Income Officer - Temporary Accommodation, Temporary Accommodation Strategy

Birmingham City Council; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Birmingham City Council is seeking an Income Officer for Temporary Accommodation to support residents and maximise income collection. You will assess income, process rent payments and set up payment arrangements, while ensuring compliance with housing policies and safeguards.

The role emphasises customer-focused service, collaboration with benefits teams and external agencies, and a proactive approach to improving financial stability for residents in temporary accommodation.

Qualifications

• Experience in income management or financial administration.
• Knowledge of housing legislation, homelessness and welfare reform.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills for financial assessments.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills with residents and agencies.
• Good IT and administrative skills with databases and records.
• Strong organisational skills for a busy customer-focused environment.

Responsibilities

• Respond to customer enquiries across telephone, face-to-face, home visit and digital channels with timely advice.
• Complete financial assessments and income calculations for residents in temporary accommodation.
• Manage temporary accommodation rent payments, monitor accounts and arrears, and liaise with residents on payment plans.
• Provide guidance on housing-related financial matters and benefits to support financial inclusion.
• Use IT systems to process requests, update records and retrieve data for audits and reporting.
• Assist with preparation of statistical information, reports and performance updates.

Skills

Income management

Numerical analysis

Communication

IT systems

Tools

Databases

Job description

Income Officer - Temporary Accommodation

Permanent

Grade B - £29,542 - £35,570

Consultation grade - subject to formal evaluation under the Equal Pay Programme

Working 36.5 hours per week

Sponsorship is not available for this post. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK that does not require employer sponsorship for the duration of the appointment.

About The Role

We’re looking for a customer-focused and organised Income Officer – Temporary Accommodation to join Birmingham City Council’s Housing Solutions and Support Service, helping to maximise income collection and support residents living in temporary accommodation.

You’ll manage income-related enquiries, carry out financial assessments, process rent payments and work directly with residents to address arrears and agree suitable payment arrangements. Through a proactive and supportive approach, you’ll help customers understand their financial responsibilities, access relevant benefits and improve their financial stability.

Working collaboratively with colleagues and partner agencies, you’ll contribute to effective income management, accurate financial administration and continuous service improvement. You’ll also help ensure all work is completed in line with relevant housing legislation, welfare reform, Council policies and procedures, delivering a fair, efficient and responsive service.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Respond to customer enquiries across telephone, face-to-face, home visit and digital channels, providing timely advice and support on income-related matters.
• Complete financial assessments and income calculations for residents in temporary accommodation, identifying payment issues and taking appropriate action to maximise income collection.
• Manage and process temporary accommodation rent payments, monitor accounts and arrears, and liaise with residents to agree appropriate payment plans and resolve outstanding balances.
• Provide advice and guidance on housing-related financial matters, welfare benefits and benefit entitlement, supporting financial and digital inclusion and helping residents access the assistance available to them.
• Use relevant IT systems and databases to process requests, update records, maintain accurate account information and retrieve data for income management, audits and reporting.
• Assist with the preparation of statistical information, written reports and performance updates, support audit activity and implement recommendations within agreed timescales.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues, benefits teams and external stakeholders to resolve income-related issues, contribute to service and policy development, and promote equality, sustainability and continuous improvement.

What We’re Looking For

• Experience in income management or financial administration, ideally within a housing, temporary accommodation or local authority environment.
• Knowledge of housing legislation, homelessness, welfare reform and housing support regulations, with the ability to apply this knowledge to income recovery and customer support.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills, with the ability to complete financial assessments, interpret account information and identify discrepancies or potential issues with rent payments.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to engage professionally with residents, landlords, benefits teams, colleagues and external agencies, including when dealing with upset or challenging customers.
• Good IT and administrative skills, including experience using databases and computer systems to manage accounts, process information and produce accurate records and reports.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to work independently, prioritise competing demands, meet deadlines and maintain accuracy in a busy, customer-focused environment.
• A commitment to delivering excellent customer service, supporting residents experiencing financial difficulties and working fairly and inclusively, with an understanding of safeguarding responsibilities and the importance of ongoing training and development.

Birmingham City Council is an accredited Disability Confident Leader employer, and we are committed to employing, retaining and developing all of our people.

We want to ensure your recruitment journey with us is a positive and equitable one, so please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments, additional support, accessibility needs, or if there is any way in which we can support you through your application.

For any informal enquires please contact: [e-mail]

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be undertaken

Proof of Right to work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed.

Company

Job Description and Person Specification

Working for Birmingham City Council is more than just a job; it's about making life better for the 1 million plus people who live and work in the city.

We welcome people from diverse and underrepresented communities and encourage applications from, those with caring responsibilities, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, neurodivergent, disabled and LGBT+ people. As part of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, we are committed to promoting and supporting the physical and mental health of all our staff and removing barriers to improve inclusion. We are making significant strides to understand and continuously improve our employees’ experience and we are committed to implementing progressive diversity talent management.

Information for applicants with a disability

We are a proud Disability Confident Employer. We encourage applicants to disclose disabilities, so we can support them fully during our recruitment process and make any necessary reasonable adjustments. Please contact: 0121 675 7070 option 3 (lines open between 8.45am to 5.15pm Monday to Friday).

If you require an application in an alternative format, such as Braille or you are unable to complete an application form via WMJOBS, please contact [e-mail]. When you have completed your application form this can be returned to [e-mail] or for Braille applications these can be posted to, Recruitment Team, 2nd Floor, 10 Woodcock Street, B7 4BG.

The Council is a fantastic place to work. You will find an organisation that is both challenging and supportive; with a leadership impatiently adventurous in its pursuit of excellence.

There Is a Clear Vision Which Is Ensuring That The Council Is Working For Communities Today And Building For Tomorrow, We Focus Our Resources On Five Key Priorities

• A Prosperous Birmingham: through a focus on inclusive economic growth, tackling unemployment, attracting inward investment, and maximising the benefits of the Commonwealth Games.
• An Inclusive Birmingham: through a focus on tackling poverty and inequality, empowering citizens, promoting diversity and civic pride, and supporting and enabling all children and young people to thrive.
• A Safe Birmingham: through a focus on making the city safer, safeguarding vulnerable citizens, increasing affordable housing, and tackling homelessness.
• A Healthy Birmingham: through a focus on tackling health inequalities, encouraging physical activity and healthy living, supporting mental health, and improving outcomes for adults with disabilities and older people.
• A Green Birmingham: through a focus on street cleanliness, improving air quality, continuing the route to net zero, and becoming a city of nature.

We see the Council’s role as providing strategic leadership – that’s being able to visualise a new future for the city and equipping others to share our vision. We want to ensure the provision of services for all, so we can support those least able to support themselves by working with partners and putting citizens and neighbourhoods at the heart of our decision-making.

We are always looking for people who put the customer at the centre of their approach, with a commitment to excellence to help us achieve our vision. We will support you to develop and thrive in your role, building a pathway for long-term success, with lots of development opportunities, such as apprenticeships.

In return, we offer you excellent terms and conditions, generous annual leave, a great pension scheme, well-being support, annual travel passes and discounts at a number of city centre establishments.

Birmingham City Council is a Foundation Living wage employer - known as the Birmingham Living Wage. The Birmingham Living Wage, is determined by the Living Wage Foundation on an annual basis by the Centre of Research in Society Polity at Loughborough University. The current rate can be found at: www.livingwage.org.uk.

For the awards and support for our employees, please follow https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/homepage/169/job_vacancies

Company Info

Website http://birmingham.gov.uk/

Telephone [phone]

Location Birmingham City Council

Birmingham

West Midlands

B2 2XU

United Kingdom