Income Recovery Officer (Housing Benefit Overpayment)

About Haringey Haringey is a fantastic place to live and work – the world in one borough. A place brimming with creativity, personality, radicalism, and community. It is a place where we stand up for each other. A place that is proudly distinctive. We’ll be celebrating all this and more as the “rebel borough” when we are the 2027 London Borough of Culture. Our history champions change-makers and everyday rebels; revelling in our differences, battling discrimination, championing equality, and doing things our own way. Haringey’s people are a huge asset, with knowledge, expertise, and passion. Our staff members embody our organisational values: Caring, Creative, Courageous, Collaborative and Community-focused. These values keep us looking forward, ambitious for the future, and continuously striving to do our very best for all of our residents. About the role The Corporate Debt Team specialises in recovering Housing Benefit Overpayments and sundry debts across a varied ledger. Over recent years, the team has demonstrated solid and hard-earned progress, bolstered by innovative activities. There is a strong sense of collective ownership and responsibility within the team. The service remains ambitious, striving to improve further and continue building effective relationships with its customers and partners. Our Corporate Debt Team requires an experienced and highly skilled Income Recovery Officer to assist in the collection of Housing Benefit Overpayments. The role demands an empathetic and holistic approach to debt recovery, considering the vulnerability of the Haringey Housing Benefit client base. Responsibilities include proactively pursuing debts through telephone or written communication and/or legal action, ensuring objectives and targets are met within designated timeframes, and providing advice and guidance to internal and external services on debt management. Additionally, the officer must understand and comply with council Debt Policies and relevant legislation. Working for Haringey At Haringey Council we are committed to creating a workplace culture where all our people feel valued, included, and able to be their best at work, and we recognise the benefits of a diverse workforce so welcome applications from all ethnicities and communities so that we continue to make a difference to our residents and community.  Our benefits package includes a leave entitlement of 31 days + bank holidays, potential hybrid working opportunities, health and wellbeing support, a generous local government pension scheme and a range of discount schemes across leisure and culture that provide both financial and money-saving discounts. Please note: we reserve the right to end this advert before the noted deadline if we receive sufficient applications. If you wish to apply for this role, please ensure that you do so as soon as possible.   Additionally, we are aware that automated emails may be diverted through to junk email folders.  Please continue to check these through the application process.  If you have any questions about the status of your application, please contact  About you The ideal candidate should possess the following qualifications and skills: educated to GCSE level, including Maths and English, with experience in using either the Northgate Housing Benefit system or SAP system. They should possess a good knowledge of debt legislation concerning the collection of Housing Benefit Overpayments, and the ability to apply it. Good knowledge and application of Housing Benefit Regulations is essential. Previously worked as a Housing Benefit Officer / Overpayment Officer is desirable. The ideal candidate should be proficient in using Microsoft Office applications, including Excel and Word, and have excellent verbal and written communication skills. With strong attention to detail and accuracy, they should be able to work independently on assigned duties and demonstrate good negotiation skills. Additionally, they can manage a variety of priorities while meeting deadlines. About the team Our team of Income Recovery Officers is a dynamic and diverse group of professionals dedicated to financial recovery and customer service excellence. We pride ourselves on our collaborative approach to problem-solving and our commitment to achieving outstanding results for our organisation. With diverse expertise, our team brings together a range of backgrounds and experiences, allowing us to tackle challenges from multiple perspectives. We believe in the power of teamwork and actively support each other to achieve our common goals. In a fast-paced environment, we thrive on adaptability and are always ready to take on new challenges. Upholding the highest standards of professionalism, we prioritise integrity, respect, and ethical conduct in all our interactions. We also encourage innovative thinking and creative solutions to drive continuous improvement in our income recovery processes. If you are looking to be part of a diverse and collaborative team that values teamwork, innovation, and excellence, we invite you to apply and contribute to our success in income recovery