Job Description

Our Organisation-

Centrally located in the Thames Gateway, Gravesham Borough Council provides a range of services to over 106,000 people and 4,000 businesses.

The Borough of Gravesham, situated in the north west corner of Kent, covers 25,000 acres of the most varied countryside in south east England.

Bordered by the River Thames to the north, it is at the heart of Thames Gateway and has a significant role to play in the regeneration of a major government growth area.

Gravesham Borough Council is committed to delivering to the community and working with us means you are part of delivering the level of growth and improvement our community needs and deserves.

The role

This is an exciting time to join the Housing Service at Gravesham as we implement a programme of change within Landlord Services. The new roles of the Neighbourhood Team Leader will be an integral part of this journey of change and will help to ensure that strong leadership is in place for the housing management team.

Supporting the Neighbourhood Housing Manager, you will be responsible for the continuous professional development of the council\'s housing management team.

You will supervise and coordinate the casework of the Neighbourhood Housing staff covering all aspects of tenancy and estate management to ensure the delivery an effective and responsive frontline housing service to Gravesham Tenants, Leaseholders and other stakeholders.

You will play a key role in ensuring that technology is used most effectively to deliver a consistent high quality, accessible service to our tenants whilst also developing an effective performance culture throughout the teams to ensure the delivery of consistent high quality, value-for-money services in meeting the council\'s corporate performance management requirements.

Main responsibilities

• To manage the day-to-day operations of the Housing Officers, monitoring performance and providing support and guidance on complex cases.
• To supervise a team of Housing staff, ensuring regular 1-2-1s and appraisals. To manage any disciplinary, grievance and sickness absence.
• To ensure the housing staff are delivering and addressing the following housing management services including:
• Regular tenancy checks
• Annual tenancy audits
• Succession and assignment applications
• Abandonment Cases
• Recovery of property from unauthorised occupiers
• Addressing any complaints of nuisance, anti-social behaviour and other breaches of tenancy
• The conversion of introductory/probationary tenancies to secure tenancies, ensuring appropriate tenancy checks are carried out during the introductory/probationary period.
• Investigate and decide requests for tenancy amendments
• Support for vulnerable residents
• Ensuring estate inspections are carried out as per the designated inspection programme.
• Contract compliance
• Ensure that the Housing Officers work closely with the Tenant Engagement Officers to provide meaningful and appealing engagement for our tenants.
• Maintain accurate and up to date tenancy records ensuring that information is understandable and reviewed regularly.
• Maintain a current knowledge of policy, practice and legislation in order to provide the Housing Officers with support on enforcing any breaches.
• Support the Neighbourhood Housing Manager with members\' enquiries and complaints, ensuring that no complaints arise as a result of a service failure from a Housing Officer.
• Maintain links with other Council Departments and liaise with other agencies including Police, Social Services, Health and Social Care and other professionals as required to ensure best practice and knowledge is shared.
• To attend occasional evening and weekend meetings and to work out of normal office hours.

Essential qualifications/experience-

• Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal).
• Housing-related training courses.
• Minimum 3 years\' experience of working in Housing Management.
• Sound up-to-date knowledge of housing management procedures and good practice.
• Experience in managing complaints and MP enquiries.
• Ability to make informed and sometimes complex decisions and to communicate these to other team members.
• Ability to prioritise work, work under pressure, meet deadlines and work as part of a team.
• Computer literate; conversant with current uses of IT in housing management and an experienced user of IT in a housing role.
• Ability to supervise staff on a day-to-day basis.
• Full driving licence held.
• Performance and person-focused.
• Team player
• Motivated and enthusiastic.

In return we offer you:

Holiday entitlement

A generous holiday entitlement, plus paid bank holidays.

Training

In-house and external training including non-qualification, Continued Personal Development (CPD), NVQ and other qualification training.

Employee Assistance Programme

The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is a free and confidential support service, offering you unlimited access to advice and information as well as coaching and counselling where appropriate.

Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the service is there to help you manage all of life\'s events and support you through the challenges. Their expert advisers are there to help, whenever you need them. Support on the telephone, online and face to face.

Pensions

A very secure pension scheme which both you and we pay into. More information can be found on the website.

Occupational health

An on-site Occupational Health Advisor. We have an occupational health service provided by East Kent Hospitals University Foundation NHS Trust. The service is delivered by a team of health professionals who specialise in occupational medicine and deal with the relationship between your work and your health. Occupational Health also works with us to resolve any issues in the workplace and also to ensure that well-being at work is maintained.

If you would like to have an informal discussion with the recruiting manager, call Andrew Johnson Head of Housing Neighbourhood Services on 01474 337186.

Important Information-

Applicants must be able to demonstrate all essential requirements as listed in the job profile

Equal Opportunities Commitment Statement

Gravesham Borough Council is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All appropriately qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or age.

Please be advised that if you are not contacted within 3 weeks of the advert closing date then you have not been shortlisted. All recruitment correspondence, including interview letters and contracts of employment will usually be sent out via email.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy at any time prior to the closing date.

Downloads

How to Apply

Please be advised that we only accept online applications submitted through JobsGoPublic ATS

If you are not contacted within 3 weeks of the advert closing date then you have not been shortlisted.

All recruitment correspondence, including interview letters and contracts of employment will usually be sent out via email, if you require documentation/correspondence in different format such as braille or large print, please contact the Resourcing Team on 01634 332878.

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Gravesham Borough Council