Project Assistant

Job Description

Job Title: Project Assistant

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: £28,860 per annum

Working Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Working Pattern: Rolling rota 5 days out of 7, including weekends

Location: Pimlico Pathway, Westminster

If you share our values and are excited about making a significant impact at Riverside, please ensure you attach a current CV and covering letter. At Riverside we recruit to potential not just on skills and experience, so we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all the essential criteria listed in the job description.

We accept applications from candidates with valid legal permission to work in the UK. We will not sponsor any candidates.

The difference you will make as a Project Assistant

You will be key in the day‑to‑day running of one of our supported housing services. We don’t run care homes, so there’s no need to provide personal care. The priority in your role includes the safety and wellbeing of everyone in our accommodation, including our customers.

Working with people who have a range of needs, you could be doing any number of things. From supporting customers in conversations with calls from their GP, Social Services, or benefits teams to dealing with the emergency services including the Police and Ambulance when the need arises. You’ll log all incidents to make sure we have an accurate record of events, and when a customer leaves you will clean and prepare their room for the next occupant.

About You

• Experience of working with people in a customer facing environment.
• An understanding of supporting vulnerable people – this could include having your own lived experience of homelessness or drug or alcohol addiction.
• Basic administrative and IT skills and attention to detail are required to maintain records and in‑house systems.

Benefits

• Competitive pay and generous pension.
• 25 days holidays plus bank holidays.
• Investment in learning, personal development and technology.
• Wide range of benefits.

Diversity and Inclusion

We are inclusive. We value diversity in all its forms and foster a workplace where all individuals are respected, empowered, and heard. Riverside is a Disability Confident Employer and operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for any applicant who declares they have a disability. If the applicant meets the minimum requirements, they will be guaranteed an interview.

Role Profile

Support customers

• Assisting in the planning and delivery of personalised support and move‑on plans.
• Understanding the risk management process and assisting the team to organise and undertake regular reviews of support and risk.
• Inspiring and motivating customers to meet agreed outcomes and develop life skills.
• Assisting customers with day‑to‑day support and tenancy‑related matters.
• Assisting the team to identify and promote opportunities for employment, education and training and support customers to access them.
• Signposting customers to appropriate external support services such as food banks and other community resources.
• Supporting customers to be tenancy ready, enabling successful move‑on.
• Supporting customers to be financially independent through budgeting plans and maximising income.
• Supporting and monitoring customers’ healthcare needs, ensuring appropriate contact with healthcare professionals.
• Empowering customers to move toward self‑management of medication following Riverside’s medication procedure.
• Maintaining and updating clear, accurate and strengths‑based records on the appropriate digital platform.
• Assisting in the promotion of customer involvement and consultation.
• Assisting with the delivery of a range of group work sessions.

Deliver a support service

• Support the delivery of the referral process for new customers.
• Contribute to the delivery of a housing management service, including income collection and providing customers with tenancy‑related support. Work with customers to maintain a safe environment, including reporting any repairs or health and safety concerns.
• Clean and prepare customer rooms as appropriate.
• Resolve difficult and challenging situations in a sensitive and informed way, balancing the needs of the individual with the safety of the service.
• Ensure customer safety by following local safeguarding procedures, recognising and acting on any risks and escalating appropriately.
• Contribute to and maintain local partnerships to ensure availability of a holistic range of support for customers.
• Carry out day‑to‑day administration and operational duties.
• Maintain and update financial administration systems including rent accounts, invoices, petty cash and banking.
• Assist in collating and submitting information returns on funding, health & safety and performance.
• Act as point of contact on the phone, reception and deal with a range of enquiries.

Other duties

• You will be required to work flexible hours to meet customer and business needs, which may not include normal office hours.
• Use the Lone Worker system as and when necessary.
• Ensure customers are safe at all times – carrying out all duties within Riverside’s policies and procedures on health & safety, safeguarding, dignity at work, GDPR, cash handling, etc.
• Deliver your role in line with Riverside company values – “Our Riverside Way”.
• Participate in team meetings, attend regular supervisions and reflecting practice sessions.
• Undertake regular training and take responsibility for continuous development to enable you to deliver your role safely.
• From time to time you may be required to undertake additional duties and responsibilities in consultation with your line manager.

Additional information

• The Group has offices across the UK and the role may require travel to other locations.
• The role will be exposed to sensitive information; therefore confidentiality at all times is required.
• Work flexibly during hours of operation.
• Commitment to equal opportunities and to promote non‑discriminatory practices in all aspects of work.

Person specification

Essential knowledge and experience

• Understanding of barriers faced by vulnerable and diverse customer groups and individuals with complex needs.
• Experience of working in a team and communicating positively with others.
• Experience of organising tasks and planning accordingly while dealing with people.
• Team player with a caring, empathetic, flexible and resilient, can‑do attitude.
• Ability to use initiative and confidence to make decisions.
• Basic administrative and IT skills to maintain records.

Desirable

• Experience working with vulnerable and diverse customer groups or individuals with complex needs.
• Personal lived experience of homelessness, rough sleeping, mental health issues or substance misuse.

About Us

Riverside is one of the UK’s leading not‑for‑profit social housing and regeneration organisations, owning or managing around 75,000 homes from Irvine to Kent. We are a leading provider of supported housing services, particularly for those affected by homelessness, and our track record of transforming lives and revitalising neighbourhoods dates back over 90 years. We have plans to build over 15,000 affordable homes over the next decade.

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