Housing Options Assistant

Stevenage Borough Council; Stevenage; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension Scheme

Flexible working

Part time and Job share opportunities

Leave

Holidays 25 days rising to 31

Training

Employee Assistance Programme

Travel: Season ticket loans

Cycling: Cycle to Work

Stevenage Credit Union

Employee Discounts

Wellbeing: Health membership discounts

Trade Unions

Job summary

Stevenage Borough Council is seeking a Housing Options Assistant to join the busy Housing Options Team in Stevenage. You will carry out initial assessments and triage of new applications, provide customers with in-depth housing advice, and focus on preventing homelessness.

DBS and a Values Based Interview will be carried out for this post. The role is fixed term to 31 March 2027, 37 hours per week, with a salary of £31,015 to £33,673 per annum pro rata for hours worked, and a range of benefits

Qualifications

• The ability to work on your own initiative and handle varying workloads gracefully.
• Ability to manage demand for housing by advising on housing options and preventing homelessness.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills to engage customers in demanding situations.

Responsibilities

• Carry out initial assessments and triage of new applications.
• Be the first point of contact for all inquiries to the Housing Options service.
• Provide in-depth housing advice with a focus on preventing homelessness.

Job description

Job Title Housing Options Assistant

Post Number 014666

Weekly Working Hours 37

Salary Range £31,015 to £33,673 pa – pro rata for hours worked

Contact Type Fixed term to 31 March 2027

Location Stevenage

About The Role

This is an opportunity to join the busy Housing Options Team. The role of a Housing Options Assistant involves carrying out initial assessments and triage of new applications, being the first port of call for all approaches to the service and providing customers with in-depth housing advice with a strong focus on preventing homelessness.

A DBS check and a Values Based Interview will be carried out for this post.

About You

• The ability to work on your own initiative and flexibility in dealing with varying workloads.
• Ability to manage demand for housing by dealing with customer expectations while offering advice and assistance and housing options, delivering the most appropriate resolution to their housing need, preventing homelessness wherever possible.
• You will have effective communication and negotiation skills who can engage with customers in a demanding environment in order to find solutions.

Our benefits

• Pension Scheme: We offer a career average pension scheme, providing generous benefits upon retirement, as well as a lump sum and pension for dependants
• Flexible working: Available upon request, subject to operational requirements.
• Part time and Job share opportunities: All our full-time vacancies are open to job share unless otherwise stated.
• Leave: A variety of different types of paid and unpaid leave covering emergency and planned leave, maternity, paternity, adoption and parental leave.
• Holidays: 25 days holiday rising to 31 days (depending on Local Government service)
• Training: An extensive range of learning and development opportunities
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 Confidential advice and support on personal, work, family and relationship issues
• Travel: Season ticket loans and discounts for public transport
• Cycling: Cycle to Work scheme
• Stevenage Credit Union: Secure savings, free life insurance and access to cheap loans.
• Employee Discounts: Via monthly paid membership of the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC)
• Wellbeing: Discounted Health and Fitness membership
• Trade Unions: For a small fee, all employees have the opportunity to join a Trade Union

For An Informal Discussion About This Role Please Contact

Name: James Perkins

Job Title: Senior Housing Options Caseworker

Phone Number: 01438 242242

Email [e-mail]

Closing date for receipt of applications: Wednesday 11 November 2026

Interviews will be held week commencing: Monday 16 November 2026

Please note that if we receive a large volume of applications for this role, we reserve the right to close this vacancy ahead of the published closing date

Stevenage Borough Council (SBC) is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff, volunteers and recruitment candidates to share this commitment. SBC shall take all reasonable steps to employ staff who are safe to work with children, young people and vulnerable adults. For posts identified with regular contact with these groups applicants will be required to undertake a Value Based Interview. The council supports the legislative requirements for employing and maintaining safer staff and the guidance specified by Hertfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board | Hertfordshire County Council

We are changing.

Stevenage Borough Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). If you are employed by Stevenage Borough Council on 1 April 2028, it is expected that the majority of roles will transfer to the newly-created unitary councils on existing terms and conditions under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings – Protection of Employment) principles.

LGR is one of the biggest changes we will face in a generation. It will reshape how we work and how services are organised and gives us a real opportunity to build something better.

To find out more, visit Local Government Reorganisation | Shaping Hertfordshire's Future

Stevenage Borough Council is committed to Equal Opportunities for All.