Corporate Collections Officer

Corporate Collections Officer\n\nLocation:  Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 1UW\nPay Rate: £17.81 per hour\n\nJoin Our Finance Team\n\nAre you an experienced finance professional with strong customer service skills and a passion for delivering excellent results? We're looking for a Corporate Collections Officer to join our Exchequer Services team and play a key role in maximising income collection while providing outstanding support to residents, customers and internal departments.\n\nThis is an exciting opportunity to work in a fast-paced environment where you'll manage debt recovery, support financial processes and contribute to improving services across the organisation.\n\nAbout the Role:\nAs a Corporate Collections Officer, you will be responsible for managing the recovery of outstanding invoices and debts, ensuring timely collection of income and maintaining accurate financial records. You'll work closely with customers, internal teams, legal services and external agencies to resolve queries and recover outstanding debts in a fair and professional manner.\n\nKey Responsibilities\n\nManage and recover outstanding invoices and debts in line with council procedures.\nRespond professionally to customer enquiries by telephone, email, letter and face-to-face.\nNegotiate repayment arrangements and determine appropriate recovery action.\nPrepare cases for legal recovery where necessary.\nProcess credit notes, refunds, write-offs and standing orders.\nProduce and process Direct Debit and BACS collections in accordance with regulations.\nMonitor debtor accounts and identify high-risk debts.\nReconcile financial records and investigate payment discrepancies.\nMaintain accurate customer records and financial data.\nProduce reports and management information on debt recovery performance.\nSupport service improvements and contribute to the development of recovery procedures.\nTrain and support colleagues and system users where required.What We're Looking For:\nEssential\n\nGCSE (or equivalent) including Maths and English.\nExperience working within a finance or income collection environment.\nExperience dealing with customers regarding financial matters.\nStrong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.\nExcellent written and verbal communication skills.\nHigh level of accuracy and attention to detail.\nGood IT skills including Microsoft Office and financial systems.\nAbility to work independently and meet deadlines.\nStrong customer service focus and problem-solving skills.\nDesirable\n\nA Level, NVQ Level 3 or equivalent qualification.\nPractical experience in debt recovery and credit control.\nExperience within Local Government or a large public sector organisation.\nKnowledge of debt recovery legislation, including The Care Act 2014.\nExperience presenting cases within the County Court.\nKnowledge of Direct Debit and BACS processes.\nWhat You'll Bring\nYou'll be someone who:\n\nDelivers excellent customer service, even in challenging situations.\nBuilds positive working relationships with colleagues and customers.\nHas a proactive, positive attitude and enjoys solving problems.\nWorks accurately under pressure while meeting deadlines.\nTakes ownership of your work and continuously looks for ways to improve services.\nIs committed to maintaining confidentiality and handling sensitive information appropriately.\nWhy Join Us?\n\nThis role offers the opportunity to develop your expertise within a supportive Finance team while making a real contribution to the efficient collection of income that helps deliver essential public services.