Place and Economic Growth
Communities Directorate
Senior Housing Needs Officer
Ref: 000934
Contract: Permanent
Salary: £42,839 - £47,181 per annum (Grade 8)
Hours: 36.66 per week
Based: The Office is based at Civic Centre, West Street, Oldham, OL1 1UT
Closing Date: Monday 1st September 2025
Shortlisting & Interview Dates: TBC.
Role Overview:
* To provide expert legal, case management advice and guidance to front line staff working within homelessness and council officers, ensuring that robust operational procedures are in place and consistently reviewed.
* To monitor and challenge the delivery of the front line homelessness and housing advice service to ensure a consistent, high quality service is provided meeting the statutory obligations of the Council and the contractual obligations of the provider.
* To undertake performance management of contracts funded using homelessness budgets.
* To act as the strategic housing lead in respect of health and homelessness.
* To ensure continuous development and improvement of the front line staff working within homelessness to encapsulate best practice, legal changes, governmental agendas and guidance.
Key Requirements:
* To maintain up to date, expert level knowledge of homelessness legislation, the Code of Guidance and associated legislation and case law in order to:
* Assess applications from people who approach the authority as homeless and make decisions relating to the authority’s duties and responsibilities towards them under provisions contained within Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 (to be amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017).
* Respond verbally and in writing to first reviews relating to S184 decisions and offers made under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 including those from solicitors, MPs councillors and other advocates.
* Respond to requests for S213/198 referrals.
* To support the Council’s service provider in the development and direction of the front line staff working within homelessness, ensuring a high quality of casework, compliant with procedures and statutory legislation. To develop performance targets, in conjunction with the provider’s contract manager, on an individual and team basis to ensure that service and corporate objectives are achieved to deliver performance which compares with the top performing services nationally in terms of homelessness.
* To take responsibility for the ongoing development of operational procedures in relation to homelessness for front line staff that are up to date and in line with legislation, the code of guidance and which support best practice. To ensure that working practices are consistently applied in order to meet the Council’s statutory duties and that and information systems are in place to deliver accurate and auditable information to the council, central government and internal/external agencies.
* To work with the service provider to ensure that households accessing temporary, and supported, accommodation are moved on in a timely manner to minimise the cost to the council and make best use of limited resources.
* To assist and provide support, where required, to the front line staff working within homelessness in interviewing customers who present with complex and/or challenging behaviour or who have special needs.
* To provide specialist advice to staff within the council and partner agencies on homelessness legislation and related issues, including guiding decisions which may be subject to legal challenge or scrutiny.
* To be responsible for the Homelessness Prevention budget, including authorising payments and maximising any income in respect of this area. To authorise and maintain appropriate records in respect of the Homelessness Prevention Fund which is delegated to the homelessness service provider.
* To act as the strategic housing lead in respect of health and homelessness; representing housing at joint meetings and working with statutory partners to achieve the objectives set out in these meetings and those within the GM Health and Social Care Partnership work on homelessness.
* To develop and provide training to staff from external agencies on a range of issues with the aim of preventing homelessness.
* To be responsible for performance management of a number of contracts funded using homelessness budgets. Including developing and agreeing a performance management framework in respect of both contracts and leading on any future procurement.
* To be responsible for working with colleagues and partners to develop current and future strategies for the borough e.g. Homelessness Strategy, including the provision of key information and analysis.
* To lead on specific areas and projects identified through the Council's Housing and Homelessness Strategy.
* To represent the authority at local and regional level to develop integrated approaches to combating homelessness and to support as appropriate sub regional partnerships to develop effective policies and strategies to develop appropriate responses to homelessness on sub regional basis.
If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and therefore expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
About Us:
We want Oldham to have vibrant, safe neighbourhoods where people are proud to live with opportunities for healthier, more fulfilled lives; and a sustainable, thriving economy. As we look to the future, the challenges may be significant, but so are the opportunities. We’ve identified three missions with our residents and partners, focusing on what will deliver the biggest impact:
A Great Place to Live, Healthier, Happier Lives, and Green and Growing.
We’re looking for candidates who will support us to achieve our ambitions and we encourage you to download our Corporate Plan: Ready for the Future and our Oldham Plan for further information.
Our Values and Behaviours:
By driving innovation, investing in our people, and championing our communities, we will ensure that Oldham continues to be a place where everyone can live their best life. To support this, we have three core values which define who we are and how we operate. These are ‘Proud, Ambitious, and Together’, and they shape our culture, inform our decisions, and inspire us to deliver on our commitments to the people of Oldham.
We have translated these values into five behaviours which guide our actions and are the standards we hold ourselves to, day in and day out:
* Work with a resident focus
* Support local leaders
* Committed to the borough
* Delivery high performance
* Take ownership and drive change
You can find out more about our values and behaviours on our greater.jobs Oldham page
Our Benefits Package:
At Oldham Council we offer a great benefits package for our employees, which includes the following:
* 25 days annual leave which increases after 5 and 10-years’ service
* The option to purchase additional annual leave.
* An attractive LGPS benefit pension scheme with the option to make shared cost additional voluntary contributions.
* Discounted gym membership with Oldham Active .
* Staff discount scheme for shopping, entertainment, eating-out, eating-in, travel, motoring and more.
* Salary sacrifice scheme for home and electronics and Cycle to Work.
* Wellbeing support, including a Mental Health First Aider network and an Employment Assistance Programme that provides 24 hours access to advice and support.
* Staff recognition and celebration events.
* Peer support groups
Inclusive Recruitment:
We work closely with employees to help them work at their best, including making adjustments such as flexible working, describing available working patterns, providing equipment or making changes to the workplace.
If you’re an applicant with disabilities and have previously been in or currently in care, a carer or someone who has served in the Armed Forces and you meet the essential criteria of the role, you are guaranteed to reach the first stage of assessment under our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme .
Data and Privacy:
For details of how we use your data please see our privacy notice .
Important Information:
Please note that should a vacancy that has been released for internal or external recruitment be deemed suitable for a current employee at risk of redundancy, it can be pulled back at any point, up to the post being formally offered to a candidate who is not at risk of redundancy.
While we embrace the use of AI as an innovative tool to maximise our services at Oldham Council, we are looking for authenticity in applications we receive. We therefore ask you to think carefully if choosing to use AI when completing your application and ask that you ensure you read all instructions carefully and that your application is written by you and reflects your skills, knowledge and enthusiasm.