Income Recovery Officer

JOB TITLE:                   INCOME RECOVERY OFFICER

LOCATION:                  Solihull/Hybrid                      

WORKING HOURS:     37 per week

HancoxRead Recruitment are currently seeking an experienced and highly motivated Income Recovery Officer to join our team in local government. As an Income Recovery Officer, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the efficient recovery of outstanding debt and maximizing income for the organisation.

To undertake the effective collection of current and former tenant arrears as well as the recovery of other related debts due to the Council. To monitor arrears cases in accordance with the relevant policies and procedures with a clear emphasis on prevention.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Undertake all aspects of income and debt recovery casework in accordance with relevant procedures, ensuring that action is prompt and appropriate utilising all avenues of recovery including but not limited to letter, telephone, SMS messaging, e-mail and home visits.
• Prepare cases for submission to Court and represent SMBC in the County Court on possession and eviction cases as required. To be fully conversant with County Court procedures including liaison with Court officials, Bailiffs and Legal Services as required.
• Evaluate the financial position of customers who have an outstanding debt and are finding it difficult to make payments, to provide customers with practical support and advice to clear their debt, manage and budget their income to sustain their tenancy, referring customers to internal and external support/advice agencies where appropriate.
• To contribute to and implement practical measures to mitigate the impact of Welfare Reform, ensuring always that the relevant legislation is utilised to secure an outstanding debt, i.e. applying for Third Party Deductions, Managed Payments and Discretionary Housing Payments.
• Review outstanding arrears cases on a regular basis and where appropriate recommend cases for write to liaise with appointed external Recovery Agents on outstanding debt referrals.

Essential Qualifications\Experience

• Level 2 in Maths & English
• Previous Income Recovery Experience
• Excellent Negotiation Skills
• Excellent Customer Service Skills
• Good Working Knowledge of Arrears Management
• Good Knowledge of Universal Credit

Desirable Criteria

• Knowledge of working in Local Taxation in a debt collection environment.
• Local Taxation and/or a Debtors Computer system.