Traveller Officer

Southwark Council; London Borough of Southwark; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Home working

Local government pension scheme

Staff benefits

Job summary

Southwark Council is seeking an experienced Housing Officer to manage housing responsibilities and work closely with Traveller communities to maintain safe, well-managed estates in London.

You will engage residents, coordinate with contractors and partners, ensure tenancy processes, and help deliver investment and improvement programs across the borough. The role offers flexible working and a defined pension scheme.

Qualifications

• Experience as Housing Officer or equivalent role.
• Experience working with marginalised communities, including Traveller communities.
• Strong customer service focus with residents.

Responsibilities

• Act as on-site point of contact for residents during fire safety works.
• Provide clear communication about planned works, safety requirements, timelines and temporary arrangements.
• Support tenancy matters and site rules, including licence agreements.
• Monitor conditions, identify breaches and respond to concerns.
• Coordinate with contractors and housing teams to ensure safe site access and smooth progress.

Skills

Housing management

Tenant liaison

Regulatory compliance

Communication skills

Job description

Southwark Council is the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues such as The Shard, The Tate Modern and Borough Market along with many social enterprises and we have a young, diverse, and growing population.

At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities.Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities.

What You'll Be Doing

You will work closely with Traveller communities, internal teams, fire safety specialists, and external contractors to maintain high standards of engagement, site safety, and compliance.

• Act as the primary, on‑site point of contact for residents during fire safety and improvement works.
• Provide clear, timely communication about planned works, safety requirements, timelines, and any temporary arrangements.
• Ensure residents understand and follow fire safety guidance and mitigation measures.
• Work closely with contractors, fire safety teams, and project managers to facilitate safe site access and smooth progression of works.
• Identify risks promptly, elevate issues appropriately, and help coordinate solutions.
• Support new and existing residents with tenancy matters, site rules, and licence agreements.
• Carry out regular site visits to monitor conditions, identify breaches, and respond to concerns.
• Manage low‑level anti‑social behaviour, neighbour disputes, and safeguarding concerns in line with policy.
• Work with internal teams on repairs, maintenance, waste management, and environmental issues.
• Ensure accurate record‑keeping, case notes, and data entry.
• Promote good site management, positive engagement, and respectful relationships with residents.
• Ensure that applicants are able to exercise choice over their home in the case of general needs properties.
• To ensure that properties are let according to the council’s policy and that new tenancies are administered to ensure a successful tenancy process.

Benefits and more information:

In your role, we want you to feel supported, challenged and rewarded. You will benefit from our family-friendly policies including flexible working, home working, and a local government pension scheme, plus many other staff benefits. You will join a motivated, driven and supportive team that strives for excellence and values its members. You will also be part of a successful and high-achieving development team that is making a real difference to the lives of residents in the borough.For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Staff Benefits page.

-Competitive Salary & Pension: Rewarding your hard work with a great package.

-Growth Opportunities: Access extensive training and development, both internally and externally to progress.

What We're Looking For

• An experienced Housing Officer with a strong understanding of housing management and landlord responsibilities, ideally with experience working alongside marginalised and underrepresented communities, including Traveller communities.
• A motivated self-starter who can work independently, manage competing priorities, and use their own initiative to resolve issues and deliver positive outcomes for residents.
• A passionate advocate for excellent customer service, with a highly developed commitment to putting residents first and ensuring their needs remain at the heart of every decision and action.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage sensitively and effectively with residents, contractors, colleagues, and external partners.
• A commitment to supporting and maintaining thriving Traveller sites, balancing day‑to‑day tenancy and site management responsibilities while helping residents navigate periods of change and improvement works.
• An understanding of the challenges faced by diverse communities and the ability to build trust, foster inclusion, and promote community wellbeing.
• A resilient and community-focused professional who shares our commitment to delivering safe, well‑managed environments and excellent housing services during an exciting period of investment and improvement.

Contact Information:
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact; [e-mail]

Recruitment Timetable

Closing Date: 22/11/2026

Shortlisting Date: 24/11/2026

Interview Date: W/C 07/12/2026

Hours of Work: Monday to Friday (36hrs per week)

Location: Tooley Street, SE1 2QH

Type of Contract: Permanent role

DBS: A Basic DBS is required for this role.

Additional Information

Please note that we are unable to accept applications from individuals who require visa sponsorship

This vacancy is subject to the council’s redeployment arrangements. Eligible redeployees will be considered first, and the vacancy may be withdrawn if a suitable redeployee is appointed.

Our Values and Behaviours:

At Southwark, our REACH values are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to being Resident-focused, Empowering, Accountable, Collaborative and Honest, in how we work with colleagues, residents, partners and communities. We welcome applications from people who share these values and are passionate about making a positive difference to our borough.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative . We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

Salary Range (Full time equivalent) £44,331 - £50,778