Public housing manager

Description

Public housing managers develop strategies for the improvement of housing policy in a community, as well as providing social housing to those in need. They identify housing needs and issues, and supervise resource allocation. They also communicate with organisations involved in building public housing facilities, and social service organisations.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to public housing manager:

housing authority manager
housing policy manager
housing officer
public housing officer
estates manager
housing policy analyst

Minimum qualifications

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as public housing manager. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Public housing manager is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Public housing manager career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to public housing manager.

youth centre manager
social service consultant
child day care centre manager
rescue centre manager
elderly home manager

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of public housing manager. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of public housing manager with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of public housing manager.

Business management principles: Principles governing business management methods such as strategy planning, methods of efficient production, people and resources coordination.
Customer service: Processes and principles related to the customer, client, service user and to personal services; these may include procedures to evaluate customer’s or service user’s satisfaction.
Government policy implementation: The procedures related to the application of government policies at all levels of public administration.
Legal requirements in the social sector: The prescribed legislative and regulatory requirements in the social sector.
Government social security programmes: The different areas of social security provided by the government, the different rights which citizens have, which benefits are available, the rules which regulate social security and the different situations in which they apply.
Social sciences: The development and characteristics of sociological, anthropological, psychological, political, and social policy theories.
Corporate social responsibility: The handling or managing of business processes in a responsible and ethical manner considering the economic responsibility towards shareholders as equally important as the responsibility towards environmental and social stakeholders.
Budgetary principles: Principles of estimating and planning of forecasts for business activity, compile regular budget and reports.
Psychology: The human behaviour and performance with individual differences in ability, personality, interests, learning, and motivation.
Social justice: The development and principles of human rights and social justice and the way they should be applied on a case by case basis.
Public housing legislation: The regulations and legislation concerning the construction, maintenance and allocation of public housing facilities.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of public housing manager.

Implement marketing strategies: Implement strategies which aim to promote a specific product or service, using the developed marketing strategies.
Maintain relations with local representatives: Maintain good relations with representatives of the local scientific, economic and civil society.
Monitor regulations in social services: Monitor and analyse regulations, policies and changes in these regulations in order to assess how they impact social work and services.
Perform risk analysis: Identify and assess factors that may jeopardise the success of a project or threaten the organisation’s functioning. Implement procedures to avoid or minimise their impact.
Manage government funding: Monitor the budget received through government funding, and ensure there are enough resources to cover the costs and expenses of the organisation or project.
Protect client interests: Protect the interests and needs of a client by taking necessary actions, and researching all possibilities, to ensure that the client obtains their favoured outcome.
Involve service users and carers in care planning: Evaluate the needs of individuals in relation to their care, involve families or carers in supporting the development and implementation of support plans. Ensure review and monitoring of these plans.
Liaise with local authorities: Maintain the liaison and exchange of information with regional or local authorities.
Work within communities: Establish social projects aimed at community development and active citizen participation.
Apply quality standards in social services: Apply quality stardards in social services while upholding social work values and principles.
Evaluate social work program’s impact: Gather data to allow the assessment of the impact of a program on a community.
Ensure information transparency: Ensure that required or requested information is provided clearly and completely, in a manner which does not explicitly withhold information, to the public or requesting parties.
Apply change management: Manage development within an organisation by anticipating changes and making managerial decisions to ensure that the members involved are as less disturbed as possible.
Contribute to protecting individuals from harm: Use established processes and procedures to challenge and report dangerous, abusive, discriminatory or exploitative behaviour and practice, bringing any such behaviour to the attention of the employer or the appropriate authority.
Deliver social services in diverse cultural communities: Deliver services which are mindful of different cultural and language traditions, showing respect and validation for communities and being consistent with policies regarding human rights and equality and diversity.
Demonstrate leadership in social service cases: Take the lead in the practical handling of social work cases and activities.
Communicate professionally with colleagues in other fields: Communicate professionally and cooperate with members of the other professions in the health and social services sector.
Follow health and safety precautions in social care practices: Ensure hygienic work practice, respecting the safety of the environment at day care, residential care settings and care at home.
Establish daily priorities: Establish daily priorities for staff personnel. Effectively deal with multi-task workload.

Plan allocation of space: Plan best allocation and utilisation of space and resources, or re-organise current premises.
Advocate for social service users: Speak for and on behalf of service users, using communicative skills and knowledge of relevant fields to assist those less advantaged.
Prevent social problems: Develop, define and implement actions that can prevent social problems, striving for the enhancement of the quality of life for all citizens.
Use person-centred planning: Use person-centred planning (PCP) and implement the delivery of social services in order to determine what the service users and their caregivers want, and how the services can support this.
Show intercultural awareness: Show sensibility towards cultural differences by taking actions which facilitate positive interaction between international organisations, between groups or individuals of different cultures, and to promote integration in a community.
Perform public relations: Perform public relations (PR) by managing the spread of information between an individual or an organisation and the public.
Set organisational policies: Participate in setting organisational policies that cover issues such as participant eligibility, program requirements, and program benefits for the service users.
Assess social service users’ situation: Assess the social situation of service users situation balancing curiosity and respect in the dialogue, considering their families, organisations and communities and the associated risks and identifying the needs and resources, in order to meet physical, emotional and social needs.
Handle conflicts: Mediate in conflicts and tense situations by acting between parties, such as service users, important others like families, and institutions, striving to effect an agreement, reconciliate, and resolve problems.
Relate empathetically: Recognise, understand and share emotions and insights experienced by another.
Listen actively: Give attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of customers, clients, passengers, service users or others, and provide solutions accordingly.
Manage social crisis: Identify, respond and motivate individuals in social crisis situations, in a timely manner, making use of all resources.
Manage ethical issues within social services: Apply social work ethical principles to guide practice and manage complex ethical issues, dilemmas and conflicts in accordance to occupational conduct, the ontology and the code of ethics of the social services occupations, engaging in ethical decision making by applying standards of national and – as applicable – international codes of ethics or statements of principles.
Review social service plan: Review social service plans, taking service users’ views and preferences into account. Follow up on the plan, assessing the quantity and quality of services provided.
Apply decision making within social work: Take decisions when called for, staying within the limits of granted authority and considering the input from the service user and other caregivers.
Adhere to organisational guidelines: Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.
Apply holistic approach within social services: Consider the social service user in any situation, recognising the connections between micro-dimension, meso-dimension, and macro-dimension of social problems, social development and social policies.
Work in a multicultural environment in health care: Interact, relate and communicate with individuals from a variety of different cultures, when working in a healthcare environment.
Address problems critically: Identify the strengths and weaknesses of various abstract, rational concepts, such as issues, opinions, and approaches related to a specific problematic situation in order to formulate solutions and alternative methods of tackling the situation.
Apply socially just working principles: Work in accordance with management and organisational principles and values focusing on human rights and social justice.
Promote inclusion: Promote inclusion in health care and social services and respect diversity of beliefs, culture, values and preferences, keeping in mind the importance of equality and diversity issues.
Maintain records of work with service users: Maintain accurate, concise, up-to-date and timely records of the work with service users while complying with legislation and policies related to privacy and security.
Ensure compliance with policies: Ensure compliance with legislation and company procedures in respect of health and safety in the workplace and public areas. Ensure awareness and compliance with all company policies in relation to health and safety and equal opportunities in the workplace.
Manage fundraising activities: Initiate fundraising activities managing the place, teams involved, causes and budgets.
Promote social awareness: Promote the understanding of dynamics of social relationships between individuals, groups, and communities. Promote the importance of human rights, and positive social interaction, and the inclusion of social awareness in education.
Provide safeguarding to individuals: Help vulnerable individuals assess risks and make informed choices by proving information on indicators of abuse, measures to avoid abuse and steps to take in the case of suspected abuse.
Report on social development: Report results and conclusions on society’s social development in an intelligible way, presenting these orally and in written form to a range of audiences from non-experts to experts.
Undertake continuous professional development in social work: Undertake continuous professional development (CPD) to continuously update and develop knowledge, skills and competences within one`s scope of practice in social work.
Carry out social work research: Initiate and design research to assess social problems and evaluate social work interventions. Use statistical sources to connect the individual data with more aggregated categories and interpret data relating to the social context.
Apply organisational techniques: Employ a set of organisational techniques and procedures which facilitate the achievement of the goals set. Use these resources efficiently and sustainably, and show flexibility when required.
Consider economic criteria in decision making: Develop proposals and take appropriate decisions taking into account economic criteria.
Provide improvement strategies: Identify root causes of problems and submit proposals for effective and long-term solutions.
Manage budgets for social services programs: Plan and administer budgets in social services, covering programmes, equipment and support services.
Build business relationships: Establish a positive, long-term relationship between organisations and interested third parties such as suppliers, distributors, shareholders and other stakeholders in order to inform them of the organisation and its objectives.
Advocate for others: Deliver arguments in favour of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy, to benefit another person.
Evaluate staff performance in social work: Evaluate the work of staff and volunteers to ensure that programs are of appropriate quality and that resources are used effectively.
Communicate with social service users: Use verbal, non-verbal, written, and electronic communication. Pay attention to the specific social service users’ needs, characteristics, abilities, preferences, age, developmental stage, and culture.
Cooperate at inter-professional level: Cooperate with people in other sectors in relation to social service work.
Accept own accountability: Accept accountability for one`s own professional activities and recognise the limits of one`s own scope of practice and competencies.
Influence policy makers on social service issues: Inform and advise policy makers by explaining and interpreting the needs of the citizens to enhance social service programs and policies.
Manage stress in organisation: Cope with sources of stress and cross-pressure in one’s own professional life, such as occupational, managerial, institutional and personal stress, and help others do the same so as to promote the well-being of your colleagues and avoid burn-out.
Analyse community needs: Identify and respond to specific social problems in a community, delineating the extent of the problem and outline the level of resources required to address it and identifying the existing community assets and resources that are available to address the problem.
Comply with legislation in social services: Act according to policy and legal requirements in providing social services.
Build helping relationship with social service users: Develop a collaborative helping relationship, addressing any ruptures or strains in the relationship, fostering bonding and gaining service users` trust and cooperation through empathic listening, caring, warmth and authenticity.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of public housing manager. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Social security law: Legislation concerning the protection of individuals and the provision of aid and benefits, such as health insurance benefits, unemployment benefits, welfare programs and other government-provided social security.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of public housing manager. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Create solutions to problems: Solve problems which arise in planning, prioritising, organising, directing/facilitating action and evaluating performance. Use systematic processes of collecting, analysing, and synthesising information to evaluate current practice and generate new understandings about practice.
Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
Build community relations: Establish affectionate and long-lasting relationships with local communities, e.g. by organising special programms for kindergarden, schools and for dissabled and older people, raising awareness and receiving community appreciation in return.
Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.
Maintain relationships with government agencies: Establish and maintain cordial working relationships with peers in different governmental agencies.
Promote social change: Promote changes in relationships between individuals, families, groups, organisations and communities by taking into consideration and coping with unpredictable changes, at the micro, macro and mezzo level.
Investigate social security applications: Investigate the eligibility of citizens applying for social security benefits by examining documents, interviewing the citizen, and researching the related legislation.
Respond to enquiries: Respond to enquiries and requests for information from other organisations and members of the public.
Delegate activities: Delegate activities and tasks to others according to the ability, level of preparation, competence and legal scope of practice. Make sure that people understand what they should do and when they should do it.
Ensure cross-department cooperation: Guarantee communication and cooperation with all the entities and teams in a given organisation, according to the company strategy.
Perform project management: Manage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project’s progress in order to achieve a specific goal within a set time and budget.
Develop social security programmes: Develop programmes and policies which aim to protect citizens and grant them rights, such as unemployment and family benefits, as well as to prevent their misuse of government-provided aid.
Advise on social security benefits: Advise citizens on government-regulated benefits they are eligible for, such as unemployment benefits, family benefits, and other social security benefits.
Manage government policy implementation: Manage the operations of the implementation of new government policies or changes in existing policies on a national or regional level as well as the staff involved in the implementation procedure.

ISCO group and title

1344 – Social welfare managers

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Public housing manager – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022