Senior Housing Options Advisor

North Northamptonshire Council; Kettering; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Hybrid and flexible working

Generous leave entitlement

Job summary

North Northamptonshire Council is seeking a Senior Housing Options Advisor to lead a team delivering housing advice and homelessness prevention across multiple locations. You will supervise advisers, shape service delivery, and drive early intervention strategies to support residents at risk of homelessness.

You will work with internal services and partners to ensure high standards of customer care, managing performance and complex cases while remaining flexible to meet service needs.

Qualifications

• Hold a minimum of 5 GCSEs grade A-C or equivalent.
• Relevant housing qualification (CIH Level 4 Diploma or equivalent) or equivalent capability.
• Experience at a senior officer level within local authority, housing association or voluntary org.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire a team of Housing Options Advisers to deliver high-quality homelessness services.
• Oversee triage and casework functions, ensuring compliant housing advice.
• Manage workloads and a personal caseload of complex homelessness cases.
• Develop and implement homelessness prevention initiatives and new policies.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to improve service delivery.

Skills

Team leadership

Communication

Interpersonal skills

IT skills

Microsoft Office

Emotional resilience

Education

GCSEs A-C

CIH Level 4 Diploma or equivalent housing qualification

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Kettering, Corby and Wellingborough

Here at North Northamptonshire Council, we’re transforming for the better, using all our creativity and imagination to create the best life for our local people.

You’ll find that we have a wide range of careers that may be more surprising than you think!

Why choose us?

We offer a vibrant working environment with:

• a pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill-health protection.
• lots of opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council
• generous leave entitlement (28days, rising to 33days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days
• hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs to help you with a healthy work-life balance.

We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.

About the role

Making a difference through prevention, partnership and positive housing solutions.

Are you passionate about preventing homelessness and supporting people to achieve sustainable housing outcomes? We are looking for a dedicated Senior Housing Options Advisor to join our Housing Advice and Options Service and single homelessness service, leading and supporting a team of Housing Options Advisers to deliver high-quality, customer-focused housing advice and homelessness services across North Northamptonshire.

In this rewarding role, you will supervise ateamHousing Options Advisor,providing leadership, guidance and support to ensure the delivery of a high-quality service

Working collaboratively with internal and external partners, you will drive positive outcomes for residents at risk of homelessness, while also leading the development and implementation of homelessness prevention tools, initiatives and innovative approaches that strengthen early intervention and help reduce the incidence of homelessness across the area. Senior Housing Options Advisors will be primarily office-based and will work collaboratively to ensure consistent management cover across all service locations. This will require a flexible approach to attendance and visibility across sites, supporting colleagues, maintaining service resilience, and ensuring residents receive a high-quality and responsive service regardless of location.

Working closely with Team Leaders, you will play a key role in shaping and improving service delivery, helping to develop effective prevention strategies and ensuring the highest standards of customer care are maintained.

The role is full-time, office-based, and operates across multiple locations throughout North Northamptonshire.

What will you be doing?

No two days are the same in this rewarding and fast-paced role. As a Senior Housing Options Advisor, you will lead and inspire a team of Housing Options Advisors, providing expert guidance on complex homelessness cases and supporting colleagues to achieve the best possible outcomes for residents.

You will play a key role in tackling homelessness across North Northamptonshire, working closely with internal services and external partners to identify innovative housing solutions and deliver effective prevention and relief interventions. Alongside overseeing performance and managing a small caseload of complex cases, you will help shape and improve services by driving forward new prevention initiatives, developing staff, and promoting best practice.

This is an opportunity to make a real difference, influencing service delivery while ensuring residents receive high-quality, compassionate and legally compliant support at some of the most challenging times in their lives.

• Managing the day-to-day operation of triage and casework functions, ensuring high-quality, compliant homelessness and housing advice services.
• Supervising, supporting and developing a team of Housing Options Advisers, providing guidance on complex and challenging cases.
• Allocating and monitoring workloads to ensure cases are managed effectively and customers receive timely support.
• Managing a personal caseload of complex homelessness cases, including those requiring safeguarding and multi-agency intervention.
• Coaching, mentoring and identifying development opportunities for team members to maintain excellent service standards.
• Supporting homelessness prevention initiatives, helping customers access practical housing solutions, including the private rented sector.
• Monitoring team performance, service outcomes and case quality against key performance indicators and targets.
• Building strong relationships with internal teams and external partners to prevent and relieve homelessness and protect vulnerable individuals.
• Assisting with budget monitoring and maintaining accurate financial records relating to service expenditure.
• Identifying opportunities for service improvement and helping to develop new policies, processes and best practice.
• Providing cover for fellow Senior Housing Options Advisers and deputising for Team Leaders when required, including chairing meetings and coordinating team activities.

About you

• Hold a minimum of 5 GCSE’s grade A-C, a relevant housing qualification (CIH Level 4 Diploma or equivalent) or show an equivalent capability.
• Demonstratable experience at a senior officer level (or similar) within a local authority, housing association or voluntary organisation
• Extensive knowledge of Part 7 Housing Act 1996 (as amended) and Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, and related legislation, guidance and caselaw.
• Experience of working in a housing options / homelessness service
• Experience of handling complex cases and providing creative housing solutions for vulnerable individuals and families.
• A good understanding and knowledge of the main causes of homelessness and rough sleeping, and the barriers that people face when trying to access accommodation and support services
• Able to produce clear, concise and persuasive written reports on complex issuesand interpret statistical information
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the emotional resilience to deal effectively with complex circumstances surrounding vulnerable people
• A skilled problem-solver and negotiator with the ability to develop practical and creative housing solutions with an organised and imaginative approach to work and the ability to manage difficult and sensitive situations
• Ability to work well under pressure, on own initiative, and manage and prioritise own workload and team members when needed
• Effectively work with others to achieve a positive outcome by being proactive and solution focused
• IT and keyboard skills, including the ability to use Microsoft Office and maintain accurate records and case files.
• Ability to form and develop professional and effective working relationships with colleagues, partners and service users and work effectively and enthusiastically as part of a team
• Ability to manage a varied, complex caseload, and remain focussed on performance and outcomes
• Willing to work outside normal office hours as necessary
• This post will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check

Full driving licence and access to own transport for work purposes

About us

Our Values and Behaviours

Our values define who we are and how we operate, by forming the foundation for how we interact with our customers, colleagues and provide our services. They are also at the forefront of our decision making and delivery and are:

Customer-focused
Respectful
Efficient
Supportive
Trustworthy

Our key commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most.

Disability Confident Employer

We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role.

The council obtained the Gold status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).

Further information can be found at Jobs and careers | North Northamptonshire Council (northnorthants.gov.uk)