Business Rates Team Leader in Liverpool

Knowsley Council is seeking an experienced and technically skilled Business Rates Team Manager to manage the delivery of its Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR) service. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Business Rates professional to take responsibility for the operational management of the Business Rates function, ensuring the accurate administration, billing, collection and recovery of Business Rates income whilst leading and supporting a team of officers in the delivery of a high-quality service.

We are looking for a candidate with technical expertise who can provide management on Business Rates matters, support service performance and ensure compliance with the latest legislation and best practice.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the day-to-day operation of the Business Rates service, ensuring the effective administration of all NNDR functions.
• Lead and develop a team of Business Rates staff.
• Oversee the billing, collection and recovery of Business Rates, ensuring recovery processes are progressed effectively and in accordance with legislation.
• Manage liability decisions, reliefs, exemptions and occupier changes.
• Provide technical expertise on Business Rates legislation, case law and statutory guidance.
• Process and manage Valuation Office Agency (VOA) amendments, including receipt and implementation of eBARS notifications and rating list alterations.
• Manage valuation and liability issues, working closely with the VOA, ratepayers and professional agents where required.
• Oversee and advise on insolvency matters including liquidations, administrations, bankruptcies and company dissolutions.
• Represent the Council at court proceedings, tribunals and hearings where required.

Requirements

We are seeking candidates who can demonstrate:

• Experience within a Local Authority Business Rates (NNDR) service.
• Knowledge of Non-Domestic Rating legislation, regulations and associated case law.
• Experience of Business Rates billing, collection and recovery processes.
• Experience of dealing with Business Rates liability and valuation matters.
• Practical experience of processing VOA alterations and eBARS notifications.
• Knowledge of annual NNDR processes, schedules and statutory returns.
• Experience managing insolvency, liquidation and administration cases.

Desirable

• IRRV qualification or equivalent professional qualification.
• Experience of NEC Revenues systems or similar Local Government revenues software.
• Knowledge of wider Revenues services and their interaction with Business Rates.

Benefits

We believe employee benefits should go beyond just a free drink or fruit bowl. What’s more, we believe you should get to choose perks that suit your lifestyle. That’s why we’ve partnered up with the global benefits and rewards provider Perkbox, to offer something for all of our people.

Here’s what you can look forward to:

• Perks Hub: Hundreds of global and local perks, available online 24/7.
• Free monthly lifestyle perks; such as free coffees, breakfasts, cinema tickets, etc.
• Shopping discounts from the biggest brands, all year round.
• Save money on everything from the supermarket shop to summer holidays.
• Wellness Hub: Easy to follow videos for everything from yoga exercises, to strength training and HIIT workouts.
• Mindfulness, meditation and sleep resources, available on all your devices.
• Guides to help with everything from anxiety to stopping smoking.
• Confidential mental health helpline, 24/7 access to a qualified counsellor.
• Celebration Hub: Working with us means you're always part of Team BSS - celebrate and recognise fellow contractors, whether they're across the desk or across the world.
• Company polls where everybody can vote for the winners.
• Culture Hub: A single place to find company updates, photos, benefits information and lots more!

Pre-Compliance Checks for Successful Applicants: At BSS, we uphold the highest standards of screening and trust for every role. Successful applicants will undergo a comprehensive pre-compliance process in line with the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). This includes:

• Identity Verification: Confirming the authenticity of your identity documents.
• Employment History Checks: Reviewing your occupation history for the past 3-5 years (depending on client requirement).
• Right to Work Verification: Ensuring you have the legal right to work in the UK.
• Unspent Conviction Check: Conducting a Basic DBS Check to reveal any unspent convictions.

These checks are crucial in ensuring a secure and trustworthy work collaboration, aligning with best practices used in government and public sectors. While primarily standard in these sectors, our adoption of pre-compliance checks across all roles reflects our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and trust in our recruitment process.

Equal Opportunities: Business Smart Solutions are a Recruitment Agency - We hire talented and passionate people from a variety of backgrounds because we want our global worker base to represent the wide diversity of our clients. If you’re excited about a role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every bullet point listed in the job description, we still encourage you to apply. If you're passionate about working for a role in local government and share our company values, we encourage you to apply. BSS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, colour, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. BSS considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable UK law. If you need assistance or an accommodation made due to a disability, please let your recruiter know.

Armed Forces Covenant: We endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are: No member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen. In some circumstances special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.