Income Officer

Incommunities are looking to recruit 2 Income Officers to join our team on a permanent basis. This is a crucial role to the business, as you will be responsible for recovering arrears accrued by current tenants but also looking at how we can interact with our customers to prevent debt. You will manage your own patch, providing advice, solutions, and support to our residents to ensure financial inclusion.

About us

We are social housing landlord and think our vision of Improving Lives Incommunities says it all!

Working to provide great homes in great neighbourhoods, we manage more than 22,600 homes across Yorkshire and are proud to collaborate with our customers, communities, local and national stakeholders to achieve this.

Our values are at the heart of everything we do, inspiring our thinking and guiding our plans and actions. This year will see us continue to focus on our 2 -year plan, to 2024. Our plan puts customers at the heart of what we do, providing great places to live and work, with homes that they are proud to live in.

Responsibilities

• Undertake all recovery action for current customers including rent and lease arrears, service charges, court costs and miscellaneous debts including recharges
• Undertake recovery action for former customers arrears and other miscellaneous debts until they are referred to an external agent
• Assist in the contribution and future development of customer account to ensure financial inclusion
• Have responsibility for all stages of the recovery of debts due from current and former customers, garage sites, and non Housing Revenue Accounts, and to respond to enquiries relating to tenants accounts including of debt and credit balances and deal with associated record keeping and correspondence

About You

• Have relevant practical work experience of customer services, ideally within the housing sector
• Have experience of dealing with members of the public both face to face and over the telephone, in particular, handling people who may be distressed and anxious and/ or reluctant to accept or follow advice
• Have experience of problem solving and resolving conflict
• Have excellent IT skills in order to manage different systems
• Are flexible, adaptable and able to organise your own workload
• Enjoy working with numbers, as you will be required to identify arrears, work out where there are shortfalls and prepare statistical information

Requirements

• A broad understanding of housing and estate management standards and practices, including arrears, lettings, exchanges, repairs, rents, therefore a background in housing or a housing qualification such as NVQ or HNC (Desirable)
• A sound understanding of benefits that would be applicable to tenants, combined with the ability to give advice on those which are applicable (Desirable)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• A positive and calm attitude as you need to be prepared to challenge inappropriate behaviour and resolve conflict
• The ability and confidence to make decisions on the effective management of properties and to be prepared to refer more complex matters to managers, while feeding back where improvements can be made to the service we provide
• A willingness and the enthusiasm to give guidance and support to other team members
• Drive and ambition to work on personal development through in house training
• Driving licence with own vehicle - desirable

Benefits

• Starting salary of £28,370 which rises to £32,019 per year (pay award pending)
• Essential car user allowance in addition to salary
• West Yorkshire Pension Fund membership - Current employer contribution is 15.9%
• Agile and hybrid working - 2 days per week in the office
• Our Hub: our wellbeing and benefits site, with exclusive access to discounts and savings (at over 800 retailers)
• Excellent holiday allowance that increases with service
• Training, development, and qualification opportunities
• Corporate health scheme membership
• Access to an Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to work scheme

Please attach a cover letter with your application, include what values and behaviours you can bring to Incommunities, how you have met KPIs and why you would be a suitable applicant for the role.

We are an equal opportunity employer but beyond characteristics protected by law, we welcome and value applicants from diverse backgrounds, abilities and perspectives. Incommunities is also recognised as ‘Committed' to being Menopause Friendly. The Menopause Friendly Accreditation recognises inclusive employers that build awareness and understanding of how menopause can have an effect at work and shows we take the wellbeing of our colleagues seriously.

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert early.