Direct Payments Finance and System Officer

About the job
Salary: £29,093 - £31,586 a year
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Permanent

Luton Council is looking for a dedicated and detail-oriented Direct Payments Finance and System Officer to join our Adult Social Care team. In this role, you will be responsible for administering and monitoring payments for individuals receiving non-residential care services through Direct Payments, ensuring compliance with policies and financial controls. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the delivery of high-quality social care and support the implementation of the strength-based approach to adult social care.

Key Responsibilities:

• Administer and monitor Direct Payments to service users in receipt of non-residential care, ensuring payments are accurate, timely, and based on current information.
• Ensure compliance with internal and external policies, procedures, and controls, maintaining financial integrity in all aspects of service delivery.
• Extract, interpret, and analyse data from various databases to ensure the accurate calculation of service packages and financial returns.
• Draft complex letters and emails to provide clear, concise instructions and resolve any issues or queries related to Direct Payments.
• Work closely with Adult Social Care (ASC) and third-party services to support service users and resolve queries related to service packages, payments, and services provided.
• Monitor third-party services to ensure timely and accurate payments and identify discrepancies, taking appropriate actions when needed, including debt recovery if applicable.
• Ensure that service users and providers adhere to agreed contractual documentation and service levels.

About you
Skills and Experience:

• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and financial information from various systems.
• Experience in financial administration, including calculating service packages and ensuring compliance with policies and contractual documentation.
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally, both in writing and verbally, particularly when drafting complex communications.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and work efficiently across teams.
• A collaborative approach to problem-solving and supporting both internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Knowledge of Direct Payments policies and procedures, or a willingness to learn quickly, would be advantageous.

About us
Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision - that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty - is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.

The people of Luton depend heavily on this council - and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?
Application Process
Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record disclosure to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). A person's criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.
Benefits
We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:

- From 25 to 32 days' annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
- Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
- Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
- Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
- Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
- Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
- Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
- Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
- Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
- Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel