Financial Inclusion Officer

37 hours per week

Do you want to make a difference? An exciting opportunity has arisen for someone with great people skills and welfare benefits knowledge to join our team as a Financial Inclusion Officer.

What’s the role?

As part of our Operations Directorate, you will be providing support to customers who may be experiencing financial hardship or those at risk of losing their tenancy. You will be expected to manage individual cases and provide welfare benefits advice to our customers to help them to sustain their tenancy and improve their lives. You will also help to ensure that prospective tenants will be able to succeed in their new tenancy through completing affordability assessments and providing on-going support as necessary.

In this role you will need to:

• ensure a high standard of customer service
• take personal responsibility for managing your own caseload
• have good time management skills
• have a logical and methodical approach with a high level of attention to detail

What are we looking for?

You will be customer-focused, with the ability to interact empathetically with a wide variety of people. You’ll have an excellent knowledge of the welfare benefits system and an understanding of how the current cost of living crisis may affect our tenants. You will have a background in providing support to customers to manage tenancies, and knowledge of the housing sector and rent accounts would be a distinct advantage.

Essential:

• Comprehensive knowledge of welfare benefits and income maximisation
• Experience of providing support regarding finances and debt management
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Knowledge and experience of using Microsoft Office programmes, including Excel
• You will need to hold a UK driving licence with access to a suitable vehicle, with insurance cover for business use.
• You will need to maintain a satisfactory basic level DBS check.

Desirable:

• Experience of social housing and an understanding of relevant legislation such as court processes, arrears recovery and eviction
• Experience of engaging effectively with a diverse audience using a range of communication tools
• Knowledge and experience of using housing management systems
• Experience of working collaboratively with other agencies, experts and services

What can we offer you?

We know that people are our most valuable assets, so we offer a range of benefits including 28 days’ annual leave pro rata, an employer pension contribution of up to 11%, development opportunities and access to a comprehensive employee rewards scheme.

How we work

We are committed to embracing the most positive aspects of agile working. We take a blended approach to how we work, so that colleagues have the flexibility to strike the right balance between working in our communities, in our shared spaces and remotely. With digital technology at the heart of our work, teams and individuals are empowered to decide the best way to meet the needs of their role.

How to apply

If this sounds like your next role, click ‘apply now’, tell us why you've got what it takes and send us a copy of your current CV.

The closing date is 17 July 2024, (but please note we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a large response). Interviews will take place in the week commencing 22 July 2024.