Job info |
Job info details |
Job title |
Homelessness Strategy and Delivery Officer |
Strategic team/Directorate |
Adults and Community Services |
Service |
Community & Customer Services |
Business unit |
Community Safety |
Responsible to (day to day issues) |
Divisional Director Community & Customer Services |
Accountable to (line manager) |
Divisional Director Community & Customer Services |
Salary grade |
32 - 35 |
JE ref |
ADC33 |
1. Key purpose of job
- Subject matter expert providing service wide expertise on development of partnership working and delivery of plans in relation to prevention of homelessness and associated complex needs / system-wide development.
- Leading the development and successful delivery of high-quality housing and homelessness strategies, policies and plans, drawing on comprehensive evidence and research to achieve continuous improvement, ensuring that the Council’s work is driven by a clear purpose and a shared set of priority actions and outcomes.
- Ensure that the Council’s objectives regarding homelessness are embedded within strategies and plans at every level of the Council and working with colleagues across the organisation and externally as required to collate multiple sources of evidence.
- Co-ordination and delivery of related frameworks, data and outcomes information to support service development.
2. Anticipated outcomes of post
- Delivery of Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy.
- Project delivery across Community Safety and partners, to deliver critical priorities.
- Mechanism by which to coordinated and implement working practices to enable improved outcomes for people with best use of resources.
3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post
- Responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children at all times.
- Work closely with colleagues within the local authority and external partners to develop a suite of quality strategies, policies and SMART action plans to deliver the outcomes of the organisation to reduce homelessness.
- To lead on commissioning activity impacting on homelessness, including services and accommodation commissioned by the Council, across the organisation and with partners, to ensure connectivity and suitability.
- Develop and effectively work with the voluntary and community sector, stakeholders and partners on schemes and initiatives to develop and implement systems to support delivery
- Develop and maintain strong partnerships with registered providers, Government agencies, voluntary agencies and other housing and support related organisations.
- Work collaboratively with other public agencies such as adult and children’s social services and NHS Trusts, to ensure effective operational protocols are in place.
- Responsible for anticipating and responding to changes in the external economic, policy and regulatory environment regarding housing and homelessness issues, undertaking research and analysis of legislation, good practice and current local and national issues to develop strategies, policies and plans as required. To brief senior colleagues on forthcoming changes and ensuring that the Council is fully compliant.
- Provide clear strategic guidance to promote provision of appropriate size, type and tenure of affordable housing.
- Develop and manage external funding bids as required.
- Monitoring the performance of service provision through SMART action plans and to undertake regular analysis of service performance, interpret the outcomes and impact of that performance and use the analysis to inform and direct strategy and policy initiatives.
- Provide policy advice through the production of briefings and reports to senior management, scrutiny committees, elected members and Cabinet/Committee as required, in solving problems and responding to challenges.
- Demonstrate best practice and innovation to aid problem solving and strive for continuous improvement.
- To maintain extensive external networks and share learning regarding sector developments, innovative practice and new opportunities through liaison and consultation with other local authorities, registered providers, housing agencies, partners and recognised good practice organisations, ensuring that the Council benefits from this learning.
4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post
5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post
6. Working environment and conditions of the post
- Normal working environment and conditions.
7. Physical demands of the post
8. Specific resources used by the post
9. Key contacts and relationships
- External
- NHS care trust, GP’s, temporary accommodation providers, supporting people providers, letting agents, landlords, other support providers, registered landlords, advocacy agencies, social services, Probation, Police, housing needs services across Devon, and any other voluntary and statutory agencies.
- Internal
- Other service areas within Torbay Council including other Housing related sections, Elected Members and Senior Managers.
10. Other duties
- To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job.
Other Information
- All staff must commit to Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discriminatory Practice.
- The Council operates a Smoke-Free Policy, and the post-holder is prohibited from smoking in any of the Council's buildings (including Council owned and Council leased buildings, but excluding designated areas in residential schemes), enclosed spaces within the curtilage of buildings, and Council vehicles. The Council does not permit smoking breaks within work time, however, in services where the flexi-scheme is in operation, employees may take reasonable break times outside of core hours, in accordance with flexi-time arrangements. Employees should follow the flexi-scheme procedure for agreeing time away from their duties in the normal manner with their immediate colleagues and line manager, with break start and finish times being recorded, as with any other break-time arrangement.
- The post-holder is expected to familiarise themselves with and adhere to all relevant Council Policies and Procedures.
- The post-holder must comply with the Council’s Health and Safety requirements as outlined in the H&S policy appropriate to the role.
- The post is eligible for both hybrid and permanent home working.
- The post-holder must be committed to the Council’s Core Values for employees – “Torbay Council employees are committed to being forward thinking, people orientated and adaptable - always with integrity”. Evidence will be sought during the probation and appraisal processes.
- If you are required to use your own vehicle on Council business or drive a council vehicle you will be asked to provide information on any driving endorsements by accessing gov.uk/view-driving-licence and providing a code to your Line Manager in order to share your driving licence information with the Council.
- You will be asked to complete a Criminal Records Self Declaration Form. Criminal convictions will only be taken into account when they are relevant to the post. You will only be asked to disclose ‘unspent’ convictions.
- Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo the checks appropriate to the post applied for.
- As this post meets the requirements of the Immigration Act 2017 (part 7) the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.
Person Specification
Note for Candidate
All Candidates
The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement.
In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.
Candidates who consider that they have a disability
Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.
If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.
Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.
If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.
Job info |
Job info details |
Job Title |
Homelessness Strategy and Delivery Officer |
Strategic team/Directorate |
Adults and Community Services |
Service |
Community & Customer Services |
Business unit |
Community Safety |
Skills and effectiveness
Essential skills and effectiveness
- Continued personal and professional development with ability to be adaptable to meet the changing demands of the job with a willingness to participate in training/development activities.
- To provide effective continued excellent customer service for all service users.
- Ability to use negotiation and influencing skills when dealing with internal and external partnerships on strategy changes.
- Ability to analyse and present information clearly, along with presenting complex ideas to a wide range of audiences.
- Effectively manage partnerships, steering groups and meetings as required, with a range of statutory and non-statutory partners.
- Ability to identify and solve complex problems in a practical way.
- Ability to analyse performance data and undertake comparative analysis and present solutions to problems.
- An excellent standard of written and oral communication and presentation skills.
- Experience of writing reports, briefing notes, etc, and presenting information to a range of audiences.
- Well-developed IT skills.
- As this post meets the requirements of the Immigration Act 2016 (part 7), the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.
Desirable skills and effectiveness
- Experience of project management.
Knowledge
Essential knowledge
- Expert knowledge and experience of homelessness legislation, code of guidance and case law, as well as a good understanding of the regulatory and statutory framework within which local housing authorities operate.
- Knowledge of the range of support services and accommodation for homeless households.
- Knowledge of other key social policy areas including public health, housing, economy, children’s and adult’s services, community safety, equality and inclusion, community and voluntary sector.
- Excellent understanding of, and commitment to, the principles of equality and diversity, to comply with the Council’s equal opportunities and diversity policies ensuring anti-discriminatory practice within the service area.
- To have the foresight for anticipating and responding to changes in the external economic, policy and regulatory environment regarding housing and related issues, and know how to undertake appropriate research and analysis of relevant housing legislation.
- To have knowledge of what good practice is and how you would develop strategies, policies and plans in relation to current local and national issues.
Desirable knowledge
- Understanding of the national and local context for and operations of the statutory policy and regulatory frameworks with regard to housing and homelessness including social housing provision.
- Comprehensive knowledge of housing policy, practice, finance issues and knowledge of housing legislation and case law relating to the allocation of social housing.
- Housing Standards legislation and associated quality standards.
Experience and achievements
Essential experience and achievements
- Experience of successfully developing and implementing new strategies, policies and procedures to include all types of research to support service changes, improvements and development.
- Demonstrable experience of working collaboratively with both internal and external stakeholders and third-party partnerships, to include fostering and maintaining good relationships.
- Demonstrable experience of homelessness legislation and its application.
- Experiencing of commissioning and developing service provision and management of contracts.
- Experience of drafting, presenting and delivering reports/briefings to senior officers on strategy/policy and development.
- Experience of working across local authority departments, as well as with statutory, voluntary and independent sector organisations.
Desirable experience and achievements
- Experience of working with Government bodies or other agencies to negotiate funding agreements.
- Experience of project management around delivery of strategies, along with the inclusion of providing mechanisms for good working practices and change.
- Experience of working in a political environment.
Qualifications/professional memberships
Essential qualifications/professional memberships
- Educated to degree level or the equivalent experience and knowledge of strategic planning, housing delivery, improving existing housing and homelessness prevention within a local housing authority.
- Extensive knowledge of Part VI and VII of the Housing Act 1996 as amended.
Desirable qualifications/professional memberships
- Housing qualification/membership of CIH.
Other requirements
Other requirements of the job role
- Demonstrates a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.
- Ability to travel efficiently around the Bay/South West in order to carry out duties.
- Ability to accommodate unsociable hours.
- Ability to accommodate occasional/permanent home-working.