About Us

Job Title: Financial Inclusion Officer

Salary Range: £32,955 - £44.139

12 months fixed-term contract (Full-Time 36 hours)

Location: Wandsworth 

Would like to join an expanding, hardworking, high performing, and friendly team?

If yes, we have the perfect role for you!

Our Rent Collection Service is looking to recruit a 12 months fixed-term contract Rent Collection Financial Inclusion Officer to join our amazing team and help play a central role in achieving positive outcomes for our tenants!

About the service

The Rent Collection Service (RCS) is responsible for collecting rent from all tenants of residential and non-residential properties such as garages and store sheds.

About the team

You will be joining a high performing and friendly team that support each other to make sure we provide the very best services to our tenants.

About the role

This is 12 months fixed-term role, which is funded to help the team with undertaking tailored and specific project work to help maximise the income of our tenants affected by the cost-of-living crisis. The role focuses on using data to gain insight, understand trends, and identify opportunities to design new projects. Some of the projects and responsibilities are:  

Universal Credit Migration Project – identifying all tenants affected by managed migration, providing benefit advice to maximise their income, setting up alternative payment arrangements and sending text/emails via GOV website.

Using Low Income Family Tracker – to identify tenants potentially eligible for Pension Credit, contacting them and helping them claim, assisting with applications where necessary.

Breathing Space Cases – identifying those who enter breathing space updating the system and making referrals to the team if further support is needed.

Leading on Tenancy Training Project, inviting new tenants and running an in-person workshop.

Helping tenants manage their debts and prioritising rent payments.

Supporting tenants in financial hardship with emergency food vouchers and charitable applications for furniture, electrical items for home etc.

Work in collaboration with other teams in the Council to promote tenants’ wellbeing and ensure positive outcomes.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Current working knowledge of the welfare reform and ability to provide welfare benefits and debt advice to tenants. 

An understanding of debt recovery procedures in a Social Housing environment.

Must be fully aware of the duties and responsibilities arising from Safeguarding, General Data Protection Act, Health and Safety, Information Technology and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion.

Communicating effectively with tenants by phone, email, letters and in person with a sensitive approach to identified vulnerabilities.

Organising and delivering welfare benefits training, drop-in advice surgeries and workshops.

Must be IT literate.

Emotionally intelligent for adaptive service delivery accounting for a tenant’s individual circumstances.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Hassan Aden by email hassan.aden@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

Indicative Recruitment Timeline

Closing Date: Sunday 20^th October 2024

Shortlisting Date: W/C 21^st October 2024 

Interview Date: 28^th October 2024 (there will be a test as part of the interview)

Important Information:

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils 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