Benefits and Housing Needs Officer 120157
| Posting date: | 07 October 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £164.60 per day |
| Additional salary information: | per day PAYE |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 05 November 2025 |
| Location: | Hackney, London, E8 1DY |
| Company: | Triumph Consultants Ltd |
| Job type: | Temporary |
| Job reference: | Hackney 120157 |
Summary
What's involved with this role:
JOB TITLE: Benefits & Housing Needs Officer
REF: Hackney 120157
Pay rate: Approximately £164.60 per day PAYE
Contract Type: Temporary, Anticipated 6 months
Working Arrangement: On-site
In order to apply for this role you should have a strong background in welfare benefits with experience in using benefits systems, including Academy, Comino, and Searchlight. Along with experience assessing DHPs in line with policy and guidance.
The role:
On behalf of a local council, we are seeking a Benefits & Housing Needs Officer with a strong understanding of the welfare benefits system to provide direct support to residents and help in the prevention of homelessness.
This is a crucial role where you will be the first point of contact for residents struggling with their housing costs. You will take a holistic and hands-on approach, using your expertise to provide immediate financial relief while empowering residents to achieve long-term financial stability.
As a Benefits and Housing Needs Officer, you will be responsible for both the specialist assessment of applications and the administrative processes that ensure our service runs efficiently. You will be expected to support approximately 10-15 residents a week.
Key Responsibilities:
Engage with residents to understand their circumstances and determine suitable financial or non-financial support.
Assess, award, and process Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) in line with internal guidance.
Conduct benefit checks to identify underclaiming and maximise residents’ income through schemes like Council Tax Reduction, Universal Credit, and Pension Credit.
Develop personalised plans with residents to help sustain tenancies, including advice on downsizing or increasing income.
Review and triage incoming applications, manage the shared team inbox, and respond to resident queries.
Process payments for support schemes and maintain accurate records across systems such as Academy and Jigsaw.
Liaise with landlords (with consent) to prevent evictions and coordinate support with colleagues across services.
Produce clear, empathetic, and tailored decision letters explaining outcomes and available support.
What the client is looking for:
A strong background in welfare benefits, within housing teams in a local authority
Experience assessing DHPs in line with policy and guidance
Proficiency in using benefits systems, including Academy, Comino, and Searchlight
Proven experience in an administrative or support role, preferably within a welfare or social care environment
Experience handling sensitive and confidential information with care and integrity
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to show sensitivity and empathy when dealing with people in challenging situations
Ability to remain calm and focused under pressure
Strong organisational skills with a keen attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities efficiently
A collaborative, team-player attitude and a flexible approach to changing priorities.
How to Apply
Quote the Job Title and Reference Number in your application.
Submit your CV in Word format.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis—early submission is recommended.
We will also add your details to our mail out lists. Please note you may receive details of roles outside of your immediate vicinity, as many candidates are able to relocate temporarily for work. Please disregard any such emails that are not of interest and let us know if you would rather not receive such mailouts and/or if you wish us to delete your details and prefer to apply direct to our advertised roles.
If you do not hear from us within three working days, unfortunately your application has not been shortlisted on this occasion. Thank you for your interest in working with us
Please quote the Job Title & Vacancy Reference No. in your application, or we will be unable to match your CV to the role being applied for.
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Job Ref: Hackney 120157
Anticipated Length of Assignment: Unless otherwise stated (we do carry the occasional permanent vacancy) all of our roles are technically temporary, though opening assignments can be and often are, extended by clients on a longer term basis and can sometimes become permanent.
Please do try to resist contacting us with requests for progress updates.
We really do read every CV sent to us. All applications will be acknowledged by a human, not a robot, provided the job remains live and provided your CV meets the “Essential Requirements” listed.
Please note that we do our level best to take down ads as soon as roles have been filled. We are not in the business of harvesting CVs.
Important: We will interpret your application as being permission to submit your CV to this role (with the right to represent you) unless you advise us to the contrary.