Retirement Living Assistant

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: £14,430 per annum

Working Hours: Part-time 18.75 hours per week

Working Pattern: Monday to Friday

Location: Catharine House, Watford; Faithfield, Bushey; Dean House, Hillingdon, Hertfordshire

The difference you will make as a Retirement Living Assistant:

• Acting as an initial point of contact both on the phone and in the reception area, ensuring a professional and supportive approach is maintained.
• Assisting in the day-to-day delivery of a comprehensive housing management service for Retirement Living, including working with tenancy agreements and maintaining records securely to ensure confidentiality.

About you:

• Experience of working in a customer-focused environment.
• Strong communication skills.
• Previous experience of working with vulnerable and/or older people.
• Excellent computer skills including proficiency in Microsoft Office.

Why Riverside?

At Riverside, we’re a housing association with a difference – enhancing the everyday for all our customers. For 90 years, we’ve been revitalising neighbourhoods and supporting communities by providing the homes they need to live full, fulfilling and rewarding lives. We have a portfolio of over 75,000 affordable residential and retirement homes across the UK.

Our work ranges from homelessness services to social care, employment support to retirement living, and we need the best people on board to help us. Working with us, you’ll enjoy:

• Competitive pay & generous pension.
• 25 days holidays plus bank holidays.
• Investment in your learning, personal development and technology.
• A wide range of benefits.

Diversity and Inclusion at Riverside:

We are inclusive. At Riverside, we value diversity in all its forms. We foster a workplace where all individuals are respected, empowered, and heard. Our commitment to inclusivity drives our success and enriches the lives of our customers and colleagues. Riverside is a Disability Confident Employer and operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for any applicant who declares they have a disability.

Role Profile:

• Conduct tenant daily Passive Infra-Red (PIR) checks used to detect movement within tenant homes and respond to emergency calls via the emergency system when on duty.
• Liaise with internal and external agencies.
• Responsible for front line tenancy housing management support including money advice, benefits & health & wellbeing referrals.
• Ensure that the Riverside Health and Safety policy is fully implemented at the scheme, ensuring customers are always aware of the provision of security at the scheme.
• Report repairs and maintenance needs on behalf of the schemes and assist customers with reporting their own repairs.
• Liaise with contractors including lifts, heating, fire equipment, gardening, etc. to ensure a high service is being delivered.
• Work collaboratively and build relationships of trust and respect with internal & external partners to promote independent living.
• Promote and encourage a high level of customer involvement, consultation and communication.
• To promote co-production and provide the services that the customer wants and what is best for the customer with a strong focus on outcomes.
• Build a relationship with older people living in their schemes, giving customers information on availability and access to services within their local area.
• Have the ability to use appropriate IT systems and maintain professional and timely records.
• Promote safety and protection of vulnerable adults by ensuring all safeguarding issues and concerns are investigated in line with Riverside’s safeguarding policies and procedures in every aspect of service delivery.
• Work with colleagues to ensure key performance indicators (e.g. voids and arrears) are being met.
• Travel, within a reasonable distance, to provide cover to other schemes as required.
• Ensure compliance with Riverside’s Equality and Diversity policy in respect of employment and service delivery.
• Understand your role in the organisation and be accountable for your contribution to service delivery within Retirement Living and the organisation.
• Understand how your job contributes to the overall purpose of the organisation and be accountable for delivering it in the most efficient way.
• Undertake personal development and training as necessary to keep up to date with regulatory changes in safeguarding and in the fields of housing, care, and support.
• Any other relevant duties as required by the designated manager.

Additional Information:

The Group has offices across the UK and there may be the requirement to travel to other locations to effectively perform this role. The role will be exposed to sensitive information; therefore, the role holder is expected to maintain levels of confidentiality at all times. In order to fulfil the requirements of this role, you will be required to work flexibly during the hours of operation. The role holder is expected to be committed to equal opportunities and to promote non-discriminatory practices in all aspects of work undertaken.

Person specification:

Essential Knowledge & Experience:

• Experience working in a customer-focused environment.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively interact with tenants, colleagues, and external stakeholders.
• Experience of working with vulnerable and older people.
• Flexible and responsive attitude.
• Demonstrate IT Skills to include basic proficiency in Microsoft Office including Word and Excel as well as a willingness to learn specific IT systems used within this role and complete relevant IT training where required.

Desirable:

• Formal housing qualification.
• A full, clean driving licence.