Housing Options Officer – Thrive 16+

About the job

Key information

• Full time, 37 hours per week
• Salary: £28,598 – £32,061 per annum (plus a £4,451 recruitment allowance which expires on 31/12/2028)
• Hybrid working with a mix of office, remote and in-county work
• 28 days annual leave
• Permanent

Regretfully, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. We are only able to proceed with candidates who already have the right to work in the UK without the need for visa sponsorship.

What will I be doing?

You’ll be supporting young people between the ages of 16 and 25, across Somerset who are experiencing – or at risk of – homelessness.

As a Housing Options Officer with Thrive 16+, you’ll manage a varied caseload, working closely with applicants, partner agencies and social care colleagues to prevent or relieve homelessness wherever possible.

You’ll play a key part in delivering a compassionate, efficient service that’s grounded in legislation, good practice and doing what’s right for our young people.

We are a unique service and aspire to help our most vulnerable young people achieve long term independent living.

This is a hybrid role, with a mix of office, remote and across-county work. You may occasionally need to work outside normal hours to deal with emergency cases or to attend meetings.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We work with some of the most vulnerable young people in our community – and if we’re honest, sometimes it’s incredibly difficult.

Yes, you need to be creative, inquisitive and able to find effective solutions, but above all you need to be resilient and able to make difficult decisions when you need to.

That’s why experience of working with young people, families or vulnerable adults, as well as managing a caseload in some way, is essential to be considered for this role.

You might currently be in a similar role to this one, or you might have worked as a Police Officer, a Social Work Assistant or a Youth Worker. Either way, you’re used to working with multiple agencies, comfortable distilling complex information in a way that people can understand and know how to keep clear boundaries.

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?

Think rolling hills, stunning coastlines, and vibrant market towns. Somerset offers a fantastic quality of life – whether you’re into countryside walks, historic villages, or great food and drink. Plus, you’re never far from Bristol, Bath, and Exeter for a little bit of “City buzz” when you want it.

We’re 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 some fantastic employee benefits:

• 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…

DBS check

This role requires an enhanced DBS via the online disclosure procedure.

Supporting documents and information

For an informal chat about the role, please contact Laura Smalldon – laura.smalldon@somerset.gov.uk/01823 356303.

Planned interview date – 30/03/2026

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.

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