Salary: £38223 - £39186

Hours: 37 p/w

Location To be negotiated with successful applicant.

Contract: Permanent

About this opportunity

The Service:

The Community Finance Team provides several services including financial assessments to ascertain financial assistance for care services provided, invoicing of assessed client financial charge for residential and non-residential services and providing accurate and timely advice and information as well as monitoring and reconciling direct payment accounts and ensuring accurate recharges for joint funded packages of care.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a candidate to join Westmorland and Furness Council to lead the new Direct Payment Team.

The Direct Payment Team Leader role is to set up the team, implement systems of work and processes in collaboration with key stakeholders and Managers and to provide support and guidance to the Direct Payment Officers and colleagues in the wider organisation and to promote the role of the team. To deal with customer complaints and to work holistically with key stakeholders to act in the best interest of the customer. The team deals with the reconciliation of direct payments, customer queries in relation to their statements for care and support and recharges to partners for care and support provided through the Council, in line with The Care Act 2014.

The person
We are looking for a highly motivated person who has strong leadership qualities. The ideal person should have proven experience of managing and supporting staff to provide a high quality service, be flexible and able to work within competing deadlines with excellent customer care skills. An understanding of ASC (Adult Social Care) Services would be an advantadge. A team player who is committed to continuous improvement, who can apply and work within technical policies and legislation.

Are you able to communicate effectively with people at different levels and can you work with minimum supervision?

If so and you are adept at planning and organising workload, and prioritising work to meet conflicting deadlines, then we would like to hear from you.

The Role

You will be working in a busy Operational Finance Department, the successful applicant will be required to provide support and guidance to team members, respond to customer complaints and maintain the day-to-day operations of the service in line with legislation and local policy.

• You will need to have experience of working in a customer focussed environment, demonstrating patience and understanding.
• Be able to deal with clients or their representatives in a sensitive manner, whilst ensuring Information Governance legislation is followed at all times.
• You will also liaise with officers from various departments throughout the Council and other outside agencies.
• You will need to have the ability to interpret and apply consistently all types of legislation and financial policies connected to this position as well as legal documents.
• You will need to possess good problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Applicants will need to be able to work on their own initiative, without close supervision, to tight deadlines, and must be able to keep accurate records and be able to use a variety of computerised systems.
• You will have strong organisational skills, being able prioritise work with frequent interruptions.
• You will be motivated and a critical thinker with the ability to understand the needs of your customers.
• You will have excellent communication skills and be a team player and the ability to work harmoniously with others to achieve your personal goals, the goals of the team and that of the service.

The Team have adapted into Hybrid working and you will be expected to be visible to your team dependent on the needs of the service.

The successful candidate will need to show that they can deal appropriately with issues of a complex financial nature, in line with legislation and policy.

This is an exciting opportunity to be involved at the point of inception with a new team, for those who like the challenge of improving our services to the public and is willing to assist us in developing better ways of working across the Directorate and embracing ICT solutions.

For a full list of responsibilities for the post please see the attached job specification.

This post is subject to basic DBS check.

If you have any queries or would like to arrange an informal conversation, please contact Tracey Lightfoot on 07917 266566.

What can we offer you! 

If you want to find out more about our benefits and working for Westmorland and Furness please visit our brand new careers site -Our benefits | Careers (westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk) 

This role requires a basic DBS check

Please note this role involves working in regulated activity with adults. It is an offence for people who are barred from working in regulated activity to apply for roles that require them to work unsupervised with adults.

Application and Interview information

Closing date: 15^th Sept 2024

Interview date:w/c 23^rd Sept 2024

We are currently operating both in-person and virtual interviews. Options will be discussed with candidates once they have been invited to the interview stage of the process for this specific position, and if you have any concerns or adjustments are needed, we are happy to discuss.

If you are invited to a virtual interview, this will preferably be undertaken using the Microsoft Teams software, which is currently free for new users, however if there are any issues with accessing this technology, we are happy to discuss alternative arrangements prior to the interviews.

Safer Recruitment

At Westmorland and Furness Council we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and expects all employees, volunteers and the Externally Provided Workforce (EPWs) to share this commitment.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Westmorland and Furness Council is committed to improving the diversity of its workforce to better reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and work to promote an inclusive, supportive culture that values and celebrates our differences.

As a Disability Confident Employer, disabled applicants, who meet the essential criteria of this job, are guaranteed an interview.

Post Specification

Role Profile