Housing Assessment & Advice Manager

Portsmouth City Council; Portsmouth; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Portsmouth City Council is seeking a Housing Assessment & Advice Manager to lead the Assessment & Advice team within the Housing Needs, Advice & Support Service. The role includes line managing a multidisciplinary team and ensuring frontline service delivery meets statutory duties and housing policy.

The post requires strong leadership, budget control, and the ability to communicate effectively with customers and partners, while safeguarding vulnerable groups and coordinating with welfare

Qualifications

• Experience in frontline public service.
• Ability to support and manage staff dealing with customers who may have a range of social issues.
• Experience with legislative framework for homeless decisions.
• Understanding of private rented sector and landlord/tenant law.
• Ability to manage a budget.
• Motivate, manage and lead a team with direction and advice.
• Identify and pull resources to achieve outcomes.
• Strong verbal and written communication; interpret legislation & contracts.
• Awareness of welfare benefits system and reforms affecting housing needs.
• Commitment to equality and safeguarding of adults and children.
• Proactive, multi-tasking and initiative.
• Creative in responding to customer demand with solutions.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day operation of the Assessment & Advice team.
• Line management of a multi-disciplinary team of around 30 FTE.
• Ensure service delivery meets housing allocation policy and statutory duties within standards.

Skills

Frontline service experience

Staff management

Homeless decisions

Private rented sector knowledge

Budget management

Team leadership

Decision making

Verbal and written communication

Welfare benefits awareness

Safeguarding awareness

Initiative & multitasking

Problem solving & customer focus

Tools

Excel

Job description

The purpose of The Housing Assessment & Advice Manager (HAAM) role is to be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Assessment & Advice team within the Housing Needs, Advice & Support Service. This includes the shared line management of a multi-disciplinary team totalling approximately 30 FTE direct reports, although at times you may take responsibility for team members in the wider team.

This role involves managing staffing resources to ensure service delivery to the public, providing a comprehensive front-line service to ensure the City Council’s housing allocation policy and statutory rehousing duties are fulfilled within agreed service standards and ensures that everyone with an accommodation problem receives appropriate help and advice.

Skills:

We are looking for somebody who:

• Has experience of working in a challenging front line service.
• Has the ability to support and manage staff dealing with customers who may have a range of social issues
• Has experience of working within the relevant legislative framework managing, making and reviewing homeless decisions.
• Has a practical understanding of the private rented housing sector and landlord and tenant law generally
• Has the ability to manage a budget
• Can motivate, manage and lead a team, offering support, direction and advice to help them, to be more effective in their role and equip them with the skills they need to robustly engage with customers and partners.
• Can make proportionate decisions in a structured and transparent way and is able to identify and pull resources to themselves to help achieve necessary outcomes.
• Is confident and a strong verbal and written communicator. Able to negotiate and to clearly interpret legislation and contract arrangements, for partners, employees and customers as appropriate.
• Has an awareness of the welfare benefits system and the impact of current reforms on customers and a Housing Needs, Advice & Support service
• Has a commitment to equal opportunities and awareness of the issues facing vulnerable client groups
• Understands and is committed to the safeguarding of adults and children.
• Is always proactive, working on their own initiative, able to manage multiple tasks.
• Is creative, able to respond to customer demand with well thought out solutions to problems and is happy to question current procedures and suggest improvements based on their knowledge of the ‘what and why’ of the current performance.
• Is competent using a variety of IT systems such as Excel and other office applications.
• Has the ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English
• Has the ability to work in accordance with the ‘Ways of working’ as described above.