About Us

Job Title: Benefits Officer

Contract: Permanent – Fulltime (36 Hours)

Salary: £28,377 to £42,888 depending on Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Location: Richmond / Wandsworth

Other essential information: Working from home available but will need to attend office on a rota basis

Objective of role  

Do you aspire to support residents in the borough to access the welfare benefits they are entitled to?

The Benefits Service supports customers to claim Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction (CTR) and other welfare benefits to help with rent and Council Tax payments.

This role offers you the opportunity to work as part of a large team supporting residents by assessing claims for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction and signposting other welfare support and services where appropriate.

Can you work confidently in a challenging environment, supporting vulnerable customers and managing competing priorities to help residents with their benefit claims?  

Are you driven to make a real difference and eager to grow in a role that is both demanding and fulfilling? If you’re ready to contribute your passion and skills in an environment where your efforts truly matter, we encourage you to apply and join our team.

About the role 

Assessing claims: As a benefit officer you will be looking at applications for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction, checking information provided is accurate and complete, and calculating entitlement to benefit using several different IT systems.  You will also need to process change of circumstances that may occur to a customer and deal with enquiries. 

Communication skills: Effective communication skills are key to this role as you will need to gather information from different sources, including face to face discussion with customers and over the telephone to ensure claims are processed quickly and accurately.  

Regulatory Compliance: Working within strict legislation and procedures is essential to ensure accuracy of assessments.

Experience: A good understanding of the Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction and other Welfare Benefit legislation is beneficial but not essential as full training will be provided.

Performance Management: you will work within a performance management structure, working with your team to achieving the best outcomes for customers, ensuring that key performance indicators are met, focusing on continuous improvement and excellence.

Professional Development: Actively pursue personal and professional growth by leveraging available training and support resources.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Experience of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction administration is not essential, full training will be provided. 

• Extensive knowledge and understanding of the legislation for Housing Benefit and Council Tax reduction and other welfare benefits  

• Experience of working within a Housing & Council Tax reduction environment 

• Effective communication and interpersonal skills.

Indicative Recruitment Timeline

Closing Date:  Sunday 10th May 2026

Shortlisting Date: 15th May 2026

Interview Date: 18/05/2026 to 29/05/2026

We may close this vacancy early once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Useful Information

Richmond & Wandsworth Better Service Partnership are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. 

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know.

 We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts may be exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to these posts will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to attract, develop, and reward our employees such as 40 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays), flexible working and a generous pension plan.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils