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Ref no:
EAL08412
Published:
17/03/2023
Closes:
02/04/2023
Location:
Council HQ, John Muir House, Brewery Park, Haddington, EH41 3HA
Salary:
£30,859 - £34,545 per year
Contract Type:
Permanent
Position Type:
Full Time
Hours:
35 hours per week
Work From Home:
Yes

Vacancy Information

Hourly rate of pay: £16.91 - £18.93

Days and Hours of Work:
Working 5 days a week, 09:00-17:00
Days of work are negotiable, starting and finishing times are flexible and flexi time is applicable.
To start asap

INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY
Applications for this post will only be accepted from current employees of East Lothian Council (this includes casual and agency staff who are currently undertaking work for us). 

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Financial Support Officer to work within the Council's Financial Support team, part of the Revenues Service. This post would normally be based at John Muir House, Haddington but homeworking can be considered.

The purpose of this role is to assess and process claims and changes of circumstances for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction, within agreed performance targets and quality standards.  The purpose of the role is also to make discretionary decisions on and process claims for The Scottish Welfare Fund, including Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants. 

The successful candidate will supervise, develop and support the Financial Support team by providing advice, guidance and training and will support the Team Manager – Financial Support in the management of the team. The successful candidate will also have an important contribution to make as part of the team's service improvement planning.

The successful candidate will help to reduce poverty and inequalities through the delivery of an efficient and effective Financial Support service and will help build financial resilience within our communities working closely with other Council services and external Agencies to deliver a joined up approach.

The successful candidate will have a good understanding of the UK and Scottish welfare systems.

The successful candidate must be highly motivated and demonstrate experience and ability working within a customer focused/welfare environment, having had experience of working with vulnerable people in adverse social circumstances.   Excellent communication skills are very important and the ability to deal sensitively with customers who are facing financial hardship is a key personal quality which the role requires.

The successful candidate will have the ability to work remotely in an effective way, if required to do so, using Microsoft Office applications and other Council IT systems.

Home Working Consideration  
Applications for homeworking or hybrid working will be considered for this post, subject to a trial period and in accordance with East Lothian Council’s Home Working and Worksmart Policies which can be found here. Home or Hybrid working options can be discussed with candidates invited for interview. All applicants must live in the UK and will be expected to attend Council offices from time to time as required.

Job Details

Responsible for the delivery of an effective, efficient and high quality Financial Support service to East Lothian residents to maximise entitlement to financial support and reduce poverty and inequalities.

To supervise, develop and support the Financial Support team by providing advice guidance and training and support the Team Manager – Financial Support in the management of the team.

To ensure that assessments are dealt with promptly, balancing the need to deliver a customer focused service to claimants with the need to protect the Council’s financial interest.

To work within a busy and fast changing environment, dealing with all aspects relating to the accurate and prompt assessment of Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Discretionary Housing Payment and Scottish Welfare Fund claims. This is done in accordance with the appropriated guidance and regulations to enable the Council to fulfil its obligations under the Regulatory Framework and to meet performance indicator targets. 

Please download the Job Outline/Person Specification (available under 'Job Attachments') for the full range of tasks and duties associated with this job.  You will need to refer to these in order to complete the application form.  You must ensure you meet every 'essential' criteria stated on the Person Specification to be considered for interview.

The ‘East Lothian Way’– values and behaviours we expect our employees to demonstrate in their everyday work.  Should you be invited to interview, you may be asked questions based on these behaviours.  Please refer to the document via the link to familiarise yourself with them.

Job Requirements

Relevant Qualifications
HNC/SVQ Level 3 or equivalent level of knowledge e.g. IRRV, Accountancy and/or relevant working experience.

Driving Licence
A full current driving licence is desirable for this post.

Disclosure
The preferred candidate for this position may be subject to a Basic Disclosure provided by Disclosure Scotland prior to a formal offer of employment being made by East Lothian Council.

Please note:
If a Disclosure check is required and you have spent more than 3 months working or living outwith the UK in the last 5 years then you will also be required to present a copy of an overseas criminal record check. Details of how to apply and contact details can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Additional Information

For additional East Lothian Council employment information please click on the following link:
www.eastlothian.gov.uk/nonteachinginfo

If you have any difficulties creating an account on MyJobScotland or applying for this post please contact the MyJobScotland support team via this link https://www.myjobscotland.gov.uk/contact-us.

If you require further information about this vacancy, please call 01620 827868, or email us on recruitment@eastlothian.gov.uk

Please note: We do not accept CV's (either electronically or by mail).  All our vacancies must be applied for by fully completing the on-line application form.  Although there is an ‘import data from my CV’ function on MyJobScotland, this only imports very limited data and should not be relied upon to complete the application form. 

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