Job Opportunities in United Kingdom

The housing market in Bristol and the surrounding area is tough for everyone, including students. At Bristol SU we know that housing issues impact students’ ability to reach their potential, so we’re excited to launch a new housing advice service to support our members living in private sector housing. We want to build a service that is approachable, kind and well informed.
We’re looking for someone with the passion to approachable and empathetic to join our team, supporting individual students at times when things aren’t quite going the way they had planned. You will work in the Student Housing Advice Team and provide information, advice and support to our student members. You will answer enquiries from students on a range of housing issues, helping them to navigate processes, checking contracts and signposting to appropriate organisations where appropriate. You will manage your own caseload, working with individual students who need independent and impartial advice. You may at times be an advocate for challenging landlords on behalf of students.
You don’t have to have worked in higher education or in a students’ union before. But we are looking for someone with the passion to work in our fast-paced team to ensure that we can provide quality advice. You’ll be experienced in advice or advocacy work with excellent interpersonal and time management skills. You’ll want to provide the best possible service for students using the knowledge gained from casework to improve the process and procedure for students living in rented accommodation. You’ll have the ability to interpret and explain complex information in a clear and simple way and experience of producing written reports and presentations to a high standard.
Ideally, you will have experience of working in the housing market or giving advice. You’ll be able to advise when it comes to finding housing, tenancy agreements, living conditions and tenant conflict and you will have an understanding of the housing issues faced by people in Bristol and know other organisations in the area that could be signposted to.

What’s the job?

Role: Student Housing Advisor
Hours: 21 hours per week (part time)
Salary: £16,053 to £20,621. The starting salary for this role is £26,755 FTE. The grade range for this Coordinator-grade role is £26,755 to £34,368 FTE and pay can progress annually through the band in line with our pay and reward policy.
Contract: Permanent
Closing date: 8 November 2024, 12pm

Who are we?

Part business, part charity, part membership body – Bristol SU is a seriously fun place to work. Our professional staff do something extraordinary every day: we support student leaders to give people a voice in their education, help people get the most out of their student experience and help people make the change they want in the world. We have over 26,000 members, 400 clubs and societies, a diverse range of professional services, and an innovative strategy that will help to create an inclusive and supportive University community.

What will you bring?

• You’ll have experience in advice and advocacy.
• You’ll be able to be confident with working under pressure.
• You know how to work with people in distress and deal with challenging situations.
• You’re a skilled team player.
• Ideally, some understanding of the housing issues faced by people in Bristol.

The post-holder must be a person with a strong commitment to and experience in the housing sector. You will have a good understanding of the housing issues faced by people in Bristol and the surrounding areas. You will have good experience of providing advice in housing and homelessness. You will be adaptable, dynamic and open to supporting change and development within the organisation.

Why apply?

Because you’re excited to make a difference!
We offer lots of great benefits including enhanced pay for parents taking maternity, adoption or shared parental leave, a competitive salary for the non-profit sector, a generous pension scheme and at least 40 days’ holiday. We’re committed to helping you achieve a healthy work-life balance through flexible working and are open to considering requests for part-time working. We provide professional training so that whatever your chosen field of work, with the right mix of challenge and support, you’ll gain fantastic experience, and room to develop and advance your career.
We are proud to have been recognised through numerous accreditations and awards that demonstrate our commitment to creating a positive and supportive culture. We have appeared in the Inclusive Companies top 100 list and have won a number of awards for our commitment to diversity, including best Students' Union. We also won a Third Sector Excellence Award at the 2018 Investors in People Awards.
Our team isn’t as representative of our student body as we’d like it to be so we’re particularly keen to hear from you if you’re Black, disabled, Transgender, working class or have any other marginalised experience. It’s important to us that we diversify our team and that students see themselves represented here.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are central to life at Bristol SU. We approach our work with positivity and celebrate our diverse and unique communities. Our people are proud of our values and care about creating diverse and supportive communities that are inclusive of age, disability, gender, identity, race, religion, sexual orientation and experience.
Be yourself, be proud of the work you do and build a career in a place that knows different is good.
Key dates

• Closing Date: 8 November 2024, 12pm
• Shortlisting: W/C 11 November 2024
• Interviews: W/C 25 November 2024

Please download our Applicant pack for more information before submitting your application.
Click here to apply
For general enquiries, please contact us at bristolsu-people@bristol.ac.uk