Are you passionate about preventing homelessness and making a real difference in people’s lives? As an Accommodation Officer in our Independent Living team, you will focus on securing private sector housing for applicants, building strong relationships with landlords and partners to support individuals with complex needs or an offending history into safe and stable accommodation. This vacancy is temporary until 31 March 2028. WHAT IS INVOLVED? You will engage landlords with the range of incentive schemes available, negotiating financial arrangements on behalf of applicants and the Homeless Prevention Service. You will also arrange property inspections and ensure all properties meet required standards, including compliance with selective licensing legislation where applicable. You will maintain an up to date database of ready to rent properties, matching applicants to suitable accommodation. In addition, you will support the team with responding to enquiries, carrying out property searches, assisting with data collection, and general administrative tasks as required. We encourage you to contact Adele Appleby via email at Adele.Appleby@durham.gov.uk to arrange an informal discussion about the role. WHAT WILL I NEED? NVQ Level 2 or equivalent Experience of working with Private Landlords Experience within a housing, homelessness or support related service Please refer to the attached Person Specification for the full criteria. INTERVIEWS Interviews will be held on 11th and 12th June We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran. OUR OFFER TO YOU We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable. Explore the full range of rewards and benefits on our website Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions. EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent people and offer support throughout the recruitment process. HOW TO APPLY Please note, we do not accept CVs. All applications must be submitted online via the Northeast Jobs portal. Use the ‘Person Specification’ section of the form to clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential (and where possible, desirable) criteria. Applications that do not evidence the essential requirements will not be shortlisted. Please visit our website to understand our position on using AI to support your application and for guidance on completing your application. If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, or via email RecruitmentREG@durham.gov.uk All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from donotreply@northeastjobs.org.uk. Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you don’t miss any updates. CONNECT WITH US Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook Visit our website VPRS/161