Affordable Housing Officer

About the job

Key information

• This role offers hybrid working. The location base can be Taunton, Bridgwater, Shepton Mallet or Yeovil. The location will be agreed with the successful candidate and line manager.
• 30 days’ annual leave (in addition to bank holidays)
• Permanent contract

What will I be doing?

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an organised and self-motivated person to join the Affordable Housing Team.

We’re working to improve the lives of people in Somerset – and you’ll be a key part of that. As an Affordable Housing Officer, you will play a crucial role within the Housing General Fund directorate, focusing on the development and delivery of affordable housing solutions across Somerset. This role will ensure affordable housing proposals are integrated and built to deliver against housing need, creating safe, healthy homes and encouraging diverse and sustainable communities.

Your day-to-day work will involve:

• Representing the Council as a lead specialist for affordable housing.
• Providing specialist advice, technical guidance, and strategic leadership on affordable housing projects.
• Collaborating with providers to initiate housing developments, unblock barriers and actively work through creative solutions to influence the type and quantity of affordable housing.
• Working with key stakeholders to secure the delivery of affordable housing
• Engaging with local communities responding to and acting upon local affordable housing matters.

We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life, so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including working from home, with agreement from the manager.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But it will really help if you:

• Are educated to Degree Level standard or 3-5 years equivalent experience.
• Have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to consult, influence and negotiate whilst multitasking and working under pressure.
• Have experience in negotiating contractual terms with external parties and maintaining effective relationships with stakeholders, agencies and local communities.
• Have experience in writing and presenting reports to diverse audiences.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

What is in it for me?

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

Supporting documents and information

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Jo Humble, Head of Service – Affordable Housing on 07808 847 361 or jo.humble@Somerset.gov.uk

A Personal Statement should be completed. A CV without a completed personal statement will not be accepted. When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

Interview week commencing Monday 22 September 2025

If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button – we can’t wait to hear from you.

Apply on the Somerset Council website

Apply now