Corporate Collections Officer

Location:  Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 1UW
Pay Rate: £17.81 per hour

Join Our Finance Team

Are 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.

This 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.

About the Role:
As 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.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and recover outstanding invoices and debts in line with council procedures.
• Respond professionally to customer enquiries by telephone, email, letter and face-to-face.
• Negotiate repayment arrangements and determine appropriate recovery action.
• Prepare cases for legal recovery where necessary.
• Process credit notes, refunds, write-offs and standing orders.
• Produce and process Direct Debit and BACS collections in accordance with regulations.
• Monitor debtor accounts and identify high-risk debts.
• Reconcile financial records and investigate payment discrepancies.
• Maintain accurate customer records and financial data.
• Produce reports and management information on debt recovery performance.
• Support service improvements and contribute to the development of recovery procedures.
• Train and support colleagues and system users where required.

What We're Looking For:
Essential

• GCSE (or equivalent) including Maths and English.
• Experience working within a finance or income collection environment.
• Experience dealing with customers regarding financial matters.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Good IT skills including Microsoft Office and financial systems.
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines.
• Strong customer service focus and problem-solving skills.

Desirable

• A Level, NVQ Level 3 or equivalent qualification.
• Practical experience in debt recovery and credit control.
• Experience within Local Government or a large public sector organisation.
• Knowledge of debt recovery legislation, including The Care Act 2014.
• Experience presenting cases within the County Court.
• Knowledge of Direct Debit and BACS processes.

What You'll Bring
You'll be someone who:

• Delivers excellent customer service, even in challenging situations.
• Builds positive working relationships with colleagues and customers.
• Has a proactive, positive attitude and enjoys solving problems.
• Works accurately under pressure while meeting deadlines.
• Takes ownership of your work and continuously looks for ways to improve services.
• Is committed to maintaining confidentiality and handling sensitive information appropriately.

Why Join Us?

This 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. You'll work with experienced colleagues, develop your knowledge of financial legislation and debt recovery, and have opportunities to broaden your skills across a varied workload.

If you're an organised, customer-focused finance professional with experience in debt recovery or credit control, we'd love to hear from you.