Shared Lives Officer

Fixed Term / Secondment Opportunity – 12 Months

Hackney is one of the most dynamic and progressive local authorities in the UK. We are a resilient, vibrant, and creative borough in the heart of London, with strong, diverse communities and a powerful set of shared values.

Over the past twenty years, the Council has built up first-class services, outstanding public infrastructure, and a reputation for excellence, innovation, and ambition. We are leading the way on essential work such as our fight for equity in Hackney with a particular focus on becoming an actively anti-racist borough. But the work doesn’t stop there, we are proactive in our approach to bringing fairness to all aspects of life including gender, neurodiversity and across the poverty divide.

Hackney Shared lives scheme are pleased to announce this exciting opportunity of  a 12 month fixed term contract in our Shared Lives service for an assessment and  scheme promotion officer, to join a well established team within Hackney Council.  Shared lives are a Care Quality Commission registered service that provides home  based care and support to vulnerable people, to enable them to live with an  assessed carer in the carers home. This could be long term, respite or day care. We match carers and vulnerable people and help both parties to find a happy living  arrangement. This is a hugely satisfying role and you will be part of a wider shared  lives community of 146 schemes in the UK. Your role is to recruit carers who reside  in Hackney and have a spare room to become part of a growing scheme.  Knowledge and understanding of writing assessments, promotion of the service,  conveying information and understanding the difficulties faced by vulnerable people  is essential. 

You must be enthusiastic, creative, confident and a good communicator as the role  will involve engaging with wide and varied community groups. You must be able to  present information to groups of people, and to engage quickly with people, building  a rapport.  

Please note, there will be occasional weekend work – so flexibility in this role is  required.

The person must have: 

– A bachelor’s degree in marketing and communication or experience in this  area of work would be an advantage. 

– Approved Social worker qualification or other relevant professional qualification in Health and Social care (e.g., NVQ 5 / QCF level 5, equivalent  qualification or above).  

– Experience in developing and implementing recruitment campaigns. 

– You will be required to demonstrate your knowledge and experience in  recruiting carers and presenting shared lives as a viable career option for  potential carers who may not have considered this opportunity, and who have  a spare room and reside in Hackney.  

– Excellent communications skills are required along with the ability to build  strong relationships with community groups and members of the public. 

There is no better place to work in London than Hackney; we have great pride in our borough, our communities, and our services. Hackney is one of London’s most vibrant and diverse boroughs. It’s one of the most sought after areas to live in London with good schools, parks and local amenities, as well as great transport links and vibrant and diverse communities. 

Please note: an Enhanced DBS check is required for this 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: 05 July 2026 (22.59)

Interview date: 15, 16 & 17 July 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