Housing Strategy Officer
Contract: Permanent
Location: Hybrid, Plough Lane/Home working
Hours: 37 hrs per week
Salary: HC9 (£42,123 - £46,579)
Closing date: Friday 25th September 2026
Interviews: Thursday 8th October 2026
Introduction
An exciting opportunity to join Herefordshire Council’s Strategic Housing Team and help shape housing provision, policy and partnerships across the county.
The Strategic Housing Team play a critical role in helping the council meet its statutory duties as a strategic housing authority. We work across the council, with registered housing providers, partner agencies, government bodies and local communities to understand housing need, develop statutory housing policy, secure funding and deliver programmes that improve housing outcomes for people living in our community.
Our work includes
- Developing strategic housing policy and evidence
Researching housing need, analysing legislation, preparing strategies and producing high-quality reports and briefings for senior decision makers.
- Building strong housing partnerships
Working with registered providers, housing services, health and social care, voluntary organisations and other local authorities to improve housing supply, quality and outcomes.
- Delivering programmes that make a difference
Supporting commissioning, procurement, governance, funding bids and delivery of strategic housing projects for vulnerable people and households in housing need.
Join Our Strategic Housing Team – Make A Real Difference
This role helps ensure Herefordshire has the right evidence, partnerships and delivery plans in place to respond to complex housing challenges. The overall goal is to:
- Support the council’s statutory housing duties through robust policy, research, analysis and governance.
- Improve housing outcomes for residents by helping to shape services, partnerships and commissioned provision.
- Secure and maximise funding to support housing strategies, accommodation programmes and service improvements.
- Provide specialist advice to senior managers, councillors, cabinet members and colleagues across directorates.
About the Role
As a Housing Strategy Officer, you will support the development and delivery of key strategic housing projects and programmes, helping the council respond to housing need, improve services and plan for the future. You will work across policy, commissioning, partnership development, governance and project delivery, producing high-quality analysis and advice that informs decisions and supports positive outcomes for residents.
What will you be doing?
You will research and analyse housing legislation, policy and local data; prepare strategies, briefings, reports and governance documents; support consultation and engagement; and help coordinate delivery of strategic housing programmes. You will research and develop funding bids and work with housing providers, council teams and partner agencies to build strong relationships, manage risks, improve services and support the delivery of accommodation and housing-related priorities.
Key Responsibilities
- Research, monitor and explain housing legislation, policy and practice to inform strategy and decision making.
- Gather and analyse business intelligence about housing supply, need and demand across social, affordable and targeted housing.
- Draft, edit and present strategies, reports, briefings, funding applications and governance documents.
- Convene and support multi-agency meetings, forums and working groups with housing providers and partners.
- Support commissioning, procurement and redesign of housing-related services and programmes.
- Provide advice to senior managers, councillors, cabinet members and colleagues on strategic housing issues.
- Research, develop and apply for internal and external funding to deliver housing strategies and projects.
About You
- You will have substantial experience of researching and analysing complex information and preparing clear, high-quality policy, strategy or project documents.
- You will understand strategic housing issues, legislation, policy and practice, and be able to apply this knowledge in a complex and changing environment.
- You will be confident working collaboratively across organisations and professional disciplines, building strong relationships and negotiating effectively.
- You will have strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex material clearly to different audiences.
- You will be organised, diligent and able to manage competing priorities while maintaining attention to detail;
- You will be self-motivated, adaptable and creative, with the ability to take ideas from development through to delivery.
- You will hold a degree-level qualification or have equivalent extensive professional experience, with evidence of continuing professional development.
To arrange an informal discussion about the role with Hannah McSherry, Strategic Housing Manager, please contact [email protected]
We Offer
A competitive salary, holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:
- A supportive and collaborative team environment.
- Opportunities for professional development and career progression.
- The chance to make a tangible difference to the lives of residents across Herefordshire
- Salary grade HC9 £42,123 - £46,579
- Enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
- Career progression: clear pathways to progress
- Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum during the request period
- Flexible working: including the potential for job-sharing, part-time hours and agile working.
- Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
- Payment of professional membership fees (based on role requirements)
- Pick your perks – our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.
Why Choose Us?
- Work within a supportive, knowledgeable and collaborative strategic housing team.
- Make a meaningful contribution to housing policy, partnerships and delivery across Herefordshire.
- Influence strategic decisions that affect residents, communities and vulnerable households.
- Develop your professional skills across strategy, commissioning, governance, funding and partnership working.
- Be part of a council that embodies our THRIVE values: Trust, Honesty, Responsibility, Inclusivity, Value and Empathy.
You will probably have heard a lot about how beautiful it is in terms of countryside and open spaces (and it is!) but there is so much more going on here, including world-class cultural assets like the Mappa Mundi, vibrant theatres and a thriving food and drink sector. One of Herefordshire’s biggest assets is the strong and diverse communities. Our Talk Community approach brings that together supporting people to help themselves, encouraging them to help their communities and identifying how communities can help individuals.
Our ambitious transformation programme aims to further build on this to offer an all-age approach. We’re excited about the potential of what we can achieve for the benefit of all residents of Herefordshire, stronger together and building brighter futures.
Don’t meet all parts of the job description?
Herefordshire Council is committed to strengthening a diverse and inclusive work environment which reflects the communities of Herefordshire. If you are looking at the next stage of your career and have a broad base of fieldwork experience, we can provide supportive and welcoming opportunities to help you develop your professional, management & supervisory skills.
Reasonable Adjustments
Our recruitment process runs in partnership with Hoople Resourcing. If you require any reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please contact the resourcing team by email: [email protected].
Creating an inclusive workplace
We encourage our employees to feel empowered and to use their voices to help embrace diversity, promote inclusivity and shape our organisation. We have eight employee network groups, collectives of colleagues who often share identities, life experiences or cultures and offer support and community. They also play an important role in strengthening the voices of employees at Herefordshire Council. Embedded in the Council's values is a commitment to listen to people's views and needs.
For more information on our Employee Network Groups please view our dedicated recruitment website: www.spiritofherefordshire.com.
Commitments, Covenants and Statutory Obligations
The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:
- Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme.
- Those who indicate in their application that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant.
- Those who indicate in their application that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.
We take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check.
How to apply
To apply for a position, please upload an up-to-date CV and complete the application form demonstrating your experience, skills and abilities for the role.
For more information or to arrange an informal discussion about the role, please contact Hannah McSherry, Strategic Housing Manager, via [email protected]
Be sure to include reference to the job description and person specification or role profile! If you are successfully shortlisted, Hoople Resourcing will contact you via email to arrange your interview and/or assessment. They will confirm the date, time and location of your interview, so please keep an eye on your email inbox - check your spam/ junk folder too. Good luck, we’re looking forward to meeting you!