Senior Manager - Homeless Prevention & Advice Service (HPAS) £51,093 - £54,129 per annum About Newham HPAS Having undergone a significant transformation, Newham HPAS is on course to prevent a record number of homelessness cases in 2024/25. A significant part of our success in this area is our new upstream homeless prevention team which seeks to resolve homelessness before crisis. As the operational lead in this area, the post holder will be instrumental in ensuring the ongoing success. About the Job This role is suitable for experienced Managers who have significant experience delivering a homelessness prevention and assessment service within the demanding environment within or equivalent to, an inner-London Borough. Leading a team of approximately 20 staff with assistance from three team leaders, the post holder will ensure full compliance with the statutory duties on the local authority, whilst ensuring the service is making every conceivable effort to prevent homelessness where possible through the provision of tailored advice, advocacy, negotiation, mediation and exploration of all suitable options. As Senior Manager (Prevention), you will be the operational service lead for upstream prevention. As well as leading two teams of Housing Advisors, you will also lead Newham HPAS’ new Early Intervention Team which seeks to maximise upstream prevention through use of tenancy sustainment, DHP and linking in with Homefinder UK & Bridge Housing Solutions. The post holder will be required to be innovative, dynamic and solutions focussed to put into place practices preventing clients from becoming homeless. In addition to this the post holder will be required to develop, design and implement new operating environments to develop the wider Homelessness Prevention and Advice Service. We may not always be able to give people what they want, but we should always be honest and treat them with respect, in consideration of their situation. As a Senior Manager you will be responsible for responding to complaints, Member Enquiries, FOIs and complaints/enquiries from the Ombudsman and ensuring that the Service is able to learn from this and continuously improve. You will be expected to: Be the operational lead in preventing homelessness for London Borough of Newham, receiving more than 6500 applications per year. Create and maintain strategic partnerships and relationships with other professionals and agencies, in order to maximise the prevention of homelessness. Create innovative policies and procedures to support these households to maintain their current home or access alternative, suitable, accommodation, whilst ensuring full compliance with statutory duties, Government Code of Guidance, caselaw and best practice. Ensure Team Leaders are correctly and accurately assessing homeless applications undertaken within their teams, making sure the Council fulfils its statutory duties in relation to homelessness (and associated) legislation; whilst driving performance. Investigate and respond to complaints, Member’s Enquiries, Ombudsman investigations and Freedom of Information requests, as necessary. To use these as a ‘learning opportunity’ in identifying issues and then developing and implementing practice leading to continual service improvement. About You You will be expected to have a knowledge of: A comprehensive knowledge of the relevant legislation relating to housing and homelessness, Codes of Guidance and case law. A comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the housing and support needs of homeless and housing applicants and tenants. Comprehensive knowledge of best practice for responding to complaints and enquiries. A full understanding of the housing issues facing a high demand London local authority. A broad knowledge of welfare rights law and practice and specific knowledge of welfare reforms And the following skills, abilities and experiences Experience of delivering a high quality housing service in a related area for a large local authority or comparable organisation. Monitoring of performance, producing reports and analysing data in order to drive service improvements. Leading, motivating and managing a service to achieve significant, sustainable improvements and positive outcomes through internal and external partnerships. Possess the desire for continual learning and development Understanding the principles of coaching and development with demonstrable knowledge of how this would be applied Understanding the principles of a prevention and options approach in tackling the issue of homelessness and of coaching and helping staff to use negotiation tools in an advice or advocacy setting. Working within a large, complex, customer-focused organisation with a significant emphasis on performance management. Dealing with complaints and/or Member Enquiries, with demonstrable evidence of using these to enhance service delivery. What Newham can Offer We've been working hard to make Newham a great place to work. We will offer you: A competitive package of up to £54,129 Flexible working arrangements and the opportunity to work from home up to 4 days a week Smarter Working with new modern technology Permanent and stable senior leadership with a consistent vision. Tailored, on the job training developed through personal 1-2-1’s and analysis of cases in order to create a culture of continual learning Wellbeing service, leisure and discount benefits (Council scheme). Travel season ticket loan, cycle scheme, Local Authority pension. TO APPLY To apply please submit your CV and a supporting statement through our recruitment portal. The supporting statement should demonstrate how you meet the relevant requirements listed in the person specification section of the job description. This should be no more than 3 sides of A4. If you would like to discuss this role, please email Andrew Tonkin ([email protected]) Head of HPAS including a brief summary of your experience. Please note many requests may be received and not all can be responded to. To view the Job Description and Person Specification please click the link below: Homeless Prevention & Advice Team Manager (Prevention) - JD Closing date: 25th August 2024 at 23:59 Additional Information We are committed to creating an inclusive, anti-racist environment for all. When you apply for a job at Newham, your application is considered on its merits regardless of your age, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender identity or sexual orientation. If you share our vision and values, and you bring the experience and skills we need, that’s all that matters to us. The London Borough of Newham has important responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. If you are appointed to a job that involves working with these groups, you may be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Please attach your supporting statement, explaining in no more than x2 A4 sides why and how you meet the criteria for this role. 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