Housing Assistant

Location: The designated office base is Abbey House, Abingdon. The councils operate in a truly flexible, and hybrid way where the focus is on outcomes not where you work.

Salary and grade: £27,714 per year, Grade 3, SCP 14

Duration of role: Fixed term – until 31 March 2026

Hours per week: Full-time - 37 hours per week

Closing date: 11 April 2025 (midnight)

Interviews: 16 April 2025

About the role and what we’re looking for:

The aim of the Housing Needs Team is to ensure that people in housing need have access to the housing and support necessary to meet their requirements. The Housing Assistant will play an active role in meeting these aims, and in the provision of an efficient and effective housing service by:

• answering basic telephone enquiries and dealing with routine correspondence
• assisting in processing housing register applications and maintaining the Council’s housing register
• ensuring that customer care, Best Value and best practice are given priority
• processing invoices and dealing with enquiries relating to payments and bills
• ensuring that accurate and appropriate records are kept using both computer and manual systems, ensuring that confidentiality and data protection are observed
• assisting in the preparation and presentation of statistics, reports and other documentation as required
• ordering stationery and equipment as required
• making bookings for meetings or other events and taking minutes of meetings
• developing and maintaining good working relationships with colleagues within the team, across the District Councils and with external and partner agencies as appropriate
• assisting with project work as required
• attending and participating in meetings and training events as required
• playing an active role in the work of the team, ensuring that team and corporate priorities and targets are met and that procedures are followed

About you:

Your essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• experience of dealing with vulnerable, and in some cases distressed people
• experience of face-to-face contact with customers
• ability to use IT systems, such as email, word and excel
• knowledge of advice and support services likely to be relevant to the team’s customers
• good oral and written communication skills
• good interpersonal skills
• understanding of confidentiality
• experience of working well in a team
• full driving license and use of a car insured for business use

Your essential qualifications:

• 5 GCSE’s at grades A – C, or equivalent level of qualification

If you have the following experience or qualifications – it’s a bonus:

• knowledge of tenancy law and housing legislation
• knowledge of welfare rights
• knowledge of data protection legislation
• familiarity with the Districts
• experience of working in local government
• experience of working in social housing

The benefits we offer:

• A basic 25 days annual leave per annum, rising to 30 days after five years. You also have all the bank holidays to look forward to and time off between Christmas and New Year.
• Flexible working and annualised hours – a flexible approach to work that our employees love!
• Salary pay awards – most jobs give scope for a pay increase after six months or the following April (depending on your start date) and we also review salaries each April.
• A generous career average pension scheme which includes life insurance of three times your salary
• The opportunity to purchase a bike through Cyclescheme (cheaper than directly through a store) so that you can cycle to work!
• Various schemes to keep you healthy (reduced gym membership, free swims, free eye tests for DSE users and more)
• We give you two days per year to volunteer within the local community.
• A range of resources, support, and activities to help you maintain your wellbeing including a monthly wellbeing hour in addition to annualised hours (the ability to work flexibly as long as, over the course of the year, you complete your contracted hours) and annual leave.

You may also have experience in the following: Housing Officer, Housing Administrator, Housing Admin, Admin, Customer Service Advisor, Social Housing, Administration Assistant, Community Development, Vulnerable People, Supported Housing, Service Delivery, Housing Management, Supported Living, Sheltered Housing, Housing Assistant, etc.