Benefits Officer
Our Values
It’s great to know that you are interested in working with us at Coventry City Council. As a prospective employee, it is important that everyone who works for us is committed to our One Coventry values and shares our commitment to becoming a more diverse and inclusive organisation.
Our Values are:
About the team we are recruiting to
Coventry City Council’s Benefits Service is comprised of diverse, multi-talented teams who all have the same aim, to help the city’s most vulnerable residents.
Our work is varied and covers the assessment and administration of schemes that provide financial help and support for those in need.
Specifically, the teams are responsible for the delivery of:
Housing Benefit and Discretionary Housing Payments which we administer on behalf of the Department for Works and Pensions. We also recover any overpaid housing benefit
Council Tax Support which is a local scheme that helps residents with their Council Tax charges
Free School Meals, by working closely with schools we aim to ensure every child who is entitled has a free school meal
Community Support Grant Scheme which includes assistance in extreme emergency situations and can provide citizens help to resettle back into the community by providing essential furniture items.
We embrace the ONE COVENTRY approach, working closely with our external partners and other Council teams, such as the Housing and Homeless teams and Children’s teams, ensuring we have a holistic approach to supporting our residents.
What is the job role?
Are you looking for a new challenge, if so, then why not join our Benefit Service?
We have 12- month, fixed term vacancy for pro-active, motivated individual who, after a period of training, will be responsible for the assessment of Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claims, Free School Meals and Local Council Tax Support.
You will work as part of a team of Benefit Officers to ensure prompt and accurate processing of claims on our Revenues and Benefits and document management IT systems.
This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
Who are we looking for?
If you have good customer service skills, a basic knowledge of welfare reforms: the effects of Universal Credit on Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support and are used to working in a fast- paced changing environment, then this is the role for you.
In return, we can offer you an excellent pension scheme, childcare vouchers, 'My Car' scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts at several city centre restaurants, shops, and other establishments.
When applying for this role you will be asked to write a personal statement, please include the following information in your application by providing examples of:
- Awareness and knowledge of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support
- Experience of dealing with a wide range of people to handle and resolve enquiries
- Ability to prioritise own workload, to work flexibly and respond to changing priorities
- Ability to work under pressure and deliver team objectives
- Your IT skills, to include Microsoft Office packages -Including Word, Outlook, and Excel
For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'
There will be a test which forms part of the interview process on Tuesday 31st May 2022. interviews will then be held on Wednesday 1st June 2022
About Coventry
Coventry is a lively, multicultural city, which embraces old and new. Around the modern city centre there are traces of history everywhere – in the old city walls, the timber-framed buildings and the reconstructed medieval Spon Street. But Coventry has always had an eye on the future, and is now firmly focused on regenerating and re-inventing itself to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. With major developments and new projects taking place right across the city, Coventry City Council is the place to be!
There's a huge buzz about the city – Coventry ranks as the 8th best city to live, work and do business in the UK, and is the UK City of Culture 2021 ! We believe this will help put Coventry on the map for all the right reasons. You can feel the sense of local pride throughout the city as we build towards this momentous year. It also offers a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to those joining us to play their part in it.
We genuinely believe that Coventry City Council is a special place. You will be joining Coventry City Council during an exciting time to become part of a team that contribute to achieving our visions for the city. We have made our council a place where we look after our people, making sure you're happy in your work and given everything you need to succeed. We've created friendly, welcoming workplaces where everyone is working towards the same cause, providing the best possible services for the city of Coventry.
As a council with improvement at its heart, we’re committed to making life better for the people who live and work in Coventry. We’re equally concerned with the quality of life enjoyed by our people, so by joining us, you won’t just be helping the community, you’ll be helping yourself too.
Not only do you get to work alongside great people that are helping to improve services for our community we offer great benefits too! For your valued contribution we will provide a fantastic benefits package including;
- Flexible working arrangements
- Generous annual leave allowance starting at 27 days and rising to 32 days
- Pay progression through multiple increments
- Outstanding local government pension scheme
- Learning & Development with access to certified courses.
- Access to an award winning Occupational Health Team
- Vibrant employee networks
Coventry City Council
