Direct Payments Finance Officers WCC618193

Job Details:

Salary range: £33,291 - £42,861 pro rata per annum (actual salary £13,316 - £17,144 per annum) 

Work location: Kensington Town Hall, Horton Street, W8 7NX     

Hours per week: 14.4   

Contract type: Permanent

Vetting requirements: Standard DBS Check    

Closing date: 31 January 2025

Contact details for an Informal Discussion: Susan Gear, Financial Shared Service Manager, via email: SUSAN.GEAR@RBKC.GOV.UK        

About Us:

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF THE CARRICK YARD INVESTMENT

The Finance team in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories, where we go above and beyond for our residents – in all sorts of pioneering ways. Our work has the ability to have a profound impact on residents’ lives. By being smart and courageous with the council’s finances means we can achieve more for our residents.

Take the Carrick Yard housing development in Luton Street. When a big international building firm couldn’t find a sales partner, we stepped in to create a joint venture partnership and underwrite any unsold units to protect our investment. Then when we felt a big banking partner would be overcharging the venture for financing the development, we decided to finance it ourselves. 

The result? 171 homes are now under construction, leading the redevelopment of the Church Street area, whilst the council is projecting a potential return on investment of almost 14% - far in excess of anything that can be achieved on cash deposits in current market conditions.

And why does this success matter? Because it allows us to invest even more in public services that are the lifeblood of our communities.

The Role:

As a Direct Payment Finance Officer, you can make your own powerful contribution.

You’ll play a crucial role in delivering our Direct Payment service. That means completing regular financial payments to our service users, but also helping them get more choice and control over how they’ll use their payments. You’ll also monitor user accounts to carry out vital risk analysis to make sure we deal with potential financial abuse effectively.

In turn, you’ll be supporting our vision for a ‘City for All’, where all our residents can live in a borough that enriches their lives and helps fulfil their potential.

You’ll also work in partnership with contacts across the department to enforce compliance, our own policies and the key principles of personalisation. Regularly reviewing cases, maintaining records and training other staff members are all important elements of the role.

Overall, you’ll be helping build an effective Direct Payments service. It’s about empowering individuals, making positive change and helping them enjoy the freedom of choice.

Please refer to the Job Description for more information.

About You:

You’ll need demonstrable experience making electronic payments to service users, implementing financial controls, dealing with customers and using IT systems. You’ll combine this with a strong knowledge of financial administration and great communication skills. 

Previous experience in direct payments and the ability to work under pressure are essential. You may also have some knowledge of relevant legislation.

What We Offer:

Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council’s strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe.   
 
At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit  https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health-strategy-policies-and-reports/equality-duties  
 
As a forward-thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.  
 
The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application, we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.