Assessment Officer

• Reference: ES82
• Division: Strategic Housing
• Salary: £32,287.00 - £38,133.00 per annum
• Contract type: Fixed term
• Posted on: 21 August 2025
• Interview date:12 September 2025
• Extra payment(s): Not applicable

• Positions: 1
• Category: Housing
• Grade: F - G
• Working hours: 37 per week
• Closing date: 03 September 2025
• Location: Town Hall, Crawley
• Location type: Hybrid

About the role

We are currently seeking an Assessment Officer to join the Housing Options team on a 12-month fixed term contract to backfill for an internal secondment.

Our Assessment Officers provide the initial assessment service for customers approaching the council who may be threatened with homelessness or who may be already homeless. The Assessment Service also provides an early intervention service for those customers who require housing advice and assistance at an early stage. The Assessment Service is part of the Housing Options Team who work together to prevent and relieve homelessness.

We are looking for a confident person with exceptional customer service skills to communicate clearly and effectively with customers, landlords, accommodation providers, partner organisations and other professionals both face to face, by telephone and by email. With the ability to clearly explain to customers the type of help the council is likely to be able to provide and to understand what this will look and feel like and help manage their expectations where required.

You will need to be efficient and effective in extracting and recording relevant information from customers to be able to understand the issues and assess the urgency of their enquiry. You will need to ensure customers are clear on the next steps that they and the council will need to take and when this will happen. Competent IT and administration skills are essential.

You will need to assess and prioritise customer appointments from completed application forms, which you will be managing as part of a team, being able to recognise the urgency of situations and communicating with other colleagues and professionals where appropriate.

During that assessment appointment, you will determine housing and support needs of customers. You will also support customers through early intervention work and hold a caseload of early intervention and triage cases. The Assessment Officers also trigger any statutory duties owed to a customer where appropriate, working closely with their housing options colleagues to progress casework.

Preference will be given to candidates with a current working knowledge of relevant legislation and the various voluntary and statutory organisations locally and nationally that can assist the council in the prevention and relief of homelessness.

We are looking for a candidate who is an active listener who can work independently and use their own initiative within a wider team environment and be calm and resilient when dealing with challenging situations. Whilst previous experience of front line interviewing within a demanding service is desirable, full training will be provided to the right candidate who can demonstrate the qualities and skills required for this role, in the absence of any experienced applicants.

We recommend that you submit your application as soon as possible, as we may close this advert before the stated closing date if enough applications are received.

Additional information

Fixed term contract for 12 months.

37 hours per week including flexi time system.

Employee benefits

We offer a generous employee benefits package, with a range of discounts, benefits and wellbeing incentives to suit everyone.

Our way of working

Our shared values and behaviours reflect the special nature of our council. We encourage all colleagues to put them into practice, whatever job they do. Take a look to see if we are the perfect match.

Safer recruitment

Crawley Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer of first choice reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all under represented groups.

How to apply

Click the Apply button to complete your application online. Please ensure that the reference details you supply are for your current or most recent employer and that any gaps in employment are covered on your application form. Please note that CVs will not be accepted without a fully completed application form.

For an informal conversation or further information regarding the role, email sarah.bloom@crawley.gov.uk, or call on 01293 438586.

Related documents

• Assessment Officer job description (PDF, 150.79 KB)