Access Officer - Placements

Benefits

Our employees are at the very heart of the services we provide to the community. We offer a great range of staff benefits to support you in and out of work.

As a Housing Access Officer - Placements, you will work under a designated Senior Housing Solutions Officer who leads the overall team, providing direction, support and development opportunities as well as day-to-day support and management of performance and workloads.

Your role will be to monitor the availability of all forms of temporary accommodation used by the council to discharge its statutory duties, working closely with colleagues on the return of void properties and with providers on stock availability.

You will receive placement approvals for households requiring accommodation and will assess the suitability of available stock for each placement (under the supervision of senior colleagues). Once a placement is allocated, you will provide a comprehensive sign-up service to customers, ensuring that all appropriate documentation is provided, agreements are signed and that necessary information about the placement is supplied.

You will be responsible for the income management of temporary accommodation placements, ensuring that housing benefit claims are in payment, monitoring rent and service charges, and completing the first stages of debt recovery.

You will liaise with a range of internal services and partner agencies such as Kirklees Homes and Neighbourhoods, Customer and Exchequer Services and framework accommodation providers.

You will have awareness of a range of legislation and policies relating to property conditions, tenancies and homelessness as well as welfare entitlements.

You will be involved in data collation and input, and in the production of management, financial and performance information. You will maintain records and statistics to enable effective monitoring and forward planning using appropriate IT systems. You will prepare and dispatch relevant communications such as licenses to occupy, behaviour agreements, suitability assessments and rent account statements.

Housing Access Officer – Placements

We’re looking for a dedicated and compassionate Housing Access Officer (Placements) to join our Housing Solutions Service. This is a role where your work genuinely matters. Every day, you’ll be helping households in crisis access safe, suitable temporary accommodation — often at one of the most challenging moments in their lives.

If you’re motivated by making a difference and thrive in a fast-paced, people-focused environment, this could be the perfect next step in your housing career.

What You’ll Be Doing

As part of a supportive team led by a Senior Housing Solutions Officer, you’ll play a key role in managing temporary accommodation across the district. Your work will help the council meet its statutory homelessness duties while ensuring customers receive a high-quality, respectful service.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Monitoring the availability of all temporary accommodation used by the council.
• Working closely with internal teams and external providers to ensure voids are returned quickly and stock levels are accurate.
• Assessing placement approvals and matching households to suitable accommodation (with support from senior colleagues).
• Delivering a full sign-up service for customers, ensuring all agreements, documents and information are completed and explained clearly.
• Managing income for temporary accommodation placements, including housing benefit claims, rent and service charge monitoring, and early debt recovery actions.
• Preparing and issuing key documents such as licences to occupy, behaviour agreements, suitability assessments and rent statements.
• Maintaining accurate records and data to support performance monitoring and future planning.
• Building strong working relationships with partners including Kirklees Homes and Neighbourhoods, Customer and Exchequer Services, and framework accommodation providers.

Who We’re Looking For

You don’t need to be an expert on day one — we’ll support you to develop. But you will bring:

• A genuine commitment to supporting vulnerable households.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Confidence working with customers in sensitive or challenging situations.
• An understanding of (or willingness to learn about) homelessness legislation, tenancy law, property standards and welfare entitlements.
• Good communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and partners.
• Confidence using IT systems to record and manage information accurately.

Why Join Us?

• A friendly, supportive team with experienced senior officers to guide you.
• Opportunities for training, development and career progression.
• A role where your work has a direct, positive impact on people’s lives.
• The chance to contribute to a vital frontline service supporting some of the most vulnerable households in Kirklees.