Benefits Subsidy and Policy Manager
A rewarding opportunity has arisen within Ealing Council’s Benefits team for the right individual who will take the lead role for the service in Benefits subsidy, legislative and policy interpretation, managing quality assurance officers, appeals and revisions, managing and liaising with auditors and other professionals, and representing the service in all matters relating to these functions.
The post has lead responsibility for the Council’s statutory subsidy reporting requirements and for monitoring and proactively managing Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support expenditure; safeguarding and maximising benefit subsidy; identifying and managing the risks associated with this and proactively developing policies and procedures that support subsidy optimisation, while ensuring compliance with all new and existing legislation.
Reporting to the Head of Service, you will work closely with other managers within the service to ensure that audit and financial outcomes drive the development of Benefits Service policy and procedure.
The Person
You will be an experienced Housing Benefit practitioner with detailed knowledge of the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support schemes, including subsidy legislation and welfare reform, and broad knowledge of other related legislation, including other Welfare Benefits, Universal Credit, Council Tax and / or Housing.
You will have experience of dealing with the requirements of Housing Benefit Subsidy Claims and understanding of their relationship to local authority budgets; experience of interpreting complex legislation and able to develop policy and procedures understanding their impact on customers, systems, other service areas and corporate implications.
You will be IT literate with knowledge and experience of benefits software packages and Windows-based applications particularly use of spreadsheets and databases for detailed and complex data analysis, with excellent analytical skills whether dealing with numerical data, legislation or written reports. You will have strong attention to detail, and to be able to present complex information in an understandable way to a variety of audiences and via a range of media.
You will need excellent communication, influencing and negotiating skills, and be able to interact effectively with senior management, auditors, and senior representatives of other organisations. You will be able to identify and manage risks effectively and implement effective financial controls to mitigate these.
This role is deemed customer facing and as such you must have a command of spoken English which is sufficient to enable you to effectively perform the role. This requirement relates to Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016.
The post holder will be subject to a standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
This role is subject to Ealing’s enhanced vetting process.
Closing date: 13 April 2020