Revenues Manager

Vivid Resourcing; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

Vivid Resourcing Ltd is recruiting on behalf of a Chelmsford-based local authority for an interim Revenues Manager. You will lead the Revenues Services team, oversee Council Tax, Business Rates and related debts, and drive annual billing, year-end processes and compliance with legislation.

You will manage the service budget, supplier contracts and IT systems (Civica OpenRevs/Workflow and Efin), deputise for senior finance colleagues, and represent the authority in formal settings.

Qualifications

• Experience managing day-to-day administration of Council Tax, Business Rates and sundry debt collection.
• Experience leading annual billing and year-end processes.
• Experience interpreting legislative changes in a revenues environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage, guide and support the Revenues Service team, including recruitment, training, appraisal and performance management
• Oversee the billing, collection and recovery of Council Tax and Business Rates, and the collection and recovery of sundry debts and Housing Benefit overpayments
• Lead the annual billing and year-end processes
• Work with the development team on new software releases, system parameters and routines, and guidance notes for the revenues and benefits systems
• Review and improve procedures, and plan for legislative changes and new ways of working
• Lead the preparation and submission of internal and external statistics, reports and statutory returns, including the tax base, NNDR returns and collection rate monitoring
• Set and monitor service standards and performance targets, and report on performance through service plans and corporate reporting
• Represent the organisation at internal and external meetings and in formal proceedings, including Magistrates' Court, County Court and tribunal hearings
• Recommend the write‑off of irrecoverable debts and costs across a range of debt types
• Manage the Revenues, local tax collection and postages budget
• Draft non‑standard correspondence for complex cases, Member enquiries, complaints and Freedom of Information requests
• Lead on reporting of data breaches across the directorate and support GDPR compliance
• Advise on recovery methods and manage accounts subject to insolvency, bankruptcy and IVA proceedings
• Manage the in‑house enforcement agent service
• Procure and manage software and service contracts, including billing suppliers, credit referencing, tracing and enforcement providers
• Support strategies to prevent benefit fraud and error, improve compliance and protect the tax base
• Deputise for a senior finance colleague and provide ad‑hoc support to the customer contact team where required

Skills

Revenues management

Council Tax

Business Rates

Team leadership

Budget management

Staff recruitment

GDPR compliance

Stakeholder engagement

IT systems (Revenues & Benefits)

Education

A-level or equivalent

Tools

Civica OpenRevs

Civica Workflow

Efin

Microsoft Office 365

Teams

Job description

Location: Chelmsford, United Kingdom
Contract: Interim

About the role

Our client, a local authority, is looking for a Revenues Manager to join them in Chelmsford on an interim basis. The role leads the Revenues Services team and is responsible for the billing, collection and enforcement of Council Tax, Business Rates, sundry debts and Housing Benefit overpayments.

You will oversee the day-to-day administration of local taxation, lead the annual billing and year-end processes, and make sure the service complies with current legislation. You will also manage the team, the service budget and key supplier contracts, and support the operation of the revenues and benefits IT systems. The role contributes to the strategic management of the directorate and may deputise for a senior finance colleague when required.

The successful candidate will be an experienced revenues professional who is comfortable leading a team, representing the organisation in formal settings and working with minimal supervision. This is a hands‑on interim assignment where your knowledge of local taxation and your management experience will be put to use from the outset.

Main responsibilities

• Manage, guide and support the Revenues Service team, including recruitment, training, appraisal and performance management
• Oversee the billing, collection and recovery of Council Tax and Business Rates, and the collection and recovery of sundry debts and Housing Benefit overpayments
• Lead the annual billing and year-end processes
• Work with the development team on new software releases, system parameters and routines, and guidance notes for the revenues and benefits systems
• Review and improve procedures, and plan for legislative changes and new ways of working
• Lead the preparation and submission of internal and external statistics, reports and statutory returns, including the tax base, NNDR returns and collection rate monitoring
• Set and monitor service standards and performance targets, and report on performance through service plans and corporate reporting
• Represent the organisation at internal and external meetings and in formal proceedings, including Magistrates' Court, County Court and tribunal hearings
• Recommend the write‑off of irrecoverable debts and costs across a range of debt types
• Manage the Revenues, local tax collection and postages budget
• Draft non‑standard correspondence for complex cases, Member enquiries, complaints and Freedom of Information requests
• Lead on reporting of data breaches across the directorate and support GDPR compliance
• Advise on recovery methods and manage accounts subject to insolvency, bankruptcy and IVA proceedings
• Manage the in‑house enforcement agent service
• Procure and manage software and service contracts, including billing suppliers, credit referencing, tracing and enforcement providers
• Support strategies to prevent benefit fraud and error, improve compliance and protect the tax base
• Deputise for a senior finance colleague and provide ad‑hoc support to the customer contact team where required

Requirements

• Experience managing and overseeing the day‑to‑day administration of Council Tax, Business Rates and sundry debt collection and recovery
• Experience leading and implementing annual billing and year‑end processes
• Experience interpreting and implementing legislative changes in a revenues environment
• Authoritative knowledge of current legislation and practice relating to Council Tax and Business Rates
• Experience managing a revenues budget and working closely with finance teams
• Experience procuring and managing small service contracts, on time and to budget
• Experience of staff recruitment, induction, development, appraisal, sickness absence and disciplinary processes
• Experience setting and working to challenging targets, individually and within a team
• Membership of the Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation
• An education to A-level standard or equivalent
• Awareness of relevant workplace legislation, including health and safety, equal opportunities and data protection
• Competence with standard IT tools such as Microsoft Office 365 and Teams, and with revenues and benefits systems such as Civica OpenRevs, Civica Workflow and Efin
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation and report writing skills, with the ability to chair and represent the organisation at meetings and in court
• The ability to prioritise tasks, work under pressure and maintain high standards of accuracy
• A full driving licence and access to your own transport

The offer

• An interim role based in Chelmsford
• Duration and rate to be confirmed with candidates

If you are an experienced revenues manager looking for an interim assignment in Chelmsford, this role offers real leadership responsibility and a clear scope of work.