Job info	Job info details
Job title	Senior Revenue Officer
Strategic team/Directorate	Finance
Service	Revenue and Benefits
Business unit	Revenue
Responsible to (day to day issues)	Revenue Team Leader
Accountable to (line manager)	Revenue Manager
Salary grade	G
JE ref	FIN62

1. Key purpose of job

• To work within government legislation covering Council Tax, Working Age Council Tax Reduction, Business Rates and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and to adhere to Torbay Council policies.  
• To effectively and efficiently maintain the Councils’ systems relating to Council Tax, Working Age Council Tax Reduction, Business Rates and BIDs, through information received from customers, internal departments, and external agencies.
• To be responsible for daily billing relating Council Tax, Business Rates and BIDs, which raise income allowing the council to fulfil its corporate responsibilities.
• To monitor work levels for Council Tax, and Business Rates covering the full range of activities from billing through to debt collection.
• Preparing detailed statement of accounts daily that include financial transactions relating to Council Tax, Working Age Council Tax Reduction, Business Rates and BIDs in a way that effectively communicates the information to taxpayers.
• To respond to Council Tax, Working Age Council Tax Reduction, Business Rate and BID enquiries daily by telephone, face to face, web, email, or letter in a professional way that promotes accuracy, clarity, and resolution at the earliest opportunity. and which supports the organisations service priorities, while maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction.
• To assist the revenue team leader by acting as a point of contact for the processing team, giving significant support the team to enable processing of Council Tax, Working Age Council Tax Reduction, Business Rate and BIDs to continue as efficiently as possible.
• To provide daily support, advice, and guidance across the revenue team.
• To provide professional and efficient support, advice, and guidance daily to front-line Customer Services section, Benefits, Enforcement Agents working on behalf of the council, SWISCO and internal departments of Torbay Council that allow them to carry out their duties effectively.
• To provide professional and efficient support, advice, and guidance daily to support HMRC Valuation Office Agency and other local authorities that allow these organisations to carry out their duties effectively. 

2. Anticipated outcomes of post

• Supporting the team to produce accurate Council Tax and Business Rate bills and BID invoices which enable effective income collection for the Council allowing delivery of services to Torbay residents.
• To ensure that work associated with recovery of Council Tax and Business Rates is monitored and processed in line with agreed work plans.
• To work closely with the revenue team leader to challenge current working practice, ensuring that processes are conducive in providing efficient Council Tax, Business Rate and BID billing and income collection for the council. 
• To assist in increasing the council’s tax base, therefore maximising income through a process of identifying property changes that result in either an increase in council tax band for domestic property or increase in rateable value for commercial premises. 
• To assist in identifying fraudulent activity reducing lost income to the council. 
• To manage and be responsible for your own work, by ensuring processes are completed accurately as soon as practical to produce Council Tax and Business Rate bills and BID invoices for residents. Efficient processing allows residents and businesses to budget effectively contributing to their financial planning. 
• To support and embrace Torbay Council’s core values of being forward thinking, people orientated and adaptable – always with integrity. 

3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post

• As an employee of Torbay Council all roles are expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. The Designated Senior Lead for Safeguarding is the Chief Executive and Director of Children’s Services.
• Accurately maintain Council Tax and Business Rate records. This includes applying the appropriate Working Age Council Tax Reduction, Council Tax exemption and disregard, e.g., students, carers, severely mentally impaired.
• To have a full working knowledge of the Working Age Council Tax Reduction scheme to process and correct records, as well as a knowledge of Council Tax Support (Pension Age) and Housing Benefit to identify when a claim is not aligned with the council tax charge and which impacts the amount payable.
• To possess a comprehensive knowledge of the legal process covering Council Tax and Business Rate collection.
• To be responsible for checking the input of refund data and to make decisions when payment is not appropriate.
• To be responsible for processing refunds across to the council’s payments section and to reconcile values against the Council Tax and Business Rates back-office system. 
• To assist in the preparation of cases being referred for enforcement action.
• To assist in the monitoring and recording of cases being prepared for write-off.
• Completion and monitoring of individual team member performance against agreed targets.
• To be responsible for resolving complex enquiries involving liability, discounts, exemptions, valuation, and payment. Enquires may have been escalated by team members who require additional support.
• To identify vulnerable clients who require additional support due to their circumstances e.g., elderly, disabled, illness, housebound and utilise the visiting team where appropriate.
• Prioritise, manage own workload, and support team members in managing their own work to ensure customers receive their Council Tax and Business Rate bills without unnecessary delay. 
• To challenge information provided by customers to establish the correct information required to process changes to Council Tax, Working Age Council Tax Reduction, Business Rates and BID records.
• Attend/participate in team meetings, appraisals, training and development course within Learning and Development plans and skills matrices. To work within and adhere to the principles of the General Data Protection Regulations.
• To lead team members in ensuring that weekly tasks are completed within agreed timescales. The duties include processing Tell us Once information, Direct Debit and HMRC Valuation Office Agency schedules all of which lead to accurate billing.

4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post

• None. 

5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post

• None. 

6. Working environment and conditions of the post

• Normal working conditions. 

7. Physical demands of the post

• Normal physical demands. 

8. Specific resources used by the post

• Normal Resources. 

9. Key contacts and relationships

• External - Customers of the service including general public, letting agents, property owners, accommodation providers, probation service, other local authorities, NHS Care Trust, Age concern, Brixham Does Care, Pension Disability Service, Her Majesty Revenues and Customs Valuation Office Local Government Ombudsman, Valuation Tribunal Service, any other voluntary and statutory agencies Immigration Service, Police Fire Service, Citizens Advice. 
• Internal - Benefits, Customer Services, Housing Options, Housing Standards, Planning, Building Control, Environmental health, Auditors, Counter Fraud, and other council departments as required, Councillors and Members of Parliament. 

10. Other duties

• To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job. 

Other Information

• All staff must commit to the Workplace Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Policy.
• Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo the checks appropriate to the post applied for.
• The post holder is expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. And are aware that the Chief Executive and the Director for Children's Services are the Safeguarding Leads for the Council. 
• The post is eligible for both hybrid and permanent home working.
• You will be asked to complete a Criminal Records Self Declaration Form. Criminal convictions will only be taken into account when they are relevant to the post. You will only be asked to disclose ‘unspent’ convictions.
• The Council operates a Smoke-Free Policy and the post-holder is prohibited from smoking in any of the Council's buildings (including Council owned and Council leased buildings, but excluding designated areas in residential schemes), enclosed spaces within the curtilage of buildings, and Council vehicles. The Council does not permit smoking breaks within work time, however, in services where the flexi-scheme is in operation, employees may take reasonable break times outside of core hours, in accordance with flexi-time arrangements. Employees should follow the flexi-scheme procedure for agreeing time away from their duties in the normal manner with their immediate colleagues and line manager, with break start and finish times being recorded, as with any other break-time arrangement. 
• The post-holder is expected to familiarise themselves with and adhere to all relevant Council Policies and Procedures.
• The post-holder must comply with the Council’s Health and Safety requirements as outlined in the H&S policy appropriate to the role.
• The post-holder must be committed to the Council’s Core Values for employees – “Torbay Council employees are committed to being forward thinking, people orientated and adaptable - always with integrity”. Evidence will be sought during the probation and appraisal processes.
• If this post is customer facing, it will require the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.
• If you are required to access a government system such as HMRC, DWP or The Public services network (PSN) as part of your role with the Council you will be required to complete a basic disclose with your line manager before you can access these systems. Your manager will be required to complete a verification form that confirms your identity, nationality and immigration status, employment history and unspent convictions (third party).
• If you are required to use your own vehicle on Council business or drive a council vehicle you will be asked to provide information on any driving endorsements by accessing gov.uk/view-driving-licence and providing a code to your Line Manager in order to share your driving licence information with the Council. 

Person Specification

Note for Candidate

All Candidates

The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement. In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.

Candidates who consider that they have a disability

Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.

If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.

Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.

If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.

Job info	Job info details
Job Title	Senior Revenue Officer
Strategic team/Directorate	Finance
Service	Revenue and Benefits
Business unit	Revenue

Skills and effectiveness

Essential skills and effectiveness

• Proven administration and organisation skills in an office based environment.
• ICT including experience of using Microsoft applications. 
• Customer focused.
• This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English. 

Desirable skills and effectiveness

• Proven administration and organisation skills in an office based environment.
• ICT including experience of using Microsoft applications. 
• Customer focused. 

Knowledge

Essential knowledge

• Expert knowledge of Council Tax legislation. 
• Basic knowledge of Business Rates legislation. 
• Basic knowledge of Working Age Council Tax regulations. 
• Understanding of the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme. 

Desirable knowledge

• Understanding of the principles behind debt recovery. 
• Basic knowledge of ICT workflow. 

Experience and achievements

Essential experience and achievements

• Experience of working within a team. 
• Proven ability to organise a work within an administrative role. 

Desirable experience and achievements

• Participation in projects involving change management. 

Qualifications/professional memberships

Essential qualifications/professional memberships

• Educated to GCSE O Level standard or equivalent. 

Desirable qualifications/professional memberships

• Educated to A Level standard or equivalent. 

Other requirements

Other requirements of the job role

• Demonstrate a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. 
• Ability to accommodate occasional/permanent home-working.