Crisis Payment Officer

Oldham Council; Oldham; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

LGPS pension scheme

Discounted gym membership

Staff discount scheme

Cycle to Work

Wellbeing support

Staff recognition

Peer support groups

Job summary

Oldham Council is seeking a Crisis Payment Officer to support individuals and families facing financial hardship.

You will review crisis payment applications, check supporting evidence, determine eligibility under the Crisis Payment Policy, and make fair, timely decisions to ensure help reaches those in need.

Qualifications

• Experience of using computer packages for word processing, spreadsheets and databases, plus using the internet and sending/receiving emails
• Experience of undertaking a wide range of administration and business supporting tasks
• Customer service skills to deliver polite, courteous and efficient service to colleagues, partners and service users
• Organisational skills to complete tasks to deadlines, re-prioritising own work if necessary
• Teamworking skills to work effectively with others to meet deadlines and complete work to the required standard
• Initiative to respond to unexpected problems using recognised procedures and policies as a guide
• Analytical skills to collate, investigate and interpret data and other information

Responsibilities

• To have detailed understanding of the Council’s Crisis Payments policy to support the decision-making process.
• To handle and process applications received via the CMS keeping the system up to date
• To review applications received and request any relevant evidence to understand the needs of the customer
• To contact customers via email and phone as necessary regarding their application
• To handle incoming calls to the department
• To liaise with other Council departments and stakeholders to confirm information and evidence provided
• To check relevant Council and Department for Work and Pensions systems to verify information
• To fully review applications and evidence received and make decisions on whether an applicant will qualify for assistance, and what items or funding to award

Skills

Experience with word processing

Experience with spreadsheets

Experience with databases

Internet and emails

Administration tasks

Customer service

Organisational skills

Teamwork

Initiative

Analytical skills

Job description

Resources

Customer Operations

Crisis Payment Officer

Ref: 001682

Contract: Fixed Term (20 months)

Salary: £26,403 - £28,142 per annum (Grade 3)

Hours: 36.66 per week

Location: Spindles Office with occasional home working

Closing Date: Sunday 13 September 2026

Interview Date: TBC.

Role Overview

Join our Customer Operations team as a Crisis Payment Officer and play a vital role in supporting individuals and families during times of financial hardship.

As a Crisis Payment Officer, you will be responsible for reviewing and assessing applications for crisis payments, checking supporting evidence, and determining eligibility in line with the Crisis Payment Policy.

Using your attention to detail, sound judgement, and knowledge of the Crisis Payment Policy, you will make fair, accurate, and timely decisions that help ensure support reaches those who need it most.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with strong attention to detail and who is compassionate, analytical, and committed to supporting vulnerable customers as part of our resident focussed approach while maintaining policy compliance and consistency in decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

• To have detailed understanding of the Council’s Crisis Payments policy to support the decision-making process.
• To handle and process applications received via the CMS keeping the system up to date
• To review applications received and request any relevant evidence to understand the needs of the customer
• To contact customers via email and phone as necessary regarding their application
• To handle incoming calls to the department
• To liaise with other Council departments and stakeholders to confirm information and evidence provided
• To check relevant Council and Department for Work and Pensions systems to verify information
• To fully review applications and evidence received and make decisions on whether an applicant will qualify for assistance, and what items or funding to award

Key Requirements

• Experience of using computer packages for word processing, spreadsheets and databases, plus using the internet and sending/receiving emails
• Experience of undertaking a wide range of administration and business supporting tasks
• Customer service skills to deliver polite, courteous and efficient service to colleagues, partners and service users
• Organisational skills to complete tasks to deadlines, re-prioritising own work if necessary
• Teamworking skills to work effectively with others to meet deadlines and complete work to the required standard
• Initiative to respond to unexpected problems using recognised procedures and policies as a guide
• Analytical skills to collate, investigate and interpret data and other information

About Us

We want Oldham to have vibrant, safe neighbourhoods where people are proud to live with opportunities for healthier, more fulfilled lives; and a sustainable, thriving economy. As we look to the future, the challenges may be significant, but so are the opportunities. We’ve identified three missions with our residents and partners, focusing on what will deliver the biggest impact:

A Great Place to Live, Healthier, Happier Lives, and Green and Growing.

We’re looking for candidates who will support us to achieve our ambitions and we encourage you to download our Corporate Plan: Ready for the Future and our Oldham Plan for further information.

Our Values and Behaviours

By driving innovation, investing in our people, and championing our communities, we will ensure that Oldham continues to be a place where everyone can live their best life. To support this, we have three core values which define who we are and how we operate. These are 'Proud, Ambitious, ' and 'Together', and they shape our culture, inform our decisions, and inspire us to deliver on our commitments to the people of Oldham.

• Work with a resident focus
• Support local leaders
• Committed to the borough
• Delivery high performance
• Take ownership and drive change

You can find out more about our values and behaviours on our greater.jobs Oldham page

Our Benefits Package

At Oldham Council we offer a great benefits package for our employees, which includes the following:

• 25 days annual leave which increases after 5 and 10-year's service
• The option to purchase additional annual leave.
• An attractive LGPS benefit pension scheme with the option to make shared cost additional voluntary contributions.
• Discounted gym membership with Oldham Active.
• Staff discount scheme for shopping, entertainment, eating-out, eating-in, travel, motoring and more.
• Salary sacrifice scheme for home and electronics and Cycle to Work.
• Wellbeing support, including a Mental Health First Aider network and an Employment Assistance Programme that provides 24 hours access to advice and support.
• Staff recognition and celebration events.
• Peer support groups

Inclusive Recruitment

We work closely with employees to help them work at their best, including making adjustments such as flexible working, describing available working patterns, providing equipment or making changes to the workplace.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and therefore expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you have lived or worked abroad for 3 months or more in the last 5 years or 12 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the last 10 years whilst aged 18 or over, please refer to the link below for details for how to obtain your Certificates of Good Character. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

Unfortunately, at this time we are not able to offer sponsorship.

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme please indicate this within the 'About You' or 'Supporting Statement' section of your application.

If you’re an applicant with disabilities and have previously been in or currently in care, a carer, someone who has served in the Armed Forces, or you’ve participated in the GM Elevate Programme, and you meet the essential criteria of the role, you are guaranteed to reach the first stage of assessment under our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme.

Data and Privacy

For details of how we use your data please see our Privacy Notice

Important Information

Please note that should a vacancy that has been released for internal or external recruitment be deemed suitable for a current employee at risk of redundancy, it can be pulled back at any point, up to the post being formally offered to a candidate who is not at risk of redundancy.

Right to Work in the UK from 1st July 2021.doc

Supporting Documents

Job Description & Person Specification

Right To Work