Complaints and Appeals Officer in Liverpool

A bit about us: Liverpool is home to vibrant, energetic, and engaged communities, people who take real ownership of their local area and are passionate about making our city a better place. We've got ambitious targets to meet and we need people who are driven, dynamic and ready to deliver the very best for our communities. Public service is more important than ever, and this role represents a real opportunity to make a difference to our communities by transforming the way we work and placing our residents at the heart of everything we do. Working at Liverpool City Council provides an opportunity to contribute to your community and make a positive impact on the lives of residents. Our values shape how we work to deliver public services, and how we communicate with the residents we serve. We care about the best outcomes for local people, through our public services. We are proud of our world-famous thriving city with its rich culture, as well as affordable housing, good schools, beautiful green spaces - there's really something for everyone!

The role: As a Complaints and Appeals Officer, you will be part of a team that has responsibility for investigating and responding to complaints relating to council tax, housing benefit and council tax support. You will also consider appeals relating to council tax, housing benefit and council tax support providing responses to appellants, as well as preparing submissions to Tribunal on behalf of the council and delivering the appeal response at Tribunal. This is an important role within Transactional Services and requires significant experience and understanding of the law and practice concerning council tax, housing benefit and council tax support.

The key responsibilities of the role include:

• Lead on the investigation and resolution of complex complaints, ensuring responses are accurate, balanced, customer-focused and issued within agreed timescales
• Prepare high-quality responses to appeals relating to council tax, housing benefit and council tax support.
• Prepare, submit and deliver the council’s response at the Valuation Tribunal Service
• Consider applications for Housing Payments in a timely manner, recommending awards in line with policy and guidance
• Provide expert advice and guidance to colleagues and stakeholders on complaints handling, appeals procedures and best practice
• Mentor and provide guidance to colleagues, contributing to the continuous development of officer knowledge, skills and performance
• Champion a culture of learning from complaints and appeals, ensuring outcomes inform service improvement and help deliver better outcomes for residents
• At all times deliver a quality service to residents and businesses with change, innovation and continuous improvement being the driving themes

What we're looking for:

• Significant experience handling complex complaints and appeals relating to council tax, Housing Benefits and Council Tax Support
• Strong understanding of administrative law, complaint handling principles, procedural fairness and customer service excellence
• Excellent investigative, analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to assess complex information and reach sound conclusions
• Strong communication and negotiation skills with the ability to build positive relationships and manage challenging conversations effectively
• Proven ability to prioritise your own workload, meet deadlines and maintain high standards of accuracy and attention to detail
• Commitment to continuous improvement and delivering excellent outcomes for residents and service users

Our offer to you:

• At least 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 32 after 5 years' service (pro rata if part time) - option to purchase further days
• Agile working (role dependent) - a "Flexibility First" approach to agile working, where flexibility is the norm rather than the exception
• Part of the Local Government Pension Scheme - option to join the AVC Scheme
• Progression - opportunities and training through a wide range of high quality learning
• Health and Wellbeing - offer including Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work and Travel Pass Schemes
• Drive Time - a salary sacrifice car lease scheme
• Family friendly policies with enhanced leave
• Discounted Gym Memberships
• Employee Volunteering Scheme

If you would like any further information or an informal discussion, please contact James Oates via james.oates@liverpool.gov.uk.

Liverpool City Council is committed to fostering a workforce representative of the communities we serve. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we believe in appointing candidates based on their skills, experience, qualifications, and abilities. To support this commitment, we guarantee an interview to candidates from under-represented groups who meet the minimum essential criteria for the role. If you require any reasonable adjustments in line with the Equality Act 2010, such as an application form in a different format or additional time to complete your application, please contact us at recruitment@liverpool.gov.uk.