Senior Revenue Officer - 37 hours in Torquay

Application Deadline: 24 May 2026

Department: Finance

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Torbay Council

Reporting To: Team Manager

Compensation: £31,537 - £34,434 / year

There has never been a better time to join our Revenue & Benefits team in our Finance Directorate at Torbay Council. We have real momentum building with a shared sense of purpose and ambition. We are seeking an experienced and motivated Senior Revenue Officer to join our Revenues team. The candidate will play a key role in delivering an efficient, accurate, and customer‑focused Council Tax and Business Rates service, ensuring income is maximised while maintaining fairness and compliance with legislation. The postholder will handle complex revenues work, support colleagues and contribute to service improvement through strong technical expertise and problem‑solving skills.

Key Responsibilities

• Deal with complex Council Tax and Business Rates accounts, including Business Improvement District cases, covering liability disputes, exemptions, discounts, reliefs and those subject to recovery action.
• Understand the principles of our local Council Tax Support scheme affecting working age.
• Provide technical advice and guidance to Revenues Officers and assist with mentoring and on‑the‑job training.
• Represent the authority at Valuation Tribunal hearings, Magistrates’ Court and other proceedings as required.
• Ensure recovery action is taken promptly and in line with legislation and local policy, including enforcement agents, insolvency and attachment processes.
• Respond to complex customer enquiries, complaints and member enquiries in a professional and timely manner.
• Contribute to service development, policy reviews and performance‑improvement initiatives.
• Work collaboratively with internal teams and external partners to ensure an integrated and customer‑focused service.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, regulations and data protection requirements.

Benefits include flexible office or hybrid working; support for professional development and qualifications; generous annual leave entitlement; and the Local Government Pension Scheme. This post meets the requirements of the Public Services Network (PSN) and therefore will require a Basic Criminal Record Check. This will show any unspent convictions and conditional cautions.

Skills

• Numerate, literate and possess effective communication, interpersonal and diplomatic skills.
• Able to interpret and apply legislation and regulations, explain and advise on policies and procedures.
• Excellent IT skills and the ability to accurately update relevant databases and document imaging/workflow systems, achieving defined accuracy and output targets.
• Proven methodical and flexible approach to work, with the ability to work quickly and accurately while responding to conflicting demands, making effective decisions, advising others and undertaking necessary actions timely to deliver service priorities and maintain customer satisfaction.
• Ability to work on own initiative, using discretion and judgement when carrying out own role and supporting other members of the team.

This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.

Knowledge

• Understanding of Council policies, aims and objectives; significant experience working in a local authority Revenues service, especially Council Tax and Business Rates.
• Extensive knowledge to enable effective resolution of disputes; strong working knowledge of relevant legislation, case law and recovery processes.
• Extensive knowledge of Council Tax and Business Rates, including full knowledge of applicable law, policies and statutory guidance; experience dealing with complex cases and providing technical support to colleagues.
• Knowledge of the principles behind the General Data Protection Regulations, with ability to take appropriate action if breaches are identified.
• Ability to interpret legislation and apply it accurately to real-world scenarios.

Experience & Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE A Level / NVQ 3 standard or equivalent.
• Experience working in a customer service environment, including investigating and interviewing people respectfully with excellent communication skills.
• Experience working in a multi-disciplinary role with strong organisational skills and ability to manage competing priorities.
• Experience of effective decision-making with confidence handling challenging conversations.
• Evidence of continuous professional development, ideally with IRRV qualification (or working towards).