Housing Placements Officer

Overview

Are you passionate about helping vulnerable residents and ensuring people have access to safe and suitable temporary accommodation when they need it most?

We're looking for a dedicated and organised Housing Placement Officer to join our Housing & Strategy team. This is a rewarding opportunity to play a key role in supporting individuals and families facing homelessness by securing and managing temporary accommodation placements, coordinating move-ins and move-outs, and helping residents throughout their stay. You'll work closely with accommodation providers, housing colleagues and partner agencies to ensure residents receive a professional, responsive and compassionate service.

This position is being offered as a fixed-term/secondment opportunity until September 2027.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.  

About the role

As a Housing Placement Officer, you'll be responsible for sourcing and arranging temporary accommodation for households in need, ensuring placements are appropriate, cost-effective and meet the needs of residents. You'll manage a varied caseload and act as a key point of contact for residents, accommodation providers and partner organisations.

Key responsibilities include:

• Sourcing and arranging temporary accommodation placements for individuals and families.
• Managing placements across council-owned properties, Registered Provider accommodation and nightly paid providers.
• Coordinating resident move-ins and move-outs and issuing accommodation licences.
• Monitoring placements to ensure accommodation remains suitable and cost-effective.
• Working closely with Temporary Accommodation Asset Officers to manage property availability and voids.
• Maintaining accurate records and managing complex casework using housing management systems.
• Liaising with external agencies and accommodation providers to gather information and resolve issues.
• Supporting vulnerable residents and helping them understand their housing options and responsibilities.
• Managing potentially difficult situations with professionalism, empathy and tact.
• Ensuring all work complies with relevant legislation, policies and data protection requirements.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

 

About you

We're looking for someone who combines excellent organisational skills with a strong customer-focused approach. You'll be confident working with a diverse range of people, including vulnerable residents, and able to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

You'll bring:

• Experience within housing, homelessness, temporary accommodation or a related customer-focused environment
• Knowledge of housing legislation, particularly homelessness and temporary accommodation services
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex information clearly and sensitively
• Strong case management, administrative and IT skills
• The ability to investigate, analyse information and make informed decisions
• Experience working with external agencies, providers and stakeholders
• Strong negotiation and problem-solving skills
• The ability to manage challenging situations calmly and professionally
• A compassionate and customer-focused approach, with the ability to build positive relationships
• Good organisational skills and the ability to prioritise a varied workload effectively

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Other information

For more information about this role, please contact Mandy Ryan at [email protected] for an informal discussion.

Closing date: 23:59 Monday 2nd November 2026

Interview Date: Interviews to commence on the week of 2nd November

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Planning, Growth and Sustainability directorate works with partners to help shape the future of Buckinghamshire.  We deliver services on planning, economic growth, regeneration, strategic infrastructure, transport and property.

 Our key priorities include developing the economic narrative for Bucks, creating more jobs and delivering the right infrastructure to help businesses and residents thrive. We also aim to provide a proactive planning service that is responsive, whilst making the best use of the Council’s land and property portfolio. This will in turn support community services and create housing, jobs, regeneration and income to support public services.

 It’s a great time to join one of our teams. As part of the Planning, Growth and Sustainability function you will not only get to help shape the economic future of Buckinghamshire; you’ll also be involved in delivering high-profile development projects and work on some of the biggest infrastructure projects in the UK. You will support us to deliver the results that our local residents and businesses deserve.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/