Call Before You Serve Officer

Salary: £28,608 - £30,515 a year
Location: Council House and Hybrid
Hours: 21.72 hours per week
Working Pattern: 3 days per week
Contract Type: Temporary / Fixed Term for 18 months
Closing Date: 23rd October 2026

The Opportunity
Join DASH (Decent and Safe Homes) Services, an innovative regional service hosted by Derby City Council and working with Local Authorities across England to improve standards and outcomes within the private rented sector. As a Call Before You Serve (CB4YS) Officer, you will play a vital role in preventing homelessness by supporting landlords, tenants and local authority partners to sustain tenancies and resolve housing issues before they reach crisis point. This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference, using your housing and homelessness expertise to deliver practical solutions that help people remain in their homes while building positive relationships across the private rented sector.

What you’ll be doing
• Managing a caseload of referrals aimed at preventing homelessness and sustaining private rented sector tenancies.
• Providing specialist advice on tenancy law, housing legislation, homelessness prevention, welfare benefits and the private rented sector.
• Working closely with landlords, tenants and local authority officers to identify practical solutions that prevent tenancy breakdown and homelessness.
• Delivering mediation and negotiation between landlords and tenants to achieve positive outcomes and avoid eviction.
• Supporting landlords to understand and comply with relevant housing and tenancy legislation.
• Gathering, analysing and presenting information to assist local authorities in making housing and homelessness decisions.
• Maintaining accurate case records, reports and performance data in line with quality standards and data protection requirements.
• Monitoring progress against service level agreements, performance targets and customer outcomes.

About you
You will be a motivated and solutions-focused professional with experience in homelessness prevention, housing advice, welfare benefits or the private rented sector. You will have a strong understanding of housing legislation, tenancy law and the challenges faced by both landlords and tenants, with the confidence to provide accurate guidance in complex situations.

You will also have:
• GCSE Grade C (or equivalent) in English and Maths.
• Knowledge of homelessness legislation, including the Homelessness Reduction Act.
• Knowledge of housing law, tenancy legislation and the Renters' Rights framework.
• Experience of working within homelessness prevention, housing, lettings or the private rented sector.
• A strong understanding of welfare benefits, Universal Credit and Welfare Reform.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to build rapport, influence, negotiate and mediate effectively.
• Experience of delivering advice and support over the telephone, online and face to face.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret legislation and assess individual circumstances.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• A customer-focused, non-judgemental and empathetic approach when supporting people in challenging situations.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office applications, including Excel and PowerPoint.
• The ability to work independently while contributing positively to a collaborative team environment.
• A positive, enthusiastic and resilient attitude, with a genuine commitment to preventing homelessness and improving housing outcomes.

This role is ideal for someone with a proactive, can-do approach who is passionate about making a difference, enjoys building positive relationships with landlords and partners, and is committed to helping people achieve sustainable housing solutions.

Who We Are
At Derby City Council, we're proud to deliver over 250 essential services that support our residents, communities and businesses. Guided by our vision to create an Inclusive, Green, Growing and Vibrant City, we put people at the heart of everything we do.

Our values shape how we work every day. We believe in Great People, One Team, we're Bold in embracing change, Strong in delivering for our communities, and We Care about making a positive difference.

Join us and you'll be part of an ambitious, collaborative organisation where you can develop your career while helping to shape Derby's future.

Why join Derby City Council?
At Derby City Council, you'll have the opportunity to make a real difference while building a rewarding career in an organisation that values, supports and invests in its people. Alongside the opportunity to help shape the future of Derby, you'll benefit from a comprehensive range of employee benefits, including:

Financial Benefits
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) – a secure, defined benefit pension with life cover
• Team Derby Rewards – discounts across a wide range of retail, leisure and lifestyle brands
• Tusker Car Benefit Scheme – a salary sacrifice scheme for leasing a brand-new, fully maintained and insured vehicle
Work-Life Balance
• Generous annual leave, starting at 27 days and rising to 32 days after five years' service (plus bank holidays, depending on your contract)
• The option to purchase additional annual leave
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements for many roles
• Flexible retirement options, where eligible
• Support for colleagues with caring responsibilities
Learning and Development
• Learning and development opportunities, with regular career conversations to support your growth
• Leadership and management development programmes, mentoring and professional qualifications
• Modern workspaces designed to support collaboration, productivity and wellbeing
Health and Wellbeing
• Employee Assistance Programme, wellbeing support and a year-round wellbeing calendar
• Free annual flu vaccinations
• Cycle2Work Scheme and free cycle training
Community and Inclusion
• Up to 15 hours of volunteering leave each year
• Recognition through initiatives including the Here for Derby Awards and Long Service Awards
• The opportunity to join one of our Employee Networks, including LGBTQ+, Disabled Employees and Carers, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Employees, and Neurodiversity

At Derby City Council, we believe our people are our greatest strength. Whatever stage you're at in your career, you'll be joining an inclusive organisation where you'll be supported to develop, feel valued and make a meaningful difference to the communities we serve.

Some benefits are dependent on your role, contract or length of service.

How to apply
If you would like to apply for this vacancy via an application form, please submit an application via the Derby City Council website.

The closing date for this vacancy is specified at the top of the advert. Applications received after midnight on the closing date will not be accepted.

Interview dates: Week commencing 2nd November 2026
Interview location: Council House

Applying using your CV
We recognise that people apply for roles in different ways and want our recruitment process to be as accessible and inclusive as possible. If you would prefer to apply using a CV rather than completing an application form, please complete the attached Declaration Form an