Accounts Receivable Officer

Connect2Luton; Luton; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Connect2Luton is recruiting an Accounts Receivable Officer to drive debt recovery and income management for Central, Trading Services and Adult Social Care invoices. You will document procedures, test enhancements and train new users of the Financial Debtors system.

Role includes contacting debtors early, negotiating payment plans, maintaining records, and ensuring VAT and billing accuracy. You will handle disputes and contribute to performance reporting and system improvements.

Qualifications

• Experience in Finance or debt collection environment.
• Experience dealing with enquiries from members of the public.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office; able to extract and analyse data.
• Familiar with Civica Financials or equivalent software.

Responsibilities

• Delivery and recovery of debts for multiple council invoices.
• Maintain accurate case records and up-to-date notes.
• Produce regular performance data and aged debt analysis.
• Investigate and respond to debtor queries and disputes.
• Assist with testing and training of new financial debt systems.

Skills

Debt collection

Customer service

Data analysis

MS Office

English communication

Education

AAT or NVQ in finance

Tools

Civica Financials

Finance software

Job description

Main purpose of position:

Responsible for the delivery, efficient income management and effective recovery of debts or all Central, Trading Services and Adult Social Care invoices. Support the Debtors financial system with responsibility for documenting procedures, testing enhancements and training new application users.

As a Accounts Receivable Officer, you will be responsible to:

• Prevent Accounts Receivable debt through early contact with debtors to the issue of Final notices, letter before Action and Legal Letters onwards, taking action to contact debtors, negotiate and monitor payment arrangements.
• Deal with correspondence, ensuring debtors receive correct notice of any court action, adjournments and payment arrangements, other associated recovery procedures and any necessary revised bills. Maintain accurate case records and keep file notes up to date.
• Be fully proficient and aware of a range of complex services charged via the Accounts Receivable Service. Be aware of and keep up to date with legislation in relation to charges for Adult Social care, safeguarding of vulnerable adults and other related matters.
• Specialised targeting of debts e.g. Adult Social Care, Commercial rent, Highway default charges, staff loans using a variety of recovery methods. Select, escalate and monitor cases for enforcement agents, Legal action, service cessation, including dealing with the returned enforcement agents/bailiff instructions progressing these to the next most appropriate stage of recovery.
• Produce regular performance management data, including aged debt analysis and data for local performance indicators to Service areas.
• Investigate, resolve and respond to queries from both debtors and service managers, giving appropriate advice/assistance on issues such as disputes on invoices billed, tracing missing payments via the Council's cash receipting Treasury Management applications, VAT issues and input form control in accordance with Council procedures.
• Enforce ownership of debt across directorates to improve collection rates and raise awareness of debt management. Ensure the Council's write off procedures are adhered to, when all collection options have been exhausted, by producing relevant information and obtaining agreement as appropriate in accordance with the Council's Write off Code of Practice.
• Assess, scrutinise and determine the quality and accuracy of invoice and credit note requests, including from interface systems (e.g. Adult Social Care Residential, BTS, Transport) ensuring that VAT calculation is correct Carry out the daily reconciliation of all data transactions including periodic accounts, rectifying and recording any financial discrepancies identified as part of the reconciliation process.
• Process amendments including write-offs, changes to payment arrangements and customer circumstances including changes to liabilities and propensity to pay.
• Assist with the implementation & testing of new releases of the Financial Debtors application and associated feeder systems.

Skills and Experience:

• Demonstrable experience of working in a Finance and/or debt collection environment
• Demonstrable evidence of dealing with enquiries from members of the public in person, by letter and telephone
• Able to use Microsoft Office packages with accurate keyboard skills, interpret, extract and analyse data.
• Able to use IT databases such as Civica Financials or equivalent software
• Able to develop, maintain and monitor systems
• Able to add, subtract, multiply and divide, interpret data and observe anomalies
• Able to communicate verbally and in writing with a wide range of customers and provide effective help or advice in accurate and fluent spoken English
• Able to use tact and sensitivity to negotiate with customers who may be upset or angry
• Able to follow procedures and regulations, utilising data and information to make correct decisions and take actions
• Problem solving skills to identify and resolve disputes
• Demonstrable knowledge of Debt and enforcement recovery procedures
• AAT or NVQ in a finance subject or equivalent experience

About Us

Luton Borough Council have partnered with Kent County Council to create Connect2Luton, a recruitment managed service for all contingent temporary agency, contract, and interim roles at the Council.

Our heritage and being local government owned which means we have a wealth of knowledge and expertise within the public sector, with many of our employees having previously worked for the Council or have supplied previously into the Council, for several years.

We are an equal opportunities employment agency and business that positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates.

Connect2Luton is a trading style of Luton & Kent Commercial Services LLP - A joint venture between Luton Borough Council & Commercial Services Kent Ltd. Connect2Luton is an equal opportunities Employment Agency & Business. It positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates