About the role
At West Northants Council, it’s about our people and the difference they make to our communities every day. As a Senior Benefits Assessment Officer, you’ll play an important role in supporting residents by ensuring Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction claims are assessed accurately, fairly and in line with legislation. Working within our Revenues & Benefits team, you’ll handle complex cases, provide guidance to colleagues and help maintain a high-quality, customer-focused service that supports those who need it most.
What will you be doing?
You’ll take the lead on assessing more complex Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction cases, ensuring decisions are accurate, compliant and delivered in a timely manner. Alongside managing your own caseload, you’ll support and guide Assessment Officers, helping to maintain standards and share best practice across the team. You’ll liaise with a wide range of stakeholders, including customers, landlords and government departments, to ensure claims are processed correctly and vulnerable residents are supported. You’ll also contribute to service improvements, assist with system testing, monitor overpayments and help ensure performance targets are met, all while keeping up to date with changes in legislation and working practices.
About you
You’re an experienced benefits professional with a strong understanding of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction legislation. You’re confident working with complex information, making sound decisions and prioritising your workload in a fast-paced environment. A strong communicator, you can explain information clearly and handle sensitive situations with empathy and professionalism. You’re also a supportive team player who enjoys sharing knowledge and helping others develop. Most importantly, you bring a proactive, detail-focused approach and share our commitment to delivering high-quality services that make a real difference, reflecting our THRIVE values in everything you do.
Our benefits
You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.
About us
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.
Our vision 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.
We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner
The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.
If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.
Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
West Northants Council, where careers thrive.
Attached documents
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