Service Point Officer 12 MTH FTC - Southwark Council : Job Details

Why Southwark?

Southwark Council is the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues such as The Shard, The Tate Modern and Borough Market, and we are home to approximately 250+ faith groups, along with many social enterprises.

At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities.?Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities.

Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark Stands Together, (which is our work with Southwark’s communities and the council’s staff to tackle racism, injustice and inequality) underpins all that we do.

The role

At the heart of Southwark’s community, the Service Point Officer role offers an exciting opportunity to directly support and assist residents with a wide range of council services. Based at our busy front-of-house service point, you’ll be the welcoming face of the council, resolving queries, providing information, and helping people navigate their way through services such as housing, council tax, benefits, and more. This is a vital position where you’ll be engaging with customers face-to-face, often handling multiple and sometimes complex enquiries in a single visit.

As a Service Point Officer, you’ll play a key role in ensuring customers receive timely and accurate responses to their concerns, often resolving matters there and then, without the need for further follow-up. Whether it’s accessing systems to find information, raising service requests, processing payments, or guiding customers through the council’s website, your support helps ensure a seamless and positive experience for every visitor. You’ll also keep accurate records and take appropriate action on requests, maintaining high standards of service and data security.

This is a collaborative and fast-paced environment where every day brings something new. You’ll work closely with colleagues and services across the council, contributing to team meetings, service improvements, and ongoing training and development. By ensuring every resident receives respectful, helpful, and efficient service, you’ll be part of making Southwark a place we can all be proud of.

Key responsibilities:

• Deliver face-to-face customer service that’s professional, friendly, and solution-focused
• Resolve a variety of customer enquiries at first point of contact using council systems
• Raise service requests and update records to ensure swift follow-up and resolution
• Support customers in accessing services and completing forms online
• Handle payments and maintain accurate records in line with data protection policies
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to continuously improve the customer experience

How will you make an impact as our Service Point Officer?

• Knowledge of customer services, ideally within a local government setting
• Understanding of Housing, Council Tax, and Benefits services
• Experience delivering face-to-face support in a fast-paced environment
• Skilled in using Microsoft Office and other digital systems
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to manage conflicting priorities and meet deadlines
• Confident working independently and as part of a team
• A commitment to equality, inclusion, and excellent service delivery

Additional information

This role is fixed term for 12 months. Any internal applicants are encouraged to seek agreement from their substantive line manager if considering this is as a secondment opportunity.

Employee benefits:

You’ll join a motivated, driven, and supportive team that values each of its members and strives for excellence. You’ll also be part of a successful, high-achieving development team making a real difference to the lives of residents across the borough. In return for all your hard work, skills and experience, you will receive:

• A competitive base salary (pro rata for part time staff)
• Strong supportive senior management team
• Regular one to one supervision
• Professional development & training opportunities
• Clear career development pathways
• Agile and flexible working arrangements
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Season ticket and cycle loans
• Annual Leave starting at 27 days per year, increasing to 35 (with length of service) (pro rata for part time staff)
• Wellbeing programme
• HSF Health plan and eye care scheme
• EAP employee assistance programme, confidential counselling and support
• Social clubs and staff groups

Guaranteed Interview Scheme:

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition.

Recruitment timetable

Closing date: Monday 2nd June 2025 at 23:00

Interview date: Monday 16th June 2025

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together programme. We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

Attachments

• Click here to view the Job Description and Person Specification