Overpayments Officer

Scale 3 £25,584 - £27,711 per annum

37 hours per week

Permanent

Our Income and Collection team requires an experienced Overpayments Officer to assist in the collection of Housing Benefit Overpayments. The role demands an empathetic and holistic approach to debt recovery, taking into consideration customers vulnerabilities. Responsibilities include proactively pursuing debts through telephone or written communication, additionally, the officer must understand and comply with council Debt Policies and relevant legislation.

Our team of Income and Collection Advisors are dedicated to financial recovery and customer service. We pride ourselves on our collaborative approach to problem-solving and our commitment to achieving outstanding results for our organisation. With diverse expertise, our team brings together a range of backgrounds and experiences, allowing us to tackle challenges from multiple perspectives. We actively support each other to achieve our common goals in a fast-paced environment and are always ready to take on new challenges.

Integrity, respect, and ethical conduct are key in all our interactions. We also encourage innovative thinking to drive continuous improvement in our income recovery processes.

The ideal candidate should possess the following qualifications and skills: educated to GCSE level, including Maths and English, ideally with experience in using the NEC system (Northgate). They should possess a good knowledge of debt legislation concerning the collection of Housing Benefit Overpayments, and the ability to apply it. Previously worked as a Housing Benefit Officer / Overpayment Officer is desirable. The ideal candidate should be proficient in using Microsoft Office applications, including Excel and Word, and have excellent verbal and written communication skills. With strong attention to detail and accuracy, they should be able to work independently on assigned duties and demonstrate good negotiation skills.

Job Description & Person Specification

You will be joining a small, friendly, and established team and will be based at our main offices in Narborough which has out of town free parking. Our benefits package includes a leave entitlement of up to 29 days + bank holidays, hybrid working opportunities, health and wellbeing support, a generous local government pension scheme and a range of discount schemes that provide both financial and money-saving discounts.

Employee Benefits

The role will require a basic Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) and all offers of employment will be made conditional upon receipt of a satisfactory DBS check.

To find out more about the job and what it is like to work for us, please contact Patricia Leigh, Income & Collection Team Leader on 0116 272 7658 for an informal discussion.

 

Should you have any technical issues when applying, please email human.resources@blaby.gov.uk

Closing date: 27^th January 2025

Interview date: 4^th/5^th February 2025

Blaby District Council is committed to equality of opportunity for all, and we welcome applications from all diversities. We are committed to the employment and career development of disabled people and those in the Armed Forces, and therefore as a Disability Confident Employer and to show that we commit to the Armed Forces Covenant, we offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme. Further information can be found on our jobs page.