Quality Assurance and Reviews Officer

Quality Assurance & Reviews Officer – Statutory Reviews Lead
Location: South East London
Contract: 4 months, ongoing
Working Pattern: Full-time
Working Arrangement: Fully Remote
Rate: £34.93 per hour Umbrella

We are currently seeking an experienced Housing Quality Assurance & Reviews Officer / Statutory Reviews Lead to join a Housing Needs service in South East London on a fully remote basis.
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced housing professional with strong knowledge of Part VI of the Housing Act 1996, housing allocations, statutory reviews and local authority decision-making to play a key role in clearing a backlog of complex reviews while supporting the implementation of a new Housing Allocations Policy.

The Role As the Statutory Reviews Lead, you will be responsible for managing and determining complex statutory reviews relating to housing allocations under Part VI of the Housing Act 1996.

You will produce high-quality, fully reasoned and legally compliant review decisions, ensuring decisions are robust, consistent, fair and capable of withstanding legal challenge.
A key priority will be reducing the existing review backlog while ensuring statutory and service timescales continue to be met. You will identify legal, operational and financial risks and ensure that cases are appropriately progressed, including the preparation of litigation-ready files where required.
You will also work closely with Legal Services on challenges to allocation decisions, including pre-action correspondence, judicial review matters and other legal proceedings.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and determine complex Part VI Housing Act 1996 statutory reviews.
• Produce clear, comprehensive and legally robust review decisions.
• Apply relevant legislation, case law, statutory guidance and local authority policy.
• Manage and reduce the existing backlog of housing allocation reviews.
• Ensure statutory and internal timescales are consistently achieved.
• Identify legal, operational, financial and reputational risks associated with allocation decisions.
• Prepare comprehensive, litigation-ready case files where required.
• Work collaboratively with Legal Services on pre-action correspondence, judicial review and other legal challenges.
• Provide specialist advice to housing officers, managers and senior leaders on housing allocations legislation and policy interpretation.
• Monitor and interpret emerging case law and its implications for the service.
• Support the implementation and transition to a new Housing Allocations Policy.
• Contribute to improved quality assurance processes and consistency of decision-making.
• Provide guidance and challenge where decisions or processes do not meet required legal and quality standards.
• Promote fair, consistent and resident-focused decision-making across the Housing Needs service.

You will be an experienced housing professional with substantial knowledge of housing allocations and statutory reviews, ideally within a local authority environment.
You will have:

• Significant experience conducting and determining Part VI statutory reviews.
• Strong knowledge of the Housing Act 1996, housing allocations legislation and relevant statutory guidance.
• A strong understanding of housing law, case law and local authority decision-making.
• Proven experience producing high-quality, well-reasoned and legally defensible decisions.
• Experience dealing with complex or contentious housing cases.
• An understanding of judicial review, pre-action protocols and legal challenges would be highly desirable.
• Strong analytical and written communication skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to assess complex information and evidence.
• Experience identifying legal and operational risks and providing appropriate advice.
• The ability to work independently and manage a high-volume caseload against statutory deadlines.
• Experience supporting policy implementation, service improvement or quality assurance would be advantageous.

Why Apply? This is a high-impact role within a Housing Needs service, offering the opportunity to use your specialist housing law and allocations expertise to reduce a significant review backlog, improve decision-making quality and help shape the implementation of a new Housing Allocations Policy.

The role is fully remote, offering flexibility while providing the opportunity to work closely with housing professionals, managers and Legal Services on complex and high-profile cases.
Apply now if you are an experienced housing allocations professional looking for a challenging interim opportunity where your expertise can make a direct difference to service quality and resident outcomes.