Debt Recovery Officer

Overview

In this role, you will work closely with customers, internal teams, and partner services to ensure debts are recovered fairly, efficiently, and in line with Cambridgeshire County Council’s Collections Strategy. You will use strong communication skills, sound judgement, and a solid understanding of legislation and debt-recovery processes to negotiate positive outcomes and support the financial health of the organisation.

Responsibilities

• Deliver a high-quality, customer-focused support service for users of Cambridgeshire County Council and the Debt Recovery service.
• Act as a key point of contact, providing clear, accurate guidance and resolving queries promptly.
• Supply reliable information, advice, and support in response to customer enquiries, ensuring adherence to agreed procedures and best practices.
• Achieve timely resolution and payment of outstanding debt in accordance with the Council’s Collections Strategy.
• Ensure all activities follow relevant legislation, regulatory requirements, and internal policies.
• Manage cases with fairness, accuracy, and professionalism, contributing to improved outcomes for customers and service performance.
• Support the implementation of new technologies, processes, and methodologies that enhance service delivery.
• Contribute to an integrated transactional approach across Cambridgeshire County Council.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues, customers, and partner services to ensure systems and processes operate efficiently and meet organisational needs.

Qualifications and Skills

• NVQ Level 2 (or equivalent) in Business & Administration or Finance, or significant relevant experience. (Essential)
• Experience in transactional processing and a strong understanding of debt recovery processes. (Essential)
• Experience or knowledge of ERP systems and an interest in maximising system capabilities. (Desirable)
• Understanding of adult social care needs and communication approaches for vulnerable people. (Desirable)
• Ability to understand and interpret national legislation and guidance, and apply local policies and procedures. (Essential)
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to stay calm, show empathy, manage conflict, and negotiate win-win solutions. (Essential)
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to support and work sensitively with vulnerable customers. (Essential)
• Confident in processing financial and service-related data to support management reporting and service performance monitoring. (Essential)
• Ability to build positive working relationships across services and teams. (Essential)
• A proactive, solution-focused mindset with creativity and initiative in problem solving. (Essential)

Benefits

• Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes.
• Comprehensive benefits including annual leave, sick pay, pension and mileage, plus a comprehensive wellbeing package to cover all aspects of wellbeing, both in and out of work, which can also be accessed by your family.
• Buy up to 4 weeks additional annual leave (pro-rata) through our salary sacrifice scheme; take bank holidays flexibly.
• Make Additional Voluntary Contributions (Shared AVCs) to your pension with tax and National Insurance savings.
• Access to development opportunities, apprenticeships and qualified coaches to support your personal and professional growth.
• Paid volunteering hours each year to make a positive impact on our community during your normal working day.
• Access to Peer Support Groups through our IDEAL staff equality, diversity and inclusion network.
• Opportunities to nominate and receive Employee Recognition Awards.
• Our Cambs Rewards account with discounts, Car Lease and Cycle to Work schemes.

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