Housing Policy Officer in Somerset

Role Purpose Responsible for leading the development, governance, implementation, review and continuous improvement of housing policies across Homes in Somerset, ensuring compliance with legislation, regulatory requirements, Consumer Standards and sector best practice. You will act as the organisation’s subject matter expert on housing policy, translating legislative and regulatory change into clear, effective policy and operational requirements. You will lead the governance and cyclical review of landlord policies, the tenancy agreement and tenancy handbook, ensuring they remain legally robust, tenant focused and aligned to organisational priorities. You will also drive service improvement by embedding learning from complaints, audits, inspections, Ombudsman decisions, regulatory developments and tenant feedback into policy, procedure and service design You will: • Act as the organisation’s lead adviser on housing policy, providing specialist guidance and recommendations to managers and senior leaders. • Maintain and deliver a structured policy review programme, ensuring timely updates in response to legislative, regulatory, organisational and service changes. • Horizon scan housing law, government policy, regulatory requirements and Housing Ombudsman determinations, assessing risks, opportunities and operational impacts. • Identify and assess policy-related risks and establish appropriate controls, mitigations and escalation routes. • Prepare high-quality reports, briefings, business cases, impact assessments and recommendations for senior management, governing bodies and Board. • Manage the review and maintenance of the tenancy agreement and tenancy handbook with legal and operational teams. • Lead consultation and engagement on policy and tenancy agreement changes, ensuring meaningful tenant involvement and compliance with the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Consumer Standard. • Work with service leads, colleagues, tenants and stakeholders to review services and improve policies, services and customer outcomes. • Use learning from complaints, audits, inspections, tenant feedback and regulatory activity to inform policy development and service improvement. • Represent Homes in Somerset in internal and external forums, partnerships and professional networks. • Lead policy implementation, including communication, stakeholder engagement, organisational readiness, implementation plans, milestones and performance measures. • Monitor implementation and undertake post-implementation reviews to evaluate effectiveness, compliance, service improvement and customer outcomes. • Support managers to embed policy requirements in operational practice and help services maintain effective procedures, guidance and process documentation. • Identify and prioritise procedural improvements based on risk, performance, regulatory expectations and tenant insight. • Lead Equality Impact Assessments and related legal, financial, data protection and digital accessibility assessments. What you will bring: • A collaborative approach and the confidence to advise, influence and build credibility with colleagues, senior leaders, tenants and external partners. • Excellent analytical and problem-solving ability, with sound judgement when evaluating complex information and risk. • Clear, accessible written and verbal communication, including the ability to explain complex matters to non-experts. • Strong stakeholder management, consultation, engagement and negotiation skills. • Strong organisation and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage policy review programmes, implementation plans and competing deadlines. • A commitment to fairness, accessibility, inclusion, accountability and tenant-focused service improvement. Knowledge, Skills and Experience Essential • Degree or equivalent diploma in housing studies, social policy or a related field. • Comprehensive knowledge of social housing legislation, regulatory requirements, Consumer Standards, Housing Ombudsman expectations and issues affecting housing management services. • Ability to assess the impact of emerging legislative and regulatory changes. • Knowledge of Equality Impact Assessments and wider legal, financial, data protection and digital accessibility assessments. • Strong understanding of policy governance, assurance, consultation, impact assessment and risk management in a regulated environment. • Experience of reviewing, maintaining and implementing policies and procedures in a regulated housing or public-sector environment. • Experience of monitoring legislative, regulatory and best-practice developments and assessing their organisational impact. • Experience of working corporately in a large, complex organisation and with internal and external partners, customers and stakeholders. • Experience of engaging and consulting residents and stakeholders to shape policy and service improvements. • Experience of producing reports and recommendations for senior leaders, boards or governance forums. • Experience of using data, customer insight, complaints, audits, Ombudsman determinations and service reviews to inform policy and improvement. • Experience of coordinating policy consultation, implementation and review, including monitoring outcomes and compliance.

Desirable • Relevant housing qualification or professional membership, such as Chartered Institute of Housing membership. • Experience of developing and delivering training to internal teams. • Experience of working with elected members or in a political environment. • Experience of undertaking impact assessments to support policy development, implementation and review.