Housing Benefit Assessment Officer

What will you be doing?

The fundamental purpose of this role is the administration of benefits, ensuring that people are receiving the financial support they need to pay their rent and council tax. Housing Benefits Assessment Officers are also responsible for the administration of discretionary funds allowing us to help people early on, to avoid getting into serious situations, to assist people when they feel they have nowhere else to turn. 

Day to day, you’ll be providing a high quality and customer focused service to residents, giving advice on Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Universal Credit and wider Welfare Benefits and Welfare Reform. This can be face to face, via phone, electronic channels or home visits. You’ll assess and process all types of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support / Reduction claims and change in circumstances as well as assessing student claims, persons from abroad and self-employed, dealings with Universal Credit cases and ATLAS. 

By maintaining up to date knowledge around legislation, you’ll assess and make decisions on a range of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction applications and changes in circumstances.  

About you

You’ll be self-motivated, curious and empathetic. Your investigative mind and excellent attention to detail will enable you to deal with people from all walks of life and respond well to demanding situations, working in a collaborative and solutions focussed way, for the benefit of our residents. 

You’ll need good time management skills and be able to work effectively within a fast-paced environment as assessments and decisions have to be completed within set timescales. You’ll need to be proficient in the use of the Northgate and Academy Revenues and Benefits processing systems. 

Accuracy and attention to detail are also essential as you’ll be responsible for compiling all the necessary information to accurately calculate entitlement and ensuring notifications of entitlement are issued correctly and are legally compliant. 

Our benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days annual leave per year, 29 days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Car Lease scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Ongoing training and development opportunities.
• A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
• Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
• Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.

About us

We’re a new council, following one of the largest shake-ups in local government reform in recent history. As a new authority, we’re embarking on an exciting journey to deliver exceptional services for our residents, customers and communities.  

Our vision at West Northamptonshire Council is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services. 

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

When potential is unlocked, talent thrives.

Choose a career that offers you a true sense of achievement, fills you with pride and challenges you in a positive way, every day.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.