Rent Recovery Officer

at  Somerset Council

SOME KEY INFORMATION

• Full time, permanent position, 37 hour per week, Monday to Friday.
• £33,114 to £33,893 per annum (inclusive of a £10,000 per annum recruitment allowance paid for 3 years).
• 25 days annual leave (not including Bank Holidays).
• Level of flexible working available.
  What will I be doing?
  The very short answer? You’ll be recovering rent from our housing tenants.
  (To be fair, you might have guessed that from the job title.)
  What our team does is important – but what’s more important is how we do it.
  We’re dealing with some of the most vulnerable people in our community and they often have complex needs.
  We’re there to support them and to do everything we can to keep them in their home – whether it’s helping them manage their finances, make sure they are getting the right benefits and give them advice around debt where it’s needed.
  This takes a great deal of empathy and a real desire to help people who can’t always help themselves.
  The job isn’t easy. Sometimes we reach a point where we’ve done everything we can to help and it still hasn’t worked. There is still a process to follow and for some, that can result in court orders and eventually eviction. You’ll be representing the Council in court hearings and enforcing the outcomes.
  When this happens (and it is a last resort), you’ll need to be able to step back and see the bigger picture when it’s needed.
  Not everyone is suited to this kind of work. But if you are? This could be an incredibly rewarding job for you.
  Visiting tenants in their homes is a key part of the job, but we do offer flexible working where we can. Most of our team work from home (or the office if they prefer) 2-3 days per week. The rest of the time is spent in the community.
  What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?
  We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be.
  The main thing we’re looking for is customer service experience, dealing with vulnerable people or those with complex needs.
  Ideally you will also have some relevant knowledge from working in the social housing or benefits sector.
  We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.
  We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.
  What’s in it for me?
  We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more…

Anything else I should know?
For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Michaela Mullen via email at michaela.mullen@somerset.gov.uk.
When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.
If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button - we can’t wait to hear from you.
DBS information
This role requires Basic DBS Clearance.
Job Reference: SCC0510

Please refer the Job description for details