Temporary Accommodation Assistant

Job Description

Job Category : Sec / Admin
Location : The Wilson Centre, Hull City Council
Hours Per Week : 37.00
Start Date : Immediate Start
Start Time : 08:30
End Time : 17:00
Salary: £11.18

The post holder will provide effective, efficient and customer focussed support services to the Temporary Accommodation Team as required to support the delivery of a high-quality front-line service.

This will include providing administrative and practical support as required to enable the team to deliver the service such as ordering goods and services, arranging for the payment of invoices and liaising with managers where dispensations are required, supporting the team with setting up temporary accommodation, arranging the clearing & cleaning of vacated temporary accommodation, dealing with enquiries coming into the team and supporting colleagues with visits as necessary. It will include interaction with internal and external customers, stakeholders, partners and elected members and any other general administrative task as the wider Housing Access Service requires, which may include assisting the Head of Service (Access & Well Being) and other managers and team leaders in the service

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

1. Provides a professional, empathetic and high-quality service in response to customers approaching the service for advice and assistance which may be in person, over the phone, in writing or via IT systems.
2. Provides a responsive and flexible service to colleagues and customers in respect of the provision of emergency TA, often with little or no notice. This may include, but is not limited to, arranging furniture packs, supporting with the set-up of utilities, arranging safety checks and décor as appropriate and within agreed protocols, liaising with the council’s or external contractors as and when appropriate. This will involve travelling between many different locations.
3. Prioritises their own caseload and also collaborates with their team to identify pressure points and agree and contribute to team priorities, to meet the demands of the service and ensure targets are met.
4. Administers their workload efficiently ensuring accurate and professional information is recorded on systems as appropriate. Collates statistics where required to feed into performance management activity and ensures that the required information is fed back to government HCLIC (homelessness) returns.
5. Processes requests for goods and services following procurement procedures. This includes monitoring stock levels, identifying needs and ordering as required, receiving deliveries, resolving discrepancies as appropriate and processing invoices for payment (including arranging dispensations with the relevant manager if required).
6. Receives, responds to and routes general enquiries as appropriate in accordance with agreed protocols, projecting a responsive and professional image of the service which is understanding of and sensitive to the needs of our customers.
7. Performs their duties from various locations as required including other council buildings, empty properties, customer’s homes or community settings.
8. Supports colleagues within the wider Housing Access Service as is appropriate according to service pressures and priorities.
9. Mentors new starters to the service as deemed appropriate.
10. To promote and safeguard the welfare of children, young people and/or vulnerable adults.

Qualifications:
NVQ Level 2 in Business Administration, Customer Service or similar or equivalent relevant experience

Relevant Experience:

Experience of working in a busy administration environment
Experience of delivering customer services ensuring excellent customer experiences
Experience of working to tight deadlines in a very busy environment
Experience of handling sensitive data
Skills (including thinking challenge/mental demands):
Ability to use Microsoft Office systems (Outlook, Word, Excel)
Ability to work flexibly and effectively within a team
Ability to use initiative to appropriately prioritise work according to service pressures
Able to work in a non-judgemental way with customers from a range of backgrounds
Ability to carry out tasks according to agreed protocols and perform to pre-determined standards
Ability to record accurate data both in IT systems and written form
Demonstrates a positive attitude to change; the service and working practices will constantly evolve and adapt to changing legislation, operating environment and demands.
Knowledge:

Knowledge of General Data Protection Regulations 2016
Knowledge of housing policies and procedures, particularly those relating to housing allocations and homelessness
Basic awareness of the issues that customers approaching the council for help with housing might be experiencing
Broad knowledge of the range of housing options available in the city