Arrears Prevention and Recovery Officer

We are looking for a proactive, experienced, dynamic, innovative and performance-driven Senior Arrears Prevention and Recovery Officer to join our Income Services team. Who can inspire and motivate our staff to be the best and achieve top quartile arrears recovery. You will have worked in a similar role in another local authority or housing association and have experience of driving service improvement, and using data As part of the Income Services management team the successful candidate will support the income Services Manager to deliver a high performing, best in class service that we are proud of, and be responsible for a team of Arrears Prevention and Recovery Officers, Financial Inclusion Officers and Sundry Debt Officers. This is a demanding role and the post holder will be expected to embrace challenging targets and manage the performance of their team members. At Havering, residents are at the heart of everything we do. It is imperative that applicants are committed to Havering's ICARE values and committed to our vision of becoming a national top quartile Income performer by all measures. This is a new post arising out of a recent reorganisation of Income Services. This is an opportunity to display creativity and drive a culture of continuous improvement and high performance. You will guide your team in developing their capabilities and help them to take the next steps in their careers. With an expert knowledge of income recovery processes and relevant housing legislation, you will have experience of working in a complex political and service environment, and engaging with colleagues at all levels. This role requires a highly organised individual who can matrix-manage the workload of a large team. You must be passionate about sustaining a supportive and inclusive working environment for all colleagues and enjoy acting as a mentor to your team.

You must be able to evidence the following in your application:

• A minimum of two years' experience of leading and managing income recovery credit control or financial inclusion teams in a social housing or local authority setting.
• Experience of providing direct oversight and decision-making on highly complex cases
• Proven experience of reducing debt and rent arrears, to support delivery of services via the Housing Revenue Account
• Proven people manager, that motivates, engages and supports staff, sets clear direction and experience in managing performance issue.
• Experience of deputising for the Services Manager or Head of Service.
• A high performer, with a proven track record of team and individual team member performance improvement.
• High level proven experience of using data and technology to drive performance, service improvement, service re-design that delivers the best service for our residents and maximises recovery.
• Expert knowledge of housing legislation, debt management and income and welfare benefit processes.
• A degree or housing qualification, such as CIH, is preferable.
  
  On joining Havering, you will find our supportive, approachable and visible leadership who are happy to share their skills and experience to guide you wherever you need it. We are proud to be a forward-thinking organisation that embraces new ways of working to the benefit of our employees and residents alike.
More reasons to choose Havering:
• A competitive salary
• An agile, modern and efficient council in London's easternmost Borough.
• 26 days' annual leave, rising to 29 days after 5 years' service
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• Generous Local Government Pension scheme