Job Introduction
Your new role
This is an exciting opportunity to join us as an Affordable Housing Enabling Officer! The Housing Neighbourhood and Building Services Directorates delivers a range of front-line services, including homelessness, waste management, building maintenance and housing services.
The Housing Needs, Advice and Supply service is responsible for all homelessness and rough sleeping services and has a role to play in the supply of residential accommodation used to meet the need. The service deals with a range of housing issues, giving advice to customers, working to prevent or relive homelessness, making assessments in accordance with the homelessness legislation and assessing housing and support needs in line with the city council's Allocation Scheme as well as the provision of commissioned accommodation and new council homes.
Housing Supply sits within the Housing Needs and Supply Service, ensuring a direct link between Housing and the delivery of housing solutions. The service is pivotal in creating the provision of accommodation needed to ensure the city has the right housing models for our residents.
The primary purpose of this role is to lead the effective delivery of services that maximise the supply of social and affordable housing through the planning system and the strategic use of council resources. The postholder will have responsibility for housing delivery within the Local Planning Authority area, principally in Portsmouth, while also supporting delivery in neighbouring authorities where service level agreements apply, and within emerging combined authority areas as required.
Please see the full job profile attached at the bottom of this page for all details of what the role will involve!
Who is the person?
The role requires experience and knowledge of:
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Microsoft Office (Outlook, Teams, Powerpoint, Word (intermediate - mail merge, use of styles, references etc, Excel (Intermediate- trackers, Pivot tables, graphs, basic formulas, LOOKUPs, conditional formatting).
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Sharepoint - file management systems, One Note, Power BI (optional), whiteboard, CoPilot
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Substantial experience in housing or property related role with experience in a section 106 affordable housing role or comparable experience preferably with a local authority or registered provider.
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Experience of assessing Section 106 affordable housing contributions via on site delivery or financial contributions and undertaking complex negotiations over terms and legal agreements.
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Experience of managing, monitoring and collecting s106 affordable housing financial contributions and liability dates and conditions.
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Evidence of ongoing CPD.
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Desirable - Housing or property or planning related qualification.
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Essential - knowledge and experience of Land Registry, planning portal, hosted property information systems (Land Insight, gov. databases etc) property agency websites, Homes England clearing system.
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Understanding and working experience of Planning legislation at local and national level, housing legalisation including allocations, homelessness and temporary accommodation provision.
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Knowledge and experience of acquisition process specific to the disposal or acquisition of section 106 affordable housing between developers and registered providers.
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Knowledge and understanding of key housing initiatives, planning requirements and appropriate grant funding requirements.
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Awareness of heads of terms and key details to be negotiated in a S106 agreement or acquisition/disposal.
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Knowledge or what the key inputs are in a financial appraisal for assessing section 106 bids received by a developer or to prepare a purchase price.
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Knowledge of data needed to track and monitor performance of section 106 and affordable housing delivery.
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Experience of preparing advisory reports and presentations, collating complex sources of property information and communicating data to a senior management and leadership team.
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The role requires proficiency in many in-house IS and database systems including Microsoft Office, HNAS database, Northgate, GIS, Repairs & Maintenance database and Land Registry.
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Project management and organisational skills to deliver key objectives
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Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for stakeholder engagement and establishing relationships with property owners/developers/agents etc.
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Work proactively, remain motivated, works on own initiative in coordinating multiple tasks with ability to work to deadlines with frequent task switching and competing priorities.
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Valid driving licence.
About Portsmouth City Council
Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.
We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals. Learn more about our values and behaviours.
Our recruitment process
Full information about our recruitment process can be found on our support for applicants' page: Support for applicants - Careers portal
You must demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points described in the 'Who is the Person' points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had. If you apply without a detailed personal statement, it is unlikely that you will be successful.
We are a disability confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard. More information can be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion - Careers portal
You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.
Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our career's portal homepage: Careers Portal - Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council
Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact [email protected] or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616 800.
