Salary: £36,524 - £41,792 per annum 

Grade E

Permanent Contract

37 Hours per Week

Situated on the River Thames, Thurrock is an ambitious unitary with vision and opportunities for its residents and businesses.

Thurrock Council Revenue and Benefits Service has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Support and Benefits Technical Officer to join the team. The post form part of Subsidy, Training and Technical Team and is a key role in delivery of services to the residents of Thurrock.

We are seeking to recruit an experienced, forward thinking, highly motivated benefits practitioner with an extensive Benefit knowledge and technical abilities. 

The ideal candidate will have:

• An extensive knowledge of Acts and Regulations governing Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support and keep abreast of the legislative and policy changes.
• Ability to Design and Deliver Benefits Training to new Benefit Assessors on Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support as well as deliver a refresher training for existing assessors.
• Dealing with complex benefit queries and give legislative advice and guidance to other council department especially vulnerable customers.
• In depth knowledge of the Benefit processing/online systems as the post holder will be an administrator of both systems in conjunction Team Manager.
• Download and send files to Department of Work and Pensions.
• Implement and test new system releases in conjunction with the Team Manager and assist with Year End system set up and shut down.
• Excellent written and verbal skills with the ability to chair meetings, present to staff and write reports.

In return for your time and commitment, we offer:

• Generous annual leave entitlement – 25 days rising to 30 after 5 years’ service.
• Flexible working to support a good work life balance.
• An excellent Employee Assistance Programme
• Excellent training opportunities.
• Basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required

If you have any queries or would like to discuss the role in more detail please contact Bola Amako by emailing bamako@thurrock.gov.uk.

Closing Dates: 

Redeployment Only: 25th April 2024

Internal and External: 12th May 2024

Interview date: TBC

To view the Job Profile and Person Specification please follow the link below:

Download Job Profile (PDF Document)

Why Thurrock?

Working at Thurrock Council gives you the opportunity to join an organisation that is changing at pace, one where you can make a real difference to the lives of the people we serve.

Thurrock Council is moving towards a new community leadership approach which involves linking with local partners and communities as we shape our improvement for the years ahead.

This is an exciting time to join us, to shape the future success of our changing organisation and to have a positive influence on our borough. 

Our location

Thurrock is located on the north bank of the river Thames. Our urban centres are a vibrant mix of established towns and new young communities, with a diverse and growing population of around 160,000 residents.

We are an emerging cultural and arts centre, home to the production centre for the Royal Opera House and the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills. We have excellent retail and leisure opportunities, including Lakeside Shopping Centre, country parks, forests, and marshes.

Thurrock is just half an hour journey away from the centre of London by train and well connected by road.

Staff benefits

We offer lots of staff benefits, including a generous annual leave entitlement and hybrid working. We champion flexible working and job share applications are welcome.

Further information can be found here Employment benefits | Working for the council | Thurrock Council 

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Thurrock Council is committed to equal opportunities. As a Disability Confident Employer, disabled people will be offered an interview where they meet all essential criteria on the person specification.

We serve a diverse community where people are different yet equal. Diversity underpins everything we do.

For further information about Thurrock Council please visit our website: Thurrock Council