Housing Assistant, Pullar House, Perth - PKC13564

Main Purpose of the Role

Working within Perth & Kinross Council is more than a job; it’s about being part of an organisation that puts people at the heart of all we do and provides opportunities to make a real difference by enhancing every life we touch. We currently have the following opportunity: Housing Assistant (Fixed Term until 31 March 2027) - PKC13564 £27,836 - £30,295 Pullar House, Perth.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Housing Assistant post based within our Resettlement Team in Pullar House, Kinnoull Street, Perth. This Housing Assistant role will support the Resettlement Team in Perth & Kinross Council to provide a customer-focused service to families and individuals who are resettling in Perth & Kinross, many of whom are seeking sanctuary from areas of conflict.

As a housing assistant in the Resettlement team, you will be responsible for supporting your colleagues with a range of administrative duties including dealing with customers on the telephone and face to face. You will also work closely with colleagues in other Housing Teams including Housing Options and Private Sector Teams. The resettlement team works with refugees who are relocating to Perth & Kinross from a diverse range of countries, and you should be comfortable engaging with customers who may not speak English as their first language, using a range of translation and interpretation services. You should be understanding, compassionate and empathetic in your approach whilst maintaining professional boundaries.

In many cases, the housing assistant will provide support to colleagues who deliver these services directly. You should also be comfortable engaging with professionals from other teams and organisations to support the integration of displaced people living in Perth & Kinross. You will generally be required to work standard office hours - 5 days per week - Monday to Friday 8.45am - 5pm. It is essential that the successful candidate is flexible in terms of their working hours as there may be times where there is a requirement to work in the evenings or weekends.

Skills & Experience Required

• You should have experience of working with customers on a one-to-one basis using a person-centred approach as you will deal with a variety of customers and situations.
• We are looking for a people-person who is enthusiastic, innovative and creative.
• You will be able to communicate effectively with customers and colleagues to build relationships.
• You will have a non-judgemental attitude, be empathetic and sensitive to customers’ needs.
• You will understand and have an awareness of the wellbeing and individual needs of people.
• You will bring a positive energy; embrace change and work with the business to ensure optimum service is always provided.
• The ability to understand basic relevant legislation is essential.
• The successful candidate should hold the following behaviours, skills and attitudes:

• A can-do attitude and willingness to support colleagues in ad hoc duties
• An interest in working with diverse social groups
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
• A customer-first approach to work
• Negotiation and influencing skills
• The ability to adapt to different situations
• Self-motivated and tenacity
• Problem-solving skills
• The ability to follow instructions, work under pressure and meet deadlines
• The ability to work flexibly on own initiative and as part of a team
• Be resilient to cope with the demands of the role.
• Be highly organised and can prioritise your own workload

Perth and Kinross has been granted official status as a Council of Sanctuary. It is important that you have an awareness of the challenges that refugees and other displaced people may be faced with during their journey to resettle in a new country and integrate with new cultures.

Working at Perth & Kinross Council

Our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of our key priorities. In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that support the criteria required in the role and which also demonstrate our values and behaviours.

Here’s what we can offer you:

• A generous annual leave package
• 6 days public holiday and an additional discretionary day
• Eligibility to join our pension scheme
• Family friendly and positive work/life balance policies such as Flexible Working, Maternity, Paternity & Adoption leave, time off for volunteering and our Wellbeing Framework
• Flexi time
• Access to a range of benefits

We recognise there can be benefits to flexible working and where individual jobs allow, we seek to support this. You are encouraged to discuss potential options with the recruiting manager, if this is of interest to you. A healthy work-life balance is important to us and we provide supportive management and, where possible, flexible working arrangements to help you achieve that balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.

For purposes of connection and collaboration with colleagues and with the community we serve, our full-time employees work on site for a minimum of 2 days per week with the arrangements for part-time employees being agreed on a basis which will ensure that they benefit to an equivalent degree.

We are committed to being a more inclusive employer - to ensure we can consider any reasonable adjustments, please either contact the recruiting manager to discuss any individual circumstances, discuss at interview or, if you prefer, after any conditional offer is made.

Next Steps

We would love to hear from you and would encourage you to get in touch with Louise Walsh at LWalsh@pkc.gov.uk to find out more. Click “APPLY NOW”. External candidates are required to provide contact details for 2 referees, including email addresses. One of these must be your current or most recent employer. Internal applicants applying for secondment must obtain line manager approval through the secondment form available under My Forms – Secondment Request Form on MyView. Please note that secondment requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

We welcome applications from everyone and as a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to interview applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential requirements of the post. Please contact the hiring manager above or the Recruitment Team on (01738) 475555 or recruitment@pkc.gov.uk to discuss any reasonable adjustments.

Appointments are based on evidence supplied during the selection process. Diversity is important to us and although some of our jobs may be perceived to be traditionally gender specific, we welcome applications from everyone and would encourage you to apply if you meet the job requirements. That includes welcoming applications from former armed forces personnel/reservists. Many of the skills picked up during your military career could be transferred directly into a role with local government.

To comply with Baseline Personnel Security Standard, you will be required to complete a Disclosure Scotland check. If you have lived overseas for a period of 12 months or more (continuous or total) within the last 5 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check. A confirmed offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of the above-mentioned mandatory pre-employment checks (including references) and will also include eligibility to work in the UK, qualifications and fitness to undertake the post.