Senior Housing Benefit Officer

Senior Housing Benefit Officer
Harrow, London
Temporary
Full Time
An excellent opportunity has become available for an experienced Senior Housing Benefit Officer to join a Local Authority in Harrow. This is a senior position within the Housing Benefits team, supporting the delivery of a high-quality financial assessments and benefits service whilst ensuring compliance with legislation, maximising subsidy income and supporting some of the borough's most vulnerable residents.
THE ROLE
The Senior Housing Benefit Officer will play a key role in the delivery of Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Financial Assessment services, providing technical expertise, quality assurance and support to the wider team.
Key responsibilities include:

• Assessing complex Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Financial Assessment claims, including self-employed, student and social care cases.
• Supporting and deputising for Team Leaders when required across operational and performance management activities.
• Quality checking assessments completed by officers to ensure compliance with legislation, DWP standards and local procedures.
• Managing benefit appeals, preparing tribunal submissions and representing the Council at appeal hearings and court proceedings.
• Supporting the recovery of overpaid benefits and ensuring effective collection and recovery processes are maintained.
• Providing technical advice and guidance to officers on complex legislation, policy changes and benefit regulations.
• Working closely with internal departments, external agencies and the Department for Work and Pensions to achieve service objectives and performance targets.

THE CANDIDATE
The successful candidate will have substantial experience working within a Housing Benefits environment and possess strong technical knowledge of benefits legislation.
The ideal candidate will have:

• A minimum of three years' experience working within a Housing Benefits team.
• In-depth knowledge of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit legislation and regulations.
• Experience dealing with complex assessments, appeals and overpayment recovery.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to deal effectively with customers, elected members, MPs and stakeholders.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage a demanding workload and competing priorities.
• Strong IT skills and experience using Housing Benefits systems and Microsoft Office applications.

THE CONTRACT
WORKING HOURS: Full Time, 36 Hours Per Week
LENGTH OF CONTRACT: 3 Month Contract
RATE: The pay for the role is £30.02 per hour LTD company rate. The PAYE equivalent is £25.59 per hour, inclusive of holiday pay.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for this role, please email a copy of your CV to bethany.wiles@servicecare.org.uk or call on 01772 208966  to discuss the role in more detail!
If the role is more suited to someone you know, we offer a £250 referral bonus for every successfully referred candidate!