Position Description

Position title / Housing Officer
Reports to / Housing Services Manager
Team Function / Housing Service Operations
Location / Adelaide
Hours per week / Full time (38 hours/week)

Our Vision

All people affordably housed in neighbourhoods that support life opportunities.

Our Mission

To be a leading provider of affordable homes across Australia, working with partners to create resilient and inclusive neighbourhoods.

We provide long term solutions for people who:

  • Are disadvantaged by housing markets
  • Have a disability and/or mental health risk
  • Are homeless or at risk of homelessness
  • Are ageing and/or frail

Our Guiding Principles

Our guiding principles are at the core of how we work in our day to day roles:

  • We put our customers first
  • We work together
  • We trust and are trusted
  • We learn and adapt

Organisational Overview

Housing Choices Australia (HCA) creates safe, quality, affordable and long term housing for our tenants. As a growing housing provider, our goal is to ensure that people are housed in inclusive communities and to create homes that encourage a sense of belonging. We now own or manage more than 5,050 homes across Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. We have ambitious plans for greater impact including increasing our reach and helping more people find quality, affordable housing across the country.

Our organisational is set to achieve this by growing, developing and effectively managing affordable housing to build on HCA’s strengths and presence in around Australia. Whilst aiming to become a leader in National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

HCA has four main service delivery and team function areas across the business:

  • Housing
  • Property Development & Asset Management
  • Finance & Corporate Services
  • Strategy & Engagement

Unique to our South Australian operation, we operate Common Ground Adelaide and Port Augusta, where we offer supportive housing within mixed tenure affordable housing developments. In Adelaide, our in house support team provide a comprehensive case management service to tenants entering the program as homeless or at risk, in need of assistance to help them achieve sustainable tenancies. Common Ground operates on the housing first principle and offers an assertive case management service tailored to the needs of the individual. In Port Augusta the support service is provided by a partner agency.

Overview and Purpose of Role
The Housing Officer is responsible for delivering professional housing management services to existing and prospective clients in order to sustain successful tenancies, improve client outcomes and deliver outstanding customer service.
The position is responsible for the successful delivery of key performance measures related to tenancy and income management, this includes regulatory performance standards related to tenancy management, NRAS compliance and internal key performance measures across South Australia.
This role builds and maintains strong and effective working and business relationships with partners and stakeholders (both internal and external).
Key Accountabilities
Housing Service Operations
  • Deliver high quality housing management services to applicants, tenants and communities in South Australia through responsive, appropriate and respectful customer service.
  • Ensure day to day service delivery is conducted in accordance with the HCAs National Housing Service Standards, policies, contracts and all relevant acts, guidelines and industry standards.
  • Positively and proactively contribute to the team’s performance against key performance indicators and targets.
  • Assist with the facilitation of ongoing tenant engagement and community participation.
  • Work constructively to resolve client complaints and proactively work to prevent future complaints being lodged.
  • Effective collection of rent and enforcement of rental arrears and debts in accordance with HCAs policy and procedures.
  • Carry out regular inspections of tenancies (minimum twelve monthly) and appropriate enforcement of tenancy obligations and proactively respond to breaches.
  • Represent HCSA in the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT).
  • Work in close consultation with the Property Services Team to ensure property inspections are undertaken according to agreed timeframes and that maintenance is undertaken in a timely and effective manner.
  • Manage the community housing register, application and allocation processes in accordance with the state policy.
  • Ensure that accurate information is entered into HCA’s tenancy management system.
  • Ensure that the Housing Services Advisors receive timely information necessary to conduct reviews of rent.
  • Ensure that tenancies the subject of particular requirements under funding arrangements (such as those under the National Rental Affordability Scheme) are managed in a manner which is compliant with the requirements of those arrangements.
  • Support other team members to carry out their duties.
Customer Service
  • Deliver outstanding customer service through timely, accurate and clear communication with clients, the adoption of a positive “can do” attitude and constructive responses to clients concerns, queries and requests.
  • Work collaboratively to provide efficient and streamlined customer service which is valued and highly regarded by our customers.
  • Effectively deal with customer requests, needs and requirements and proactively receive and act on feedback and complaints, escalating complex matters as required.
  • Work as a contributing team member and participate in coaching, team activities and training to continuously support best practice in customer service.
  • Maintain accurate customer service data, information and records as required.
Stakeholder Relationships
  • Build and maintain strong and effective working and business relationships with partners and stakeholders (both internal and external).
  • Maintain active communication with all constituents, assessing, listening and acting on feedback.
  • Model a strong work ethic and actively build relationship equity with stakeholders to drive loyalty, engagement and satisfaction.
Continuous Improvement
  • Identify innovative ideas and process improvement activities which lead to positive change and outcomes.
  • Assist in the development of policies and procedures for all aspects of work undertaken within your team function that comply with legislation, good practice and regulatory requirements.
  • Maintain own professional knowledge and networks and undertakes training and development as requested by HCA within designated timeframes.
Work Health and Safety
  • Participate in the development of a safe and healthy workplace.
  • Comply with to HCA’s WHS policies and procedures instructions given for own safety and health and that of others, in adhering to safe work procedures.
  • Take reasonable care to ensure own safety and health and that of others, and abide by their duty of care provided for in the legislation.
  • Report any injury, hazard or illness immediately, where practical to their line manager.

General Requirements
All Housing Choices SA employees are required to:
 comply with all Housing Choices’ policies and procedures
 comply with all Commonwealth and State legislation relevant to the organisation, including workplace relations and occupational health and safety legislation and regulation
 as a public officer under the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Act 2012 (ICAC Act), accept the obligation to report certain types of conduct to the Office for Public Integrity (OPI)
 work in a collaborative fashion with Housing Choices customers, staff and stakeholders
 uphold and enhance the reputation of Housing Choices
 maintain the highest level of integrity in the conduct of Housing Choices business
 undertake identified training and development activities/programmes
Other Requirements
It is a requirement of this position that the post holder has:
 a current relevant history assessment and clearance document from the Department of Communities and Inclusion Screening Unit
 given consent for this information to be shared with the South Australian Housing Trust
 agreed to comply with HCSA’s Child Safe Environments policies and procedures
 a current driver’s license and willingness to travel across Housing Choices’ sites as required
Essential Selection Criteria
Experience
  • Significant experience in a customer service role.
  • Experience in managing a sizeable portfolio of tenancies in the public/community or private sector housing.
  • Experience in dealing with complex and challenging housing management issues including eviction and court proceedings.
  • Experience in dealing with complex and challenging customers/clients.
  • Experience in the use of the Microsoft Office, Housing Management and/or Customer Relationship Management Systems.
Knowledge and Qualifications
  • Degree in Social Science, Property Management or related discipline or equivalent experience.
  • Sound knowledge of tenancy and disability legislation and regulatory frameworks as it relates to housing management activities including Residential Tenancies Act.
  • Sensitivity to and understanding of issues affecting socially disadvantaged groups including homeless people, people with disability and people from a non-English speaking background
Skills
  • Highly developed written and oral communication skills and relationship management skills.
  • Well-developed organisational skills including ability to manage competing priorities.
  • Well-developed presentation skills, including ability to represent HCA in range of external forums and with a diverse range of stakeholders (clients, government departments, tribunals/courts, other service providers, etc).
  • Well-developed problem solving and influencing skills including ability to recommend strategies for resolution/service improvement to management.
  • An ability to adapt to changing environments and requirements including an ability to lead others through the process of change.

This role description is accepted by:
Job Holder……………………………………………………….Date………………………….
Manager……………………………………………………….Date………………………….

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