Housing Officer - Norwich

Serco Limited; Norwich; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave plus bank hols

Up to 6% contributory pension

Internal courses and apprenticeships

Employee Assistance Programme and GP

Discounts across retailers

Employee networks for belonging

Job summary

Serco Limited in Norwich is seeking a Housing Officer to join the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract (AASC) team. You will help provide safe, secure, welcoming accommodation for people seeking asylum on behalf of the Home Office, and support residents while ensuring high safety and quality standards.

Your duties include inductions, inspections, basic repairs coordination, welfare checks and safeguarding for adults and children, plus recording visits and maintaining contract compliance.

Qualifications

• Full UK driving licence required.
• Experience in customer service or service delivery.
• Experience in a property-related environment.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Good organisational skills with the ability to manage a varied workload.
• Confident using Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel).
• Desirable: Maintenance knowledge, safeguarding knowledge, security experience.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality support services to people in initial accommodation.
• Welcome service users with inductions and explain services, standards, procedures and complaints process.
• Respond to requests, incidents and enquiries via AIRE Services; manage promptly and accurately.
• Carry out monthly property inspections and pre-dispersal checks; identify maintenance needs.
• Complete minor first-fix repairs where appropriate and coordinate major repairs.
• Maintain accurate records of visits, inspections, repairs, incidents and activities.
• Manage discontinuations and report potential absconders per Local Operating Procedures (LOPs).
• Coordinate access to accommodation for contractors, suppliers and visitors, ensuring site security.
• Support safety and wellbeing with welfare checks, urgent medical needs, safeguarding for adults and children.
• Assist day-to-day running of accommodation including reception duties and daily registers.
• Monitor CCTV, carry out daily patrols, weekly fire alarm tests and support evacuations.

Skills

Customer service

Excellent communication

Interpersonal skills

Organisational skills

MS Office (Word, Excel)

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Location:Norwich Salary: £29,250plus excellent benefits, company car provided Schedule: Full time, 37.5 hours per week, Monday – Friday

Ready to make a difference?

As a Housing Officer in our Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract (AASC) team, you'll help provide safe, secure and welcoming accommodation for people seeking asylum on behalf of the Home Office. You'll support individuals throughout their stay while ensuring the homes and facilities you manage meet high standards of safety, quality and compliance.

Every day, you'll make a positive impact by helping people access the support they need during an extremely challenging time in their lives. From maintaining accommodation standards to providing welfare support and working closely with partner agencies, your work will be varied and will have purpose, helping us create impactful solutions that positively impact communities.

What you'll do as a Housing Officer

• Deliver high-quality support services to people living in initial accommodation, ensuring they receive the assistance they need throughout their stay.
• Welcome new service users by delivering inductions, explaining available services, property standards, expected behaviours, emergency procedures and the complaints process.
• Respond to requests, incidents and enquiries raised through AIRE (Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility) Services, ensuring issues are managed promptly and accurately.
• Carry out monthly property inspections, along with any additional inspections required, including pre-dispersal inspections, to ensure accommodation meets contractual standards and identify any maintenance needs.
• Complete minor first-fix repairs where appropriate and report or coordinate more complex maintenance requirements.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of visits, inspections, repairs, incidents and other activities to support contractual compliance and performance targets.
• Manage discontinuations and report potential absconders in line with Local Operating Procedures (LOPs).
• Coordinate access to accommodation for contractors, suppliers and visitors while maintaining the security and integrity of the site.
• Support the safety and wellbeing of service users by carrying out welfare checks, responding to urgent medical needs, managing anti-social behaviour and following safeguarding procedures for adults and children.
• Assist with the day-to-day running of the accommodation, including reception duties, daily registers and managing incoming post.
• Help keep the accommodation safe and compliant by monitoring Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV), carrying out daily patrols, completing weekly fire alarm tests, supporting emergency evacuations and contacting emergency services when required.
• Follow all contract processes, policies and procedures, maintaining high property standards and helping create a safe, welcoming environment for everyone.

Does this sound like you?

• A full UK driving licence is essential
• Experience working in a customer service or service delivery environment with excellent communication skills
• Knowledge or experience of working in a property-related environment
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills
• Good organisational skills with the ability to manage a varied workload
• Confident using Microsoft Office applications, including Word and Excel
• Able to manage conflict professionally and remain calm under pressure
• Desirable: Maintenance knowledge, safeguarding knowledge, security experience

What we offer

• 25days' annual leave plus bank holidays
• Up to 6% contributory pension scheme
• Over 1,100 internal courses available, funding for qualifications and apprenticeships (we currently offer over 60 different apprenticeships), mentoring opportunities, and a focus on internal progression
• Employee Assistance Programme, Bupa Anytime HealthLine, wellbeing app, 30% off at Serco-managed leisure centres, and 24/7 access to a virtual GP service
• Discounts across around 1,000 retailers, from food and clothing to days out, entertainment and travel
• Our employee networks support connection by providing spaces for collaboration, learning and belonging. They represent and empower all our colleagues including veterans, LGBTQIA+ employees, women, parents and carers, people with disabilities, and people from all cultural backgrounds.

Vetting and checks

This role requires BPSS clearance, which involves identity verification, employment history, and criminal record checks to meet government security standards. An Occupational Health Questionnaire will also be required to ensure we can offer appropriate support for your wellbeing and performance.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.