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- Help local authorities and housing associations research and develop housing policies
- You'll need excellent research skills and an interest in policy, equality and social justice
- Opportunities to progress into senior management roles or into policy development in other areas like government
Housing policy officers work for a local authority or housing association, developing policies in areas like affordable housing, homelessness and tenant participation, to make sure the organisation responds to local housing needs and government policy.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Researching housing issues
- Identifying good practice, collecting data relevant to housing, like health, employment and demographics
- Representing housing services on corporate working groups
- Producing reports, policy briefings and factsheets
- Making recommendations as a result of government initiatives and new legislation
- Giving presentations to groups, both inside and outside your organisation
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
You could work in an office.
You'll need
For this role, you'll need legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations, the ability to use your judgement and work well with others, analytical thinking and business management skills, knowledge of systems analysis and development, and excellent verbal communication.
You could get this job with a foundation degree or degree in housing studies, social policy, or town planning.
You can also complete a policy officer higher apprenticeship.
You could start as an office assistant or housing officer with a housing organisation, and, with further training and experience, work your way up to become a housing policy officer.
The GEM programme is a training scheme that you could also apply for, which is open to graduates of any subject, as well as non graduates who are already working in housing.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience, you could specialise in a particular area, like equality issues, regeneration or research and data collection.