Empty Homes Partnership Officer

Salary: £37,181 per annum pro rata

Location: Hybrid, Edinburgh office at least once a week

Contract: Fixed Term until 31/03/2025 (extension subject to funding)

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Closing date: Thursday 26th September 2024 at 11:30pm

Do you have proven experience communicating and influencing at all levels? Are you passionate about using your working knowledge of housing policy in Scotland to help end the housing emergency?

Then join Shelter Scotland as Empty Homes Partnership Officer – Scottish Empty Homes Partnership and you could soon be supporting the project deliver its vital strategy to bring more empty homes back into use.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to use your partnership-developing skills to support the Scottish Empty Homes Officer Network, influence councils and connect with housing associations and third sector partners. Proactive and forward thinking, you will discover barriers to bringing empty homes back to use, compile evidence, assist with reports and outline recommendations for future sector development.

We’ll also count on your expertise in the sector to line manage the senior empty homes adviser, provide training and consultancy and support the annual conference.

About you

Fearless in your dedication to solving the housing crisis, we’re looking for a forward thinker who is not afraid to share best practice. With excellent communication skills, you will excel in motivating as you deliver training, develop partnerships and influence at all levels. You’re excited for the opportunity to line manage the work of Senior Empty Homes adviser and keen to develop your people management skills.

With a background in housing policy in Scotland, your expertise will be instrumental to working with services to bring empty homes back into use.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension, and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support, and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

To find out more about the role and the benefits of working for Shelter please visit our website. Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.

About the team

Part of an award-winning Communication & Policy Department, our Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP) is a Scottish Government funded project aimed at enabling private sector empty homes to be brought back into use across Scotland. The Partnership achieves this via a mix of policy work, capacity building, training, best practice sharing and awareness raising with councils, community groups and others.

It’s also home to the national Empty Homes Advice Service - a public facing advice line that anyone can call for help or to report an empty home.

About Shelter Scotland

A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet over a million people in Scotland struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change, with individuals, in communities, across society, and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

At Shelter Scotland we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home. Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe that to win that fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent.

We have committed to combat racism both within and outside Shelter Scotland and welcome you on our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.

How to Apply

Please click ‘Apply for Job’ below. You are required to submit a CV and a supporting statement outlining your interest in the role. Please provide specific examples of how you meet the criteria, responding to points 1 - 5 in the 'About you' section of the attached Job Description. Throughout your response, ensure you demonstrate how you address the following Shelter behaviours:

• We prioritise diversity and have an inclusive and open mindset

Applications without a Supporting Statement will not be considered.

Safeguarding statement

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.