Welfare Funding Officer
North Yorkshire Council
Job id 4839

Yorkshire and Humberside
Salary £28,163 - £30,559

Closing Date 1st of June 2025

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Salary: £28,163 - £30,559 Per annum

Grade:  G

Contract: Permanent

Working hours: 22 hours per week – (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday)

Location: Hybrid – with expectations to work from one of our office bases in Harrogate or Northallerton.

 

About Our Service 

The Welfare and Benefits Service plays a vital role in supporting residents across North Yorkshire by managing applications for Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Discretionary Housing Payments, and Exceptional Hardship Awards. Our dedicated team assesses claims and provides expert advice to both our customers and our colleagues across various council services.

 

Join Our Team! 

We are excited to offer opportunities for Benefit Funding Officers to join our friendly, supportive, and customer-focused Benefits Compliance Team. If you’re highly customer focussed and passionate about making a real difference, we want to hear from you!

 

Your Role 

As a Welfare Funding Officer, you will: 

·       Provide Financial Support and Advice: Assist existing benefit customers facing severe financial hardship by assessing applications for Discretionary Hardship Payments and Exceptional Hardship Awards.

·       Deliver Local Assistance: Play a key role in implementing other local assistance schemes, ensuring our customers receive the support they need.

·       Collaborate with Services and Agencies: Work alongside various services and organizations to support customers with complex needs.

·       Champion Customer Care: This role is centred on providing compassionate support to our most vulnerable customers. With the customer at the heart of what we do, you'll be making a meaningful impact every day!

 

What You Bring

We seek individuals with a strong commitment to customer service who can respond with empathy and positivity. Ideally, you will:

 

·       Have recent experience assessing Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction claims, along with a solid understanding of the relevant regulations and legislation.

·       Possess experience in a customer support environment, engaging with customers one-on-one.

·       Be IT proficient, utilizing customer databases, internet applications, and Microsoft Office effectively.

·       Have excellent communication skills, able to explain complex issues and provide guidance across various contact channels.

·       Be a confident and proactive decision-maker with a strong approach to problem resolution.

 

For more detailed information, please refer to the Job Description.

 

Additional Information 

You may need to travel to other offices in North Yorkshire for training and team meetings. This role involves handling sensitive information, so a basic disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service will be required as part of a BPSS check.

 

Why Work for us…

We offer a range of great benefits to help you financially and make life a bit easier.

These include:

• Competitive Salary – A salary that reflects your skills and experience, with regular reviews to ensure you’re rewarded for your contributions.

·       Generous Leave Benefits – An annual leave package starting at 28 days, which increases to 34 days with continued service.

·       Flexible Working Scheme – Modern, flexible working practices

·       Professional Development - Access to training programs and workshops to support your professional growth and enhance your skills.

·       Comprehensive Pension Scheme – A robust pension scheme with a substantial employer contribution.

·       Health and Wellbeing Programs: A range of wellness initiatives designed to support your physical and mental health.

·       Salary sacrifice scheme

• Employee discount benefits including shopping and gym discounts
• Green car and cycle schemes
• Travel loans

 

Contact and Apply 

Ready to take the next step?  For an informal conversation about this opportunity, please contact Jenny.Thwaites@northyorks.gov.uk and Nicky.Gray@northyorks.gov.uk

Applying is easy, simply click Welfare Funding Officer , register your details, remove your personal details from your CV and upload.

We look forward to hearing from you!

 

Key Documents

Job description.pdf

Total rewards Brochure

 

Key Dates:

Closing Date: 01st June 2025

Shortlisting:  w/c 02nd June 2025

Interviews: w/c 09th June 2025

 Interviews will be held at the Civic Centre, Harrogate.

 

NYC are committed to directly recruiting staff and will not accept applications nor services from agency suppliers in respect of our vacancies. 

We are committed to meeting the needs of our diverse community and aim to have a workforce reflecting this diversity. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.