Independent Living Officer

Recruitment Solutions (Folkestone) Ltd; Folkestone; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A local recruitment agency is seeking an Independent Living Officer for a temporary 10-week contract in Folkestone. This rewarding role involves supporting tenants in independent living schemes, ensuring their health and safety through inspections and compliance checks. Ideal candidates should have a full UK driving licence, relevant experience in housing or customer service, and excellent communication skills. This position offers hourly pay between £16.64 and £18.86, with paid mileage at the HMRC rate.

Benefits

Paid mileage at HMRC rate

Qualifications

• Previous experience in housing, supported housing, or a relevant customer-facing role.
• A full UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle.
• Good working knowledge of health and safety from a building or estates perspective.

Responsibilities

• Help ensure tenants can live safely and independently.
• Carry out health and safety inspections across schemes.
• Provide reassurance and support to tenants as required.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Health and safety knowledge

Job description

We are currently recruiting an Independent Living Officer to join a well-established housing service on a temporary 10‑week contract, starting as soon as possible. This is a rewarding, frontline role supporting tenants living in independent living schemes across the Folkestone and surrounding areas.

The Role

Working across several independent living schemes, you will help ensure tenants can live safely and independently within well‑managed, secure environments. The role is primarily focused on health and safety, scheme checks and tenant wellbeing, with a strong customer service ethos.

Key duties include:

• Carrying out health and safety inspections across schemes
• Completing routine Photobook and compliance checks
• Checking that tenants have activated the “I’m OK” button on their lifeline units
• Reporting maintenance issues and ensuring schemes remain safe, clean and secure
• Providing reassurance and support to tenants as required
• Liaising with internal teams, contractors and external agencies when necessary
• Maintaining accurate records using housing management systems

Contract Details

• Contract: 10 weeks temporary (on payroll)
• Hours: 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday
• Pay: £16.64 – £18.86 per hour (dependent on experience) (Equivalent to £32,103 – £36,389 per annum)
• Location: Various schemes across Folkestone, Cheriton and Lyminge
• Mileage: Paid at HMRC rate (45p per mile)

About You

We’re looking for someone who is practical, people‑focused and confident working independently across multiple sites.

You will ideally have:

• A full UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle
• Previous experience in housing, supported housing or a relevant customer‑facing role
• A good working knowledge of health and safety from a building or estates perspective
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• The ability to work autonomously and manage your own workload
• An enhanced DBS check is desirable due to the nature of the client group

Why Apply?

This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience within a respected housing service, supporting vulnerable tenants and contributing directly to their safety and independence.

If you’re available immediately and interested in making a difference, we’d love to hear from you.