Locality Management Officer

Birmingham City Council; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Birmingham City Council is recruiting for Temporary Accommodation Locality Management Officers to join the Income Team within the Rents Service. You will manage licence accounts, engage with residents experiencing homelessness and financial difficulty, and drive income recovery while ensuring fair and effective enforcement actions.

The role involves home visits, advising on repayment options, progressing legal steps where needed, and maintaining accurate records.

Qualifications

• Experience of managing accounts, analysing financial information and reviewing arrears data to support effective decision‑making and income recovery.
• Experience of managing a complex workload, prioritising competing demands and working effectively under pressure with minimal supervision.
• Strong communication and customer service skills, with the ability to engage confidently with customers, colleagues, senior managers, Councillors and external stakeholders.
• Excellent written communication skills, including experience preparing reports, presenting information and maintaining accurate records.
• Good IT skills, including experience using case management systems, analysing and retrieving information, and working with Microsoft Office applications.
• Knowledge of housing legislation, welfare benefits and income recovery processes, alongside an understanding of safeguarding, equality and proportionate enforcement.
• A collaborative and proactive approach, with the ability to support colleagues, contribute to service planning and improvement, and work effectively within agreed timescales and resources.
• A full UK driving licence and access to a personal vehicle are also essential for this role.

Responsibilities

• Manage temporary accommodation licence accounts, monitor arrears and take timely action to maximise income recovery and minimise financial loss.
• Engage proactively with customers through telephone calls, written correspondence and home visits to discuss outstanding balances, explain licence obligations and agree appropriate next steps.
• Provide advice and guidance on arrears recovery options, payment arrangements and relevant legal processes, ensuring decisions and actions are fair, proportionate and consistent.
• Progress legal and enforcement action where required, including serving notices, preparing witness statements and evidence bundles, submitting court applications and overseeing eviction activities.
• Maintain accurate account records and update case management systems with recovery actions, decisions, outcomes and enforcement activity, ensuring information is complete and up to date.
• Identify safeguarding concerns and additional support needs, make appropriate referrals and work with internal teams and external agencies to support customers while progressing recovery activity.
• Prepare performance information, management reports and statistical data; respond to enquiries from Councillors, MPs, senior managers and other stakeholders; review cases for potential write‑offs in line with Financial Regulations; and contribute to audits and service improvements.

Job description

The Temporary Accommodation Income Team forms part of the Rents Service within Finance, providing a co‑ordinated approach to income collection and debt recovery. This is an exciting time to join our developing team, with these new roles enhancing the existing structure and strengthening our ability to support residents, prevent debt escalation and reduce the Council's overall debt. We're looking for proactive, resilient and customer‑focused Temporary Accommodation Locality Management Officers to join our Income Team. You'll manage a varied caseload and work directly with households experiencing homelessness and financial difficulty, taking a supportive but firm approach to prevent arrears from escalating and help residents sustain their accommodation. You'll take responsibility for monitoring licence accounts, engaging with customers to address outstanding arrears and taking appropriate action to support income recovery. This will include advising customers on their licence obligations and repayment options, undertaking home visits and progressing legal and enforcement action where necessary. Working collaboratively with colleagues, Legal Services and external partners, you'll help minimise financial losses, ensure compliance with legislation and Council procedures, and deliver a fair and effective approach to debt recovery. You'll also contribute to service improvements, provide accurate performance information and help ensure customers are treated consistently and appropriately throughout the recovery process.

What you’ll be doing

• Manage temporary accommodation licence accounts, monitor arrears and take timely action to maximise income recovery and minimise financial loss.
• Engage proactively with customers through telephone calls, written correspondence and home visits to discuss outstanding balances, explain licence obligations and agree appropriate next steps.
• Provide advice and guidance on arrears recovery options, payment arrangements and relevant legal processes, ensuring decisions and actions are fair, proportionate and consistent.
• Progress legal and enforcement action where required, including serving notices, preparing witness statements and evidence bundles, submitting court applications and overseeing eviction activities.
• Maintain accurate account records and update case management systems with recovery actions, decisions, outcomes and enforcement activity, ensuring information is complete and up to date.
• Identify safeguarding concerns and additional support needs, make appropriate referrals and work with internal teams and external agencies to support customers while progressing recovery activity.
• Prepare performance information, management reports and statistical data; respond to enquiries from Councillors, MPs, senior managers and other stakeholders; review cases for potential write‑offs in line with Financial Regulations; and contribute to audits and service improvements.

Experience and Skills

• Experience of managing accounts, analysing financial information and reviewing arrears data to support effective decision‑making and income recovery.
• Experience of managing a complex workload, prioritising competing demands and working effectively under pressure with minimal supervision.
• Strong communication and customer service skills, with the ability to engage confidently with customers, colleagues, senior managers, Councillors and external stakeholders.
• Excellent written communication skills, including experience preparing reports, presenting information and maintaining accurate records.
• Good IT skills, including experience using case management systems, analysing and retrieving information, and working with Microsoft Office applications.
• Knowledge of housing legislation, welfare benefits and income recovery processes, alongside an understanding of the importance of safeguarding, equality and proportionate enforcement.
• A collaborative and proactive approach, with the ability to support colleagues, contribute to service planning and improvement, and work effectively within agreed timescales and resources.
• A full UK driving licence and access to a personal vehicle are also essential for this role.

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., 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.