Policy Officer (Housing) - REQ005747

INTERNAL ONLY VACANCY. This post is open to existing Leeds City Council employees only. Applications will not be considered from external candidates.

Job title: Policy Officer (Housing)

Salary: PO2 £39,862 - £42,839

Hours: 37

Contract: Permanent

Location: Merrion House as team base, along with other locations across the city and some flexibility around homeworking

As a Policy Officer (Housing), you will thrive on playing a key role in supporting citywide, regional and national housing policy work and the service’s ongoing regulatory compliance.

This is great opportunity for you to join a forward thinking and motivated team, working across services and with a variety of internal and external stakeholders on Housing Risk & Regulation.

You will be at the forefront of our work on utilising M365 products to improve how we manage our policies and capture regulatory compliance evidence.

The successful candidate will be dedicated, enthusiastic and be able to quickly pick up and learn about new areas. To effectively engage with stakeholders at all levels you will also need excellent communication and organisational skills and a commitment to ensuring the highest standard of work.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As our next Policy Officer (Housing), you will bring the following to the role:

Significant experience and understanding of the current operating context for local government.
Ability to work on your own initiative and make effective decisions and judgements.
A confident, well organised approach, with a flexible ‘can-do’ attitude as a key team player.
Able to confidently analyse requirements, recommend and implement creative and innovative solutions.
Present information in a clear and concise manner using a variety of presentational formats, that informs, influences and directs decision making.
Manage competing priorities whilst delivering on a range of projects and adapting to changing circumstance and priorities.

About the role

This is a wide-ranging role which supports senior officers to achieve regulatory compliance, and deliver the Council’s strategic housing priorities, within the context of cross-council policy working.

Through developing good relationships with colleagues both internal and external to the council, the post holder will provide a key point of contact and co-ordination role for citywide, regional and national housing policy areas and projects delivered on behalf of the Chief Officer (Housing) and other senior officers. They will have a broad knowledge of a variety of areas and be able to quickly pickup and learn about new policy areas.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidancefor further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact:

Ian Strickland by email to strickland@leeds.gov.uk

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visaroute before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job purpose

Responsibilities

Policy support

Working with colleagues from across the council and partner agencies, to co-ordinate strategic housing policy work.
Support connections between the Council and government departments / national organisations to ensure that the Council is maximising awareness of and opportunities to influence national policy development on housing issues and share best practice.
Co-ordinate the Council’s connection with national housing agencies, seeking opportunities for Leeds to share good practice through attendance at conferences, award nominations etc.
Provide policy support to the West Yorkshire Combine Authority work programme relating to housing.
Lead on and provide a flexible reactive capacity for key activities and projects commissioned by the Chief Officer (Housing) and other senior officers.

Housing Strategy Support

Co-ordinate the review of the Housing Strategy and sub strategies with colleagues across the council and partner agencies.
Co-ordinate work to deliver the Housing Strategy including preparing reports
Co-ordinating support to the wider Strategic Housing Partnership to maximise collaboration in delivering the strategy.
Co-ordinate the monitoring the delivery of the Housing Strategy priorities and targets.

Project & Action Plan Support

Lead on and provide a flexible reactive capacity for key activities and projects commissioned by the Chief Officer (Housing) and other senior officers.
Work with senior officers to ensure that projects on behalf of the Chief Officer (Housing) are carried out in a rigorous manner with clear evidence of progress, actions, decision making and results.
Co-ordinate governance arrangements for the Housing service including monitoring of actions from the Scrutiny Board, Internal Audit reports, Senior Management Team meetings and sub-delegations
Co-ordinate the Council’s compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements relating to Housing.
Co-ordinate the development and monitoring of the Housing service plan.

Additional

To liaise closely and work with the Housing SMT to ensure the effective management of housing policy work, taking accountability and responsibility for actions as required.
Support the development of team members and deputise at meetings for senior officers as and when required.
To maintain a high level of confidentiality and be sensitive to the personal nature of data handled. To work within all relevant policies, procedures and systems established corporately or locally.
To carry out the above duties in accordance with the Council’s set procedures, Equal Opportunities Policy and Health and Safety procedures.
The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Essential requirements It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post. Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.

Skills Required

Knowledge and Experience Required

Significant experience and understanding of the current operating context for local government.

Experiencing of working with senior leaders in a large, customer focused organisation.

Experience of working with elected members.

Experience and ability to work at graduate level.

Substantial experience of leading successful projects and understanding project management.

Experience of problem solving and developing workable solutions.

Understanding of different communication tools and the benefits and limitations of each.

Experience of maintaining constructive relationships and influencing people at strategic and operational levels.

Experience of implementing change and taking forward initiatives and/or polices from inception to application.

Experience of dealing with sensitive issues.

Experience in the use of IT software packages.

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics

Approach work with a ‘can do’ attitude and learn from experience

Take personal responsibility for delivering work on time and for own workload

Actively seek out feedback to ensure continuous improvement both personally and with work processes/approaches

Actively work with people across the immediate and wider teams to strategically influence decision making

Committed to excellent customer care and putting the customer at the heart of everything, and continually improving customer satisfaction – both in relation to internal and external customers.

Continually look for ways to improve processes remembering the need to ensure value for money and limited funds.

Prepared and able to pick up and lead new areas of work, as required

Prepared to actively participate in training and development activities to ensure up to date knowledge, skills and continuous professional development.
Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct.
Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies.
Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.

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