboratively with colleagues, customers and partner agencies, sharing ideas, building positive relationships and contributing to practical solutions that make a real difference. You'll stay calm and focused in a fast-paced environment, confidently managing changing priorities, competing demands and challenging situations. Using sound judgement and strong problem-solving skills, you'll make informed decisions, take ownership of issues and identify opportunities to continuously improve our services and share best practice across the team.

Please note: Our Support Coordinators operate across the City of Sunderland, so your primary office location may change depending on service needs.

What you'll be doing:

• Deliver person-centred support that empowers customers to achieve their goals, sustain their tenancy and live independently.
• Assess individual needs and develop tailored support plans, working with internal teams and partner agencies to achieve positive outcomes.
• Provide guidance to help customers understand their rights, responsibilities and housing-related life skills.
• Manage a caseload of customers, regularly reviewing progress and adapting support where needed.
• Identify and respond to safeguarding concerns, risks and vulnerabilities at the earliest opportunity.
• Maintain accurate, timely and compliant records of all customer interactions and support provided.
• Build strong relationships with external partners and specialist services to ensure customers can access the support they need.
• Work collaboratively with Local Neighbourhood Teams and wider stakeholders to deliver a joined-up approach to tenancy sustainment.
• Represent Gentoo at customer, partnership and multi-agency meetings where appropriate.
• Contribute to continuous service improvement through customer feedback, data insights and sharing best practice.
• Produce reports and support the delivery of training, while keeping up to date with relevant legislation and professional standards.

What you’ll bring:

• An understanding of the challenges facing social housing providers and the diverse needs of customers.
• Knowledge of housing legislation, regulatory standards and Tenant Satisfaction Measures.
• An understanding of substance misuse, mental health, safeguarding and customer vulnerability.
• Experience delivering excellent customer service and achieving positive outcomes in challenging situations.
• Strong partnership-working skills, with the confidence to build relationships and provide constructive challenge where needed.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and rapport quickly.
• Strong negotiation, mediation and problem-solving skills.
• The ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and always maintain confidentiality.
• A resilient approach to managing complex situations, including community safety, support and safeguarding concerns.
• The ability to manage a varied workload, prioritise effectively and meet deadlines.
• Confidence using IT systems and interpreting data to support decision-making.
• A proactive and self-motivated approach, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• A flexible approach to work, including meeting the travel and working requirements of the role.

Some of our great benefits include:

• 31 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) with an option to purchase up to 5 additional days per year.
• Early finish on Fridays.
• Flexible and hybrid working.
• Free Health Cash Plan, with cashback for dental, optical, physio, wellbeing therapies and more, with some free child cover.
• Access to private healthcare through the Health Cash Plan.
• Competitive Aviva pension scheme - Gentoo will contribute up to 10% based on your personal contribution.
• Salary sacrifice electric vehicle scheme.
• Enhanced family-friendly leave.
• Car mileage allowance if you use your personal vehicle for business purposes.
• Life assurance cover to the value of 3 times your annual salary.