Lead Professional Officer

Tower Hamlets Housing Option Service are looking to recruit Lead Professional Officer on a permanent contract, previously known as Housing Options Officer. Tower Hamlets is a diverse borough that has a high demand for housing and a limited supply. As a Lead Professional Officer you will work on the frontline to offer support and advice to people who are potentially homeless. You will help in preventing homelessness and look to offer viable options and solutions; these will include but are not limited to, planned ways of leaving home for singles and families, mediation support, private rented sector accommodation, measures to help support victims of domestic abuse. You will also provide emergency accommodation where necessary and help relieve homelessness.

You will need to be able to work well under pressure and use your own initiative – you will be expected to participate in a busy duty rota and deal with members of the public. An empathetic and an active listener will be key in building trust with clients and managing expectations when interviewing homeless singles and families. Being an effective communicator and strong partnership working will also be essential to this role as will effectively signposting to relevant agencies and organisations for support. The role will involve you managing a caseload and applications; you will need to be able to write legally binding letters to a high standard, complete personalised housing plans and agree steps and carry out reviews with customers. You will need to also be proficient in the use of IT.

To be considered for this role, ideally we would want you to have experience of working with vulnerable people and working knowledge of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. However, what’s more important is how you demonstrate your transferable skills for this role. Your passion and reasons for why you want to work within homelessness services as well as a can do attitude will be of utmost importance too; because we believe that having the right calibre of people in post to conduct these roles is essential in providing vulnerable homeless people with the services they require.

In return for the above, we can offer ongoing relevant training, support and continuous mentoring for the right candidates to help support you along in your career within Homelessness Services.

Application Details

This post is open to the following types of applicants: Redeployees/Internal/ External/ Agency

If this role is available to Internal employees only, this will include agency workers but does not include independent contractors or Skills Match trainees

All applications should be made via our online application system, no CV’s or alternative forms of applications are accepted. Internal employees should apply via the council's Intranet. External applicants apply via the Council's website www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/careers.

Additional Details

Tower Hamlets vision for our borough is that: people are aspirational, independent and have equal access to opportunities; we are a borough that our residents are proud of and love to live in; and we are a dynamic, outcomes-based council using digital innovation and partnership working to respond to the changing needs of our borough. We want people who aspire to our TOWER values: Together; Open; Willing; Excellent; Respect.

Tower Hamlets has a zero-tolerance approach to, and works to eradicate, all forms of discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status, status as a civil partner, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and maternity and looks to employ a diverse workforce representative of those groups. We recognise that people can also be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class.

We welcome applicants interested in flexible working arrangements and also applicants who live in the borough.