Lead Officer

West Northamptonshire Council; Northampton; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

West Northamptonshire Council seeks a Lead Officer for Benefits Assessment and Financial Inclusion to drive the delivery of Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, and debt advice services across West Northamptonshire.

You will lead technical specialists, shape service delivery and support operational teams during challenging times.

Qualifications

• Experienced Housing Benefits professional with extensive technical knowledge of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction legislation.
• Strong track record of managing complex cases, interpreting legislation and providing technical guidance to colleagues and managers.
• Experience in Financial Inclusion, Debt & Money Advice or overpayment recovery environments would be beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership across Benefits Assessment, Financial Inclusion, Debt & Money Advice and Housing Benefit Overpayment Recovery services.
• Provide authoritative advice on legislation, appeals, complex casework and service performance to ensure accurate and compliant decisions.
• Lead on performance improvement, quality assurance, policy development and annual reviews of schemes.
• Support transformation initiatives and staff development to build capability and resilience.

Job description

Lead Officer - Benefits Assessment and Financial Inclusion, you'll play a key role in leading the delivery of Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Financial Inclusion and Debt & Money Advice services across West Northamptonshire. Working within our Revenues & Benefits service, you'll act as the senior technical specialist, helping to shape service delivery, support operational teams and ensure residents receive the advice and support they need at some of the most challenging times in their lives.

This role bridges the gap between operational management and strategic leadership, providing expert guidance to Team Leaders while supporting service development, quality assurance, performance improvement and transformation initiatives. It's an excellent opportunity for an experienced Housing Benefits professional who wants to use their expertise to influence service delivery across a wider area while leading and developing others.

Our benefits

What will you be doing?

You'll provide technical leadership across Benefits Assessment, Financial Inclusion, Debt & Money Advice and Housing Benefit Overpayment Recovery services, acting as the recognised subject matter expert for complex Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction matters. Working closely with Team Leaders and the Head of Benefits, you'll provide authoritative advice on legislation, appeals, complex casework and service performance, helping to ensure decisions are accurate, consistent and compliant.

A significant part of the role will involve leading and supporting teams to achieve high standards of performance and customer service. You'll oversee quality assurance activities, monitor workloads and performance, support resource planning and play a key role in identifying opportunities for service improvement. You'll also lead on areas such as the annual review of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, Housing Benefit overpayment recovery, internal audit activity and the development of policies and procedures that support effective service delivery.

You'll contribute to transformation and improvement initiatives, support recruitment and staff development activities, and help build a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Through your leadership and technical expertise, you'll help ensure our services continue to meet the needs of residents while responding effectively to legislative and operational change.

You are an experienced Housing Benefits professional with extensive technical knowledge of Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction legislation, appeals processes and best practice. You have a strong track record of managing complex cases, interpreting legislation and providing technical guidance to colleagues and managers. Experience working within Financial Inclusion, Debt & Money Advice or overpayment recovery environments would be highly beneficial.

You'll have experience leading teams, supporting performance improvement and helping services adapt to changing demands and legislation. You are confident analysing data and performance information, identifying improvement opportunities and implementing practical solutions. Just as importantly, you'll be an effective communicator who can build relationships, influence decisions and support others to develop their skills and confidence.

We're looking for someone who is passionate about delivering excellent services, supporting residents and helping colleagues succeed. If you're looking for an opportunity to apply your Housing Benefits expertise in a broader leadership role while contributing to the future development of our Revenues & Benefits service, we'd love to hear from you.

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. Hear from our Chief Executive, Martin Henry, about

building a career at WNC.

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