Benefit Support Officer

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, accepting of all, and free from discrimination and bias.

The Revenues Service is a large team of more than 60 people working together to collect £340 million of corporate revenue to help the Council provide vital services to Coventry residents. From council tax to business rates to invoices for stalls at the Godiva Festival, the team performs a range of roles to ensure we provide excellent services to residents and internal council departments and that ultimately, we maximize the collection of public funds. The revenue we collect ensures the council can provide services from bin collections to looking after our parks and green spaces to providing the best possible chances in life for our looked-after children.

Our team is uniquely placed within the council as we interact with every one of Coventry’s 140,000 residential properties and 9,000 commercial properties. Every resident and customer we deal with has a unique set of circumstances - our team challenges those who can pay and don’t pay – applying a range of legal remedies to compel people to pay what they owe. But the team also listens to and supports those who can’t pay and helps some of our most vulnerable residents find a way out of debt.

Our Values: In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organization that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled, and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remain at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values are:

1. Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
2. Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
3. Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
4. Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
5. Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
6. Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

What is the job role? The Benefits Service is responsible for the assessment of Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support, Free School Meals, and Discretionary Grants.

We are looking to recruit a Benefits Support Officer to join our department. Working closely with the Benefits, Hostel, and Overpayment Teams will be the initial focus of these posts, although the primary focus will be on Hostels and new Claims work. Duties will involve obtaining information for benefit claims and indexing documents onto our internal electronic system. The role involves handling and analyzing large amounts of data accurately and efficiently. In regards to overpayments, you will trace and establish appropriate methods of recovery.

The successful candidate will use a wide range of systems and handle information subject to the Data Protection Act.

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such, appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Who are we looking for? Your job purpose is to undertake a range of administrative, technical, and customer-focused duties to support the Benefit Service; you should be able to work independently and with a high degree of accuracy, possessing experience of using a wide range of computer systems, including Microsoft packages.

The ideal candidate will have awareness of the need for confidentiality and a non-judgmental approach when dealing with customers. You will also have excellent customer service skills to deal with customers over the telephone, in accordance with corporate standards.

When applying for this role, you will be asked to write a personal statement. Please include the following information in your application by providing examples of:

1. Awareness and knowledge of Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support, Universal Credit & Free School Meals
2. Experience of dealing with a wide range of people in order to handle and resolve enquiries
3. Ability to prioritize own workload, to work flexibly and respond to changing priorities
4. Ability to work under pressure and deliver team objectives
5. Your IT skills, including Microsoft Office packages e.g., Word, Outlook, and Excel
6. Experience of dealing with customers over the telephone

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme: As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

1. Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
2. Are currently in care or have previously been in care
3. If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labeled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'.

If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.

Interview date(s): 7th & 8th November 2024.

About Coventry: Coventry has a proud, innovative, and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change. We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant, and diverse.

At Coventry, we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5,100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together, and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit Coventry City Council Vacancies.