Senior Assessment Officer – Housing

What's involved with this role:
Interim Senior Assessment Officer – Housing
Job Ref: Cheshire W 5244929
Pay Rate: £20.31 per hour PAYE
Hours per week: 37 Monday – Friday, 8.30am to 5pm
Role Length: This opening assignment is for 2-3 months
City: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
The purpose of the role is to assist the Assessment Centre manager in the effective leadership, management, development and improvement of a quality, efficient, effective, secure, customer focused and responsive e Assessment Centre.
This requires ensuring compliance with all relevant acts, regulations, council policies and best practices together with ensuring that all associated service policies, practices and procedures are administered and developed in line with service and corporate objectives.
Key Responsibilities:
Assist the Assessment Manager in anticipating and influencing the future direction of the service and both the strategic and operational planning of the Assessment Centre, to ensure that it is prepared to take advantage of opportunities, is prepared for change and clearly demonstrates continuous improvement whilst making efficiency savings.
Ensure benefits are administered effectively through sound processes of initiation, assessment and decision making, payment and accounting and arrangements for dealing with changes and repeat claims.
Undertake quality initiatives in line with good practice and statutory requirements. Identify training needs and plan training initiatives across the service and with the adult social care and customer service teams, so that professional, legislative and performance standards are consistently achieved
Ensure the effective administration of assessment, billing and collection of income from Social Care clients, ensuring consistent application of the charging policies/legislation and maximising income generated. Maintaining effective administration of payment of invoices to external care providers to ensure contract conditions and financial regulations are met.
Assist in the provision of a high level of technical and policy advice to the Senior Manager and relevant senior officers in relation to Benefits and Adult Social Care charging related legislation, policy decisions and plans.
Assist the Assessment Centre Manager in determining priorities, monitor and co-ordinate workloads, quality initiatives and performance levels.
Achieve top quartile performance in all aspects of the Assessment Centre and to contribute to the achievement of wider council objectives by liaising and coordinating the work of the Assessment Centre with other Council Departments (e.g. Strategic Housing) and external organisations in the interests of promoting an efficient, effective and comprehensive service to the stakeholders and residents of the Authority.
Assist in the provision of a high level of technical and statistical information and policy advice to the Senior Manager and relevant senior officers in relation to Benefits and Social Care charging related legislation, policy decisions, budgetary decisions, payment administration and planning.
Assist the Assessment Centre Manager in the preparation and presentation of reports on Assessment Centre related matters, and to represent the Council at outside meetings/forums, courts, tribunals and review boards including preparing and delivering presentations and briefing notes as necessary.
Assist in developing, documenting, monitoring and maintaining appropriate partnerships, policies, procedures and IT Systems to ensure the delivery of a high quality, secure and customer focused Assessment Centre.
Review and amend in line with best practice, the availability of new technology and feedback from internal and external customers and clients.
Ensure that the payment, accounting for, and regular reconciliation with other Council systems is properly carried out to high standards of financial management and that the integrity of IT systems is maintained through regular checks and balances.
Assist in ensuring the accurate and timely preparation of year end control accounts/reconciliations, Subsidy and other statutory claims/returns. This includes liaising directly with internal/external auditors to ensure prompt and efficient certification of claims/returns and validation of procedures, control accounts and reconciliations.
Ensure that all agreed recommendations are acted on. Forecast, monitor and account for all expenditure and ensure that maximum government subsidy is received in respect of benefit expenditure.
NB: Please feel free to apply to us direct via jobs@tclrec.com by quoting the job reference and job title exactly.
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:
Qualifications:
5 GCSE's, Grades A-C, or equivalent including English and Mathematics.
2 A Levels, HNC, Diploma (or equivalent).
Skills & Experience:
Minimum of 12 months recent experience in a similar role, or context and ideally within a public sector organisation.
Must have full subsidy workbook knowledge and proven Assessment experience.
Significant (and demonstrable) experience and knowledge of effectively managing a team in a relevant office.
Significant (and demonstrable) experience and knowledge of working in a financial environment.
Significant (and demonstrable) experience of the legislative aspects of managing a team in a relevant office.
Evidence of political awareness and experience of providing accurate advice to Members.
A demonstrable track record of leading, motivating and managing people teams to achieve significant, sustainable service improvements and outstanding results.
An ability to forge successful partnerships with a wide range of internal and external bodies.
Ability to provide and interpret performance management data.
Proven track record of applying innovative thinking and judgement to initiate and support change, to take action, to meet targets and achieve desired outcomes.
Knowledge of legislation and national and local developments affecting the service managed and the Council as a whole.
Strong IT skills including Microsoft packages or equivalent (e.g. G Suite).
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Job Ref: Cheshire W 5244929
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.