Housing Officer

Serco Group Plc; Carlisle; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading service provider is seeking a Housing Officer in Carlisle to manage compliance with the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contract. The role involves property inspections, managing customer complaints, and supporting vulnerable individuals. Candidates must possess strong communication skills and have a valid UK driving licence. This full-time position offers a competitive compensation package including a vehicle, pension, and employee assistance programme.

Benefits

Pension up to 6%

Vehicle & Fuel card

Employee Assistance Programme

Opportunities for innovation in public services

Commitment to diversity and inclusion

Qualifications

• Valid UK driving licence is mandatory.
• Experience in property management is beneficial but not essential.
• Ability to handle anti-social behaviors and safeguarding needs.

Responsibilities

• Conduct monthly inspections of properties in the portfolio.
• Manage onboarding and withdrawal of properties.
• Report property faults and complete minor repairs.
• Administer operational cash for utility meters.
• Respond to customer complaints.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Organizational skills

Conflict management

Job description

You are required to have a valid UK driving licence for this role. You will be provided with a company car. On behalf of the Home Office, Serco manages the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contract (AASC) in the North West of England. We focus on assisting individuals through the asylum system, ensuring that vulnerable asylum seekers have access to the support they need along with a high standard of accommodation. Our Housing Officers (HO's) are responsible for ensuring compliance with the AASC Contract, company policies, processes, and procedures through their liaison with Staff, Service Users, Landlords, External Agencies and Partners. You will be covering the Cumbria region and ensuring that all properties within the allocated portfolio are safe, habitable, fit for purpose and fully equipped in accordance with AASC Standards. There is a requirement to operate an Emergency On-Call system outside of normal working hours amongst all Housing Officers on a rota basis. This role is suited to someone with a solid work history dealing with people face to face and enjoys a demanding workload where you get to utilise your organisations skills whilst remaining calm under pressure and supporting our service users.

Key Duties

• Complete a Monthly Inspection of all Properties within the allocated portfolio in accordance with the standard defined within the AASC Contract and property standards guide.
• Manage on-boarding and withdrawal of properties within allocated portfolio in accordance with the Housing Officer Local Operating Procedures (LOP).
• Report all property faults identified, correctly categorising them for appropriate response.
• Complete all minor Property repairs within the scope enabled by training, experience and the toolkit and spares provided.
• Administration of operational cash to enable the completion of tasks such as topping up of utility meters & emergency cash payments.
• Respond to customer complaints.

Due to the nature of the role, Criminal Record Bureau checks are required (all offers of employment are subject to security clearance checks and approval by the Home Office). Whilst experience in a previous property related role is beneficial, this isn't a requirement, more importantly is your desire and enthusiasm to make a difference. You will be expected to take on a variety of tasks to support our service users and some may be challenging - dealing with anti-social behaviours, medical needs, management of child safeguarding needs etc. You will have strong communication skills and be confident managing conflict.

Why Serco

A place you can make an impact - With approximately 20,000 asylum seekers and more than 5,000 properties you'll be delivering an essential service that touches people's lives. A place you can count on - Our diverse UK-wide operations offer unrivalled opportunities to learn and develop. You'll be able to broaden your experience and apply your skills in new ways. A place for you - We are a motivated team who will encourage you and help you to succeed. You'll have the resources you need to do your job in a diverse and supportive environment.

What we Offer

• Pension up to - 6%
• Vehicle & Fuel card
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Chance to contribute to innovation in the public services
• A company passionate about diversity and inclusion

At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services. We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone.