Finance and Administrations Officer

Full Job Description

• Suffolk County Council - Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 5PB - On-site
• £23,114 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• 37 hours per week
• Permanent

Do you have relevant life experiences such as managing your own household finances or supporting someone to manage theirs and are passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of Suffolk residents? If so, we would love to hear from you.

We are looking for an Administrations and finance officer to join the Personal Finance Team to manage Suffolk's most vulnerable adult’s finances. 

Your role and responsibilities

The Personal Finance Team provides a Deputyship and Appointeeship service of last resort for vulnerable adults who have been assessed as lacking capacity to manage their own property and financial affairs.

With responsibility for a caseload of clients, you'll ensure their income is maximised and their assets are safeguarded from abuse and exploitation. In accordance with the Mental Capacity Act, you'll empower people to make decisions where they can, or make decisions in their best interests regarding their known beliefs, wishes and preferences.

You will gain the knowledge of the state benefits payable by the Department for Work and Pensions, as well as an understanding of eligibility and entitlement. We regularly liaise with the Court of Protection and Office of the Public Guardian, so an awareness of their role and purpose is desirable.

You will have:

• everyday experience of running your own/your households or supporting someone with their finances
• previous experience working in a finance environment (desirable/not essential)
• a person-centred approach to your work
• excellent verbal and written communication skills
• strong numeracy, budgeting and IT skills
• the confidence to work independently, organise your own workload, and manage conflicting demands and competing deadlines.

You will need:

• the ability to learn new skills
• to be confident in delivering a high standard of customer service
• work with a professional curiosity, creativity and innovation
• ensure the best outcomes for your clients, with the confidence to challenge the accepted or expected view when advocating on behalf of your client.

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (docx). If you think you have what it takes to be successful in this role, even if you don’t meet all the requirements, please apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

About the team

• the Personal Finance Team are part of the Financial Inclusion and Advice Service Team (FIAS) which also support the social care teams in a financial capacity, working with vulnerable customers who are receiving care services
• FIAS is a supportive environment where there is the option for flexible working
• our colleagues are highly motivated and encouraged to develop their skills further, with opportunities to progress within the organisation.

Travel and workplace requirements

We positively encourage the use of technology to communicate, but this role does have a requirement for you to travel to locations away from your contractual base, using reasonable and suitable means available to you. As we visit adults’ properties which may be remote, a driving licence will be needed. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability to meet the travel requirements of this role, please speak with the contact detailed below.

For more information

For an informal discussion, please contact Sharon Thompson (she/her) by calling 07515 188468 or emailing:
 

How to apply

Step 1: Read the advert and the Job and Person Profile (docx).

Step 2: Write a supporting statement answering the following three questions. You should use the Supporting Statement template (docx) (other formats may not be accepted).

• Question 1 - From the job description and person specification sent out, what appealed to you about this role? Tell us what experience you have that you feel would support you in this role?
• Question 2 – In this role you will be expected to act as the customer when dealing with discrepancies in their household bills or benefits, tell us about a time when you have had to resolve a similar problem or query giving details on each step you took and how the situation ended. What investigative work did you need to do and what communication methods did you apply?
• Question 3 – The biggest challenge in this role is managing the daily incoming workload whilst maintaining the correct benefits. Please can you arrange the list of tasks below into the order that you would start to tackle these explaining why you chose this order

1. Invoice (30 days deadline)
2. Invoice (7 days deadline)
3. Cash request from adult for dental treatment due to filling falling out
4. Cash request from adult to get some new clothes
5. Personal Independence Payment form to be filled out by adult and support worker (28 days deadline)
6. Universal Credit notification asking adult to check their UC online account
7. Landlord emailing to confirm he is now in receipt of housing benefit and asking for the standing order from adult for rent to be cancelled
8. MOT reminder notifying the adult that MOT is due in 30 days.
9. Support for adult asking for debit card to be unblocked as they have entered their pin number wrong too many times
10. British Gas Statement received

Step 3: Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application. Upload your supporting statement on the final page (without a supporting statement your interest may not be progressed).

If you would like an adjustment to this process due to a disability, please contact us at 03456 014412 or:

Closing date: 11.30pm, 25 February 2024 

Promoted as JOTW (Job of the Week) on Suffolk Jobs Direct.

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts #On-Site