Debt Advice Officer

Your contracted base is the Civic Offices, with the option to work hybrid currently. You will need to attend the Civic for training, meetings and delivering appointments when necessary. These arrangements may change with business need.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

About the role

You would be required to:

Provide friendly, professional customer service across all channels, responding with empathy and resolving enquiries wherever possible.

Give personalised debt advice, including preparing financial statements, reviewing income and spending, and explaining suitable debt options.

Support residents to maximise income by completing benefit checks, helping with applications, maintaining claims, challenging decisions, and accessing discounts or social tariffs.

Assess and review Crisis and Resilience Fund applications for Crisis Payments and Housing Payments, and Discretionary Council Tax Support applications in line with legislation and Council policy.

Verify Universal Credit housing costs and process Alternative Payment Arrangement requests accurately to prevent financial loss for residents or the Council.

Maintain accurate, up to date case records and financial information in line with data protection requirements and Council standards.

Reading Borough Council is seeking a dedicated and empathetic Debt Advice Officer to join our Tenant Services team. In this vital role, you'll support tenants and residents across Reading to manage their finances, maximise income, sustain tenancies, and prevent homelessness. You'll work as part of a collaborative team delivering a high-quality, customer-focused service across multiple access channels including face-to-face, telephone, email, and text.

You'll be the first point of contact for many service users, responding promptly and professionally to enquiries. Using your knowledge of relevant policies and procedures, you'll aim to resolve issues at the first point of contact and provide tailored support to those in financial difficulty.

Key Responsibilities Include:

Respond promptly and professionally to customer enquiries across multiple channels, resolving issues at first contact where possible.

Provide tailored debt advice and budgeting support to tenants and residents, including preparing Standard Financial Statements and prioritising debts.

Assist service users with welfare benefit claims, backdating requests, and challenging decisions using legislation and policy.

Promote financial inclusion, digital access, and safer borrowing practices such as Credit Unions.

Assess and review applications for Crisis and Resilience Fund for Crisis Payments and Housing Payments, and Council Tax Support accurately and efficiently.

Conduct outreach appointments and home visits where necessary, following lone worker procedures.

Maintain accurate records and contribute to team performance targets and KPIs.

Collaborate with internal teams and external organisations to improve service delivery and integration.

Attend community events and deliver training sessions to raise awareness of financial support services.

You'll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you'll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.

Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:

Work Together as one team - champion and inspire a culture which ensures that all employees across the organisation work together to provide excellent outcomes for Reading

Drive Efficiency - create an environment in which resources are used efficiently and employees' skills are developed and used effectively

Be Ambitious - aspire to deliver excellence and inspire and support others to reach their potential

Make a Difference to Reading - inspire a culture in which the customer is the focus and where change is welcomed as an opportunity

Our offer

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition is strongly encouraged, and you'll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 30 days after 5 years' service and 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave

A wide range of flexible working opportunities

Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading

Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)

Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)

On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted

Season Ticket Loan - a loan to help with the cost of your rail or bus journey, to and from work

Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax