Job Description

Job Title

: Housing Apprentice

Contract Type

: 18 months - Apprentice

Salary

: 10 under 21 / 12.21 over 21

Working Hours

: 35 hours per week

Working

Pattern

: Monday-Friday 9-5

Location

: Central London / Hybrid

If you share our values and are excited about making a significant impact at Riverside, please ensure you attach a current CV and covering letter. At Riverside we recruit to potential not just on skills and experience, so we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all the essential criteria on the job description.

The difference you will make as Housing Apprentice

In this role you will support the London Housing services team, to pro-actively manage, maintain and improve designated social housing neighbourhoods; working towards dealing with all aspects of tenancy conditions, including service failures, promoting and adopting a culture of customer care in accordance with agreed processes, standards, timescales and targets. Your tasks including but not limited to, communication with customers via or customer management system CRM, assisting mutual exchanges, offering patch cover housing officers when required, system changes to reflect tenancy changes and updates.

About you

We are looking for someone with:


Proven track record of delivering a customer service function, preferably in the housing sector although not essential. Customer focused with excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to work at all levels within the business. Excellent attention to detail with the ability to work under pressure Ability to remain calm in a pressurised environment. Proficient use of a range of IT packages including Microsoft Office. Excellent team player who can work flexibly to meet business requirements.

Why Riverside?

At Riverside, we're a housing association with a difference - enhancing the everyday for all our customers. For 90 years, we've been revitalising neighbourhoods and supporting communities by providing the homes they need to live full, fulfilling and rewarding lives.


We have a portfolio of over 75,000 affordable residential and retirement homes across the UK. Our work ranges from homelessness services to social care, employment support to retirement living, and we need the best people on board to help us.

Working with us, you'll enjoy:

Competitive pay & generous pension 28 days holidays plus bank holidays Flexible working options available Investment in your learning, personal development and technology A wide range of benefits

Diversity and Inclusion at Riverside:

We are inclusive. At Riverside, we value diversity in all its forms. We foster a workplace where all individuals are respected, empowered, and heard. Our commitment to inclusivity drives our success and enriches the lives of our customers and colleagues.

Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to avoid disappointment.

Role requires you to:

Support the London Housing services team, to pro-actively manage, maintain and improve designated social housing neighbourhoods; working towards dealing with all aspects of tenancy conditions, including service failures, promoting and adopting a culture of customer care in accordance with agreed processes, standards, timescales and targets. Tasks including but not limited to, communication with customers via or customer management system CRM, assisting mutual exchanges, offering patch cover housing officers when required, system changes to reflect tenancy changes and updates. Provide clear, supportive and accurate advice to customers, understanding basic tenancy management and being able to signpost internally and externally to support services where appropriate to ensure awareness of the service and the effective progression and resolution of cases. Be accountable for maximising and increasing income collection, working in partnership with shared service colleagues to ensure good payment practices are established from tenancy start, support customers with benefit claims, signposting for advice. When supporting customers be responsible for liaising with internal & external stakeholders to ensure services and actions are effective and efficient to build lasting, satisfactory and sustainable tenancies. Supporting the Housing services officers, with managing their 'patch profitability', minimising void rent loss, identify cash leakage, working in partnership with the housing officer and be required to support property inspections, viewings and managing tenancy sign ups and new tenancy visits. Provide clear, supportive and accurate advice to customers, including signposting to internal and external support services where appropriate to ensure awareness of the service and the effective progression and resolution of cases.

Other Information

You will undertake regular training to enable you to deliver your role safely. As part of your apprenticeship program, you will be required to have 1 day per week study to obtain your apprentice qualification. From time to time you may be required to undertake additional duties and responsibilities of an equivalent nature, in consultation with your Line Manager. Commission, direct and influence other teams as appropriate to resolve low level anti-social behaviour issues, hate crimes, domestic abuse and issues impacting community cohesion, escalating complex cases to the Community Safety Team as appropriate. Maximise the use of mobile technology to ensure the provision of an efficient and proactive customer service to customers. Champion and promote usage of the online self-service facility, to contribute to ongoing financial efficiencies across the Group by reducing the demand on front line resources. Work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders to deliver customer involvement objectives and stakeholder management within a specified area, attending community meetings where relevant to the Group and its customers. Build effective and strong relationships with customers, identify customer's needs and aspirations, provide targeted support and use of customer intelligence to drive tenancy sustainability. Provide clear, supportive and accurate social housing advice to customers, colleagues and other stakeholders, including signposting where appropriate, to ensure awareness of the service and the effective progression and resolution of cases. Act as an advocate for customers, both internally and externally where appropriate to ensure their expectations are maintained and they are receiving the appropriate levels of service. Work with customers to minimise and resolve issues and complaints, liaising with the Customer Complaints Team to resolve escalated complaints as required. Promote opportunities for customers to engage with and be involved in key decision making through our customer involvement function, to ensure the delivery of a service that meets their needs. Work with regional colleagues, providing local intelligence on neighbourhood level issues to contribute to the regional planning process. Ensure internal business processes are followed in line with the Group's policy, procedures and statutory requirements. Maintain accurate records using appropriate systems, ensuring the integrity and quality of Social Housing service data, to enable regular analysis to be carried out and reporting to be completed as required. Accountable for organising your own work, priorities and objectives to meet the organisational goals, with the focus being "self-led" with customers need and requirements at the forefront to improve the areas for which you are responsible for. Respond flexibly to any necessary changes in work priorities and undertake other duties when required to support the effective operation of the service. Build relationships with local stakeholders in order to foster partnership working to deliver shared neighbourhood improvement. Ensure that all data protection requirements are met in accordance with the Group's policy, procedures and statutory requirements. Ensure that health and safety requirements are met in accordance with the Group's policy, procedures and statutory requirements.

Person specification

Essential

Proven track record of delivering a customer service function, preferably in the housing sector although not essential. Customer focused with excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to work at all levels within the business. Excellent attention to detail with the ability to work under pressure Ability to remain calm in a pressurised environment. Proficient use of a range of IT packages including Microsoft Office. Excellent team player who can work flexibly to meet business requirements.

Desirable

Experience of agile/flexible working.
Experience of setting work priorities and arrangements, being self-led and working with minimal supervision.