Are you confident presenting cases in a legal setting, and passionate about supporting tenants while protecting vital housing income? We are looking for a proactive Court and Procedure Officer to represent Sheffield City Council in court possession proceedings, drive fair and effective income recovery, and help shape best practice across our housing service.
What you will be doing
1. Represent the Council in court in legal possession proceedings for rent arrears and related matters, acting professionally and reasonably.
2. Prepare court-ready cases: collate evidence, interpret case history, draft and file witness statements, and record outcomes accurately.
3. Manage legal recovery and court processes (including PCOL and other legal application routes), taking advice from Legal Services where needed.
4. Provide specialist intervention and prevention support to help tenants sustain their tenancy wherever possible.
5. Support continuous improvement help develop procedures and systems, quality-check cases, and share learning with colleagues.
6. Support continuous improvement help develop procedures/systems, quality check cases, and share learning with colleagues.
Data, reporting, and IT skills
This role includes producing detailed management information to support performance, audit requirements, and service improvement. You will need strong IT skills, including:
7. Microsoft Excel (e.g., pivot tables, data cleansing, complex formulas, and reporting dashboards).
8. Power BI (building and maintaining reports/visualisations for management reporting).
9. Confidence using Microsoft Office and ability to learn/operate other housing and legal case management systems.
Training
You will be expected to prepare training modules and deliver training to staff and third parties.
Training and development
You will be required to complete relevant training to support the role, including legal recovery processes, court procedure, housing law/practice updates, data protection, and other mandatory council training. Ongoing continuous professional development is an essential part of this post.
What we are looking for (essential)
10. Experience in a public sector or housing-related environment with a focus on effective income recovery.
11. Experience presenting cases within a legal environment (e.g., court or tribunal).
12. Knowledge of landlord and tenant civil procedure and housing law, including possession proceedings and court protocols.
13. Ability to work under pressure, manage multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and remain resilient in a legal context.
14. Effective communication skills: able to prepare written case material and represent the Council confidently in court.
15. Excellent numeracy and ability to interpret financial performance information and produce reports.
16. Customer-focused approach with discretion to balance tenancy sustainment with firm but fair recovery action.
17. Ability to develop constructive working relationships and contribute to training/procedure updates for colleagues.
18. Flexible approach: may be required to work from any site in the city
19. Hybrid working
We support flexible ways of working, including opportunities to work from home on an occasional basis where the role allows. Hybrid arrangements are agreed, based on service delivery needs and the tasks being undertaken.
To find out more about the role, please contact Jo May on
Under the Guaranteed Interview scheme, applicants who are disabled, care leavers, or armed forces veterans will be guaranteed an interview if they meet the essential criteria and indicate their eligibility on the application form.
Full-time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.
If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.
Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Find out more on our