Housing Option Officer jobs

About the role

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people and the difference they make. As a Supported Housing Regulatory Compliance Lead Officer, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping and strengthening how supported housing operates across West Northamptonshire. Working within our Revenues and Benefits service, you’ll lead the Council’s Supported Housing Regulatory Compliance Programme, helping to ensure providers meet statutory and regulatory requirements while delivering quality accommodation and support for some of our most vulnerable residents.

This is a high-profile role where your expertise will influence policy, compliance and service delivery across multiple partners and agencies. You’ll have the opportunity to lead on new regulatory requirements, drive improvements across the sector and help safeguard significant levels of public funding through effective governance and compliance.

What will you be doing?

You’ll act as the Council’s lead specialist for supported housing regulation, providing expert advice on Housing Benefit legislation, the Care Act, supported accommodation policy and regulatory compliance. Working closely with colleagues across Housing, Homelessness, Adult Social Care and Children’s Services, as well as external providers and partners, you’ll develop and implement frameworks that support high-quality, compliant services.

A key part of the role will be leading the implementation of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Regulations, developing quality assurance systems, undertaking detailed reviews of provider models and assessing rent structures, service charges and support costs. You’ll help minimise subsidy risk, support audit and regulatory requirements, and ensure robust governance arrangements are in place. You’ll also represent the Council at cross-sector forums, lead complex negotiations, contribute to enforcement activity where necessary and provide strategic guidance that supports continuous improvement across supported housing services.

About you

You’re an experienced housing or benefits professional with significant expertise in Housing Benefit, supported housing regulation and compliance. You have a strong understanding of the legislative and operational challenges facing supported accommodation providers and can confidently interpret complex regulations, turning them into practical solutions and effective operational frameworks.

You bring excellent analytical, communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence, challenge and collaborate with a wide range of internal and external partners. You’re comfortable handling complex technical issues, producing detailed reports and leading change within a fast-evolving regulatory environment. Whether reviewing provider compliance, managing financial risk or supporting strategic decision-making, you approach your work with professionalism, integrity and a commitment to delivering positive outcomes.

Most importantly, you’ll share our ambition to innovate, improve and make a meaningful difference to our communities, bringing our THRIVE values to life in everything you do

About us

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential.  We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.

Pay: £42,861.00-£46,304.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme

Work Location: In person