Recovery Officer
About the job
Salary: £29,093 - £31,586 a year pro rata
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Fixed Term for up to 15 months
This position is available as a secondment opportunity for up to 15 months. If you are a permanent LBC employee, you must have written approval (an email will suffice) from your manager prior to applying and a copy will need to be submitted with your application. Please note: we will not be able to proceed with your application form without your manager’s permission.
In this role, you’ll help ensure Council Tax, Business Rates and benefit overpayments are billed and collected efficiently. You’ll be using both manual and computerised systems to manage accounts, handle sensitive data, and keep accurate records.
You’ll also speak directly with residents, businesses and claimants to resolve queries, negotiate payment arrangements and sometimes take recovery action through to the Magistrates or County Courts when needed.
You’ll be part of a supportive team that values accuracy, fairness and good customer service, even when working with customers who may be experiencing financial difficulties. Occasionally, you may need to work the odd Saturday morning or evening to help us meet service demands.
Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.
About you
You’ll bring proven experience of working in a Local Taxation or debt collection environment, ideally with a good understanding of Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates or overpayments of benefits. You’ll be confident using computer systems like Academy and Comino, and comfortable managing both digital and manual records with great attention to detail.
You know how to communicate clearly and sensitively with a wide range of people, sometimes in challenging situations where tact and empathy really matter. You’re organised, able to plan your own workload to meet deadlines and targets, and you’re not afraid of working with numbers — adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing comes naturally to you.
This is a public facing role so you’ll need to show off your fluency in speaking and writing English
About us
Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.
The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?
We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough
Application Process
On occasions, we may close a vacancy early due to a very high number of applications being received.
Benefits
We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:
- From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
- Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
- Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
- Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
- Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
- Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
- Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
- Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
- Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
- Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel
How to apply
We understand that job applications take time and effort, but a high-quality application shows that you are professional with a good attention to detail. The recruiting manager may receive a number of applications for each job advertised so you want yours to stand out!
Our ‘How to apply' page has more tips to help with your application: How to apply
Available documents
Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.Salary range
- £29,093 - £31,586 per year