Hostel Manager

12 Months Fixed Term Contract / Secondment Opportunity

The Benefits and Homeless Prevention Service currently houses over 3700 households in temporary accommodation of which ⅔ are placed in Hackney and ⅓ in other local authority areas. We have over 4000 children living in temporary accommodation. We have a team of 14 dynamic Hackney Hostel Managers who manage our temporary accommodation building safety and compliance.

The successful person will play a crucial role in ensuring their temporary accommodation buildings are compliant with Health and Safety, and that the buildings are generally well maintained and residents live in a safe and secure environment.

The Temporary Accommodation Hostels Team is looking to recruit one Hostel Manager at PO1, (and an additional honorarium payment)

Hours of service are on a rota basis: 08:00 – 20:12, shifts are Monday – Friday 08:00 – 16:12 or 12:00 – 20:12 (shifts are split usually alternate weeks)

Saturday & Sunday 10:00 – 18:00 (worked approximately one weekend every 6-7 weeks, with rest days in lieu)

This is a great opportunity for anyone with an interest in housing management to utilise and develop their Benefit and Homeless Prevention knowledge to further develop their skills.

Whilst you will be part of a team, we need Hostel Managers who are able to work with a minimum of supervision and take responsibility for ensuring the smooth running of the hostel buildings and supporting our residents on their journey to finding settled accommodation.

The role entails: Inducting new residents, managing anti-social behaviour, ensuring the

buildings are Health and safety compliant, enforcing Licence Agreement conditions, carrying out voids management and evictions, undertaking daily Site checks, raising, monitoring and following up on repairs, supervision of Hostel Caretakers and provision of support and guidance to customers particularly relating to Move On options.

In particular we are looking for candidates with the following skills and attributes

– Experience of working within the framework of the Homelessness Reduction Act

– Excellent communication skills including the ability to converse at ease with customers and have open conversations regarding the length of stay in hostels and move on options.

– Active and confident with a ‘can do attitude’

– Be committed and flexible

– Able to respond to varied customer needs and manage expectations

– The ability to show empathy as many customers have gone through a crisis resulting in them being placed in hostel accommodation

– Planning and organisational skills are vital to this role

– An understanding of health & safety requirements in hostels

– The ability to work unsupervised.

– Candidates will need to meet the physical demands of the role which requires frequent property inspections, often involving navigating multi-story buildings and climbing stairs in accommodation without lift access.

– The ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.

As a Council, our most outstanding asset is our staff, who are highly dedicated to serving our residents and committed to our goals as an organisation.

If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CV’s.

To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application.

As part of the application process, you will need to complete a number of competency based questions. These questions allow you to demonstrate your suitability for the role and provide examples of your skills, knowledge and experience outlined in the job description.

We understand the benefits of using AI in the workplace. However, if you are thinking of using this tool to submit your application, we ask you to think about what value it will add. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

Closing date for applications: 06 April 2026 (22:59)

Interview and assessment date: 23 & 24 April 2026

We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud; a place that celebrates diversity and where everyone can feel valued, included and involved. In order to achieve this, we look for people who are: Proud; Ambitious; Pioneering; Open; Proactive; Inclusive.

Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.

The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available: hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk