Technical Support Officer - Housing Property Services Team

We're looking for a dedicated Technical Support Officer to join our Housing Property Services team. In this essential role, you'll provide high-quality administrative and technical support to our housing teams - including property services, engineering, repairs & maintenance, and compliance.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

We support hybrid working, it's important to us that working arrangements are designed to enable our employees to excel and within this role you'll have the opportunity to work in a way that suits your lifestyle.

About the role:

You'll be the first point of contact for internal and external customers, helping to progress housing planned programmes of work, essential cyclical programmes and work stream linked to statutory compliance obligation as a social landlord, process invoices, maintain records, and handle queries with professionalism and care.

Your day-to-day work could vary from working with our team on a Zero Carbon strategy to our existing housing stock, to assisting with admin function to enable various Maintenance / Servicing program of works as well as our additional projects. We work with various departments within the wider housing property services team therefore you could find yourself liaising with other departments such as our Sheltered Housing team.

Role responsibilities:

• Supporting frontline housing services with efficient and accurate admin support
• Maintaining and updating databases and documentation
• Handling customer and contractor enquiries via phone and face-to-face
• Raising purchase orders and processing invoices
• Preparing and distributing letter communications to keep residents informed and resolving and responding to complaints
• Attending sites to conduct site inspections as and when required
• Taking minutes at meetings and coordinating appointments
• Delivering excellent customer service and teamwork across departments

Works include carrying out administration to facilitate contracts and projects of a vast portfolio as well as the day-to-day administration requirements for the service.

You will be part of an operational team providing an efficient and effective service and good customer care, meeting the needs of both internal and external customers. You will update and maintain database records, produce documents and standard letters, process work tickets for the in-house Housing Repairs and Maintenance Service and generally provide technical administration support for all areas of the team.

About you:

The following experience is required for this role:

• Competent literacy and numeracy.
• Ability to compose short letters with correct punctuation, spelling and grammar, whilst expressing accurate information.
• Uploading of documentation to various systems as required for regulatory purposes and standards.
• Raising of purchase orders and works orders as required.
• Knowledge of schedule of rates in the construction industry and their use.
• Experience of large-scale data entry, and administrative work.
• Happy supporting customer or clients face to face, by telephone or through Teams.
• Comfortable using IT to amend and develop database records and complete reports.
• Ability to work with initiative, be solution driven and orientated in assisting the team in finding solutions to issues.

You'll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you'll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.

Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:

Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do

Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential

Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance - striving to be even better - and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way

Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed

Our offer:

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition is strongly encouraged, and you'll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
• A wide range of flexible working opportunities
• Modern working environment at 19 Bennet Road, Reading
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
• On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted
• Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work
• Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax

For more information on this position please contact: David Ade - Engineering Services Manager, David.ade@reading.gov.uk

Closing Date: Sunday 20th July 2025

Interview Date: to be confirmed

Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.