Revenues Officer - Revenues and Benefits

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What’s Involved With This Role

Interim Revenues Officer - Revenues and Benefits

Reference no: Stoke on Trent 5224841

Pay rate: £21.99 per hour PAYE

Role Length: This opening assignment is for 4 months

A Revenues Officer is required to facilitate and administer the process of billing, recovery and enforcement for Council Tax, Sundry Debts and Business Rates and to ensure the collection and recovery of Council Tax, Sundry Debts and Business Rates in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

Key Responsibilities

Assist in the effective and proper maintenance of Council Tax, Sundry Debt and Business Rates accounts having regard to liability, exemptions, reliefs, discounts, payment methods and valuations. This includes applying all changes to Council Tax and Business Rates accounts and authorising invoices raised by internal departments.

Maintain an expert, up to date knowledge of Council Tax, Business Rates and Sundry Debt legislation and internal procedures and processes, and keep fully appraised of relevant changes.

Keep up to date with changes in relation to Welfare Reform.

Responsibility and contribution to the collection of £350 million per year over 3 debt streams.

Contribute to the prevention and detection of fraud and refer potentially fraudulent accounts to the fraud department.

Be proactive in identifying ways to maximise income for the Revenues Department.

Take card payments using industry standard software, and have an understanding of payment card industry standards. Investigate unallocated payments in bank suspense and identify payments to be allocated to accounts.

Set up direct debits and deal with sensitive financial information in a confidential and secure manner. Reconcile banking reports and calling customers when a payment has recalled.

Interview (by telephone or in person at any location), using negotiating and persuasive skills to agree re-payment arrangements with the customers who owe debts to the council completing financial statements where appropriate.

Attend court where necessary interviewing debtors and making a decision whether to proceed with the liability order hearing, as well as assisting with committal cases at court when required. Issue cases to Enforcement Agents, including issuing warrants to distrain and instruct Enforcement Agents to remove goods. Monitor and reconcile these cases

Experience

“Role Requirements” – to give yourself the maximum chance of success please try and ensure your CV addresses the following essential criteria:

Experience of operating billing, recovery and invoicing systems and Enforcement of Debt.

Experience of debt recovery in a Local Authority role or similar.

Experience of conducting complex and sensitive interviews with customers with appreciation of the need for tact, confidence and firmness when dealing with the public.

Experience of working to a high standard in a customer service environment.

Knowledge

Knowledge of Local Authority (or similar) billing, recovery and invoicing systems and procedures.

Knowledge of Housing benefit and Council Tax Support procedures and legislation including the Welfare Reform Act 2012.

Knowledge of Revenues billing and recovery statutory legislation.

Knowledge of third party organisations legislation, e.g Enforcement Agents, Citizen Advice Bureau and Insolvency.

Knowledge of the Data Protection Act 2018, specifically around GDPR and the impact this has on the Revenues Service.

Knowledge of internal Department’s legislation, Acts and processes to help with the collection of Sundry Debts.

Skills

Excellent oral and written communication skills. Ability to communicate effectively with other members of staff, the public, third sector agencies and external partner.

Ability to work as part of a team and on own initiative.

IT Skills. Must have the ability to input information in a quick and accurate manner.

Ability and confidence to solve problems using individual expertise.

Have the ability and confidence to take ownership for decision making.

Have the ability to work well within a pressurised environment and possess a flexible approach to working.

Ability to respond and adapt positively to change due to regular changes in legislation and processes, leading to changes in working practices.

Persuasive and negotiation skills whilst keeping an empathetic manner.

Have the ability to deal with people from a cross section of the community in a positive but sympathetic manner.

Good interpersonal skills with the ability to create effective relationships with staff and external companies.

Self-motivated with good organisational skills and an ability to prioritise and manage own workload.

Strong IT skills using Microsoft packages or equivalent (e.g. G Suite).

NB: Please feel free to apply to us direct via jobs@tclrec.com by quoting the job reference and job title exactly. SEE DETAILS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS AD.

If you have previously applied to one of our vacancies and have already sent the required supporting documentation to us, please make this clear when you re-apply as this will help speed up your application.

To help speed up the process of uploading your CV to the client we would suggest that you send us your CV in Word format (or equivalent) if possible, rather than as a PDF.

If you are successful in securing this role, please note that for the entire duration of this contract, regardless of extension you will be working this role at the PAYE rate that has been advertised. For absolute clarity, we only work on a PAYE basis, rather than entertaining umbrella pay terms, we do not offer Ltd/umbrella or outside IR35 rates. If you wish to understand PAYE vs Umbrella more, please let us know and we can send you some additional information for clarity.

Please quote the Job Title & Vacancy Reference No. in your application, or we will be unable to match your CV to the role being applied for.

Other “Essential Requirements” – Please check to ensure that your CV addresses the following items:

Our clients are generally seeking applicants who are reasonably local, so on that basis we would ideally like you to supply us with your address (or at least your post code) and a telephone number so that we can reach you during working hours.

Your recent UK working experience going back at least 5 years, or full employment history if you have been working for fewer years than this.

Your availability to work either immediately, or at short notice.

• Qualification details and any other experience/skills relevant to the job role to help support your application (and help us to help you!) – please give full details within your CV document.
  

Please refer to the Role Requirements section above - your CV must address the requirements listed.

Other preferable/desirable details to include on your CV, if applicable:

Any local authority/public sector experience

Any Relevant Qualifications Held Or Being Studied For.

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Job Ref: Stoke on Trent 5224841

Anticipated Length of Assignment: Unless otherwise stated (we do carry the occasional permanent vacancy) all of our roles are technically temporary, though opening assignments can be and often are, extended by clients on a longer term basis and can sometimes become permanent.

Please do try to resist contacting us with requests for progress updates.

We really do read every CV sent to us. All applications will be acknowledged by a human, not a robot, provided the job remains live and provided your CV meets the “Essential Requirements” listed.

Please note that we do our level best to take down ads as soon as roles have been filled. We are not in the business of harvesting CVs.

Important: We will interpret your application as being permission to submit your CV to this role (with the right to represent you) unless you advise us to the contrary.