This is an exciting opportunity in an ever-changing revenues environment where you will continue to learn and develop your skills and experience with opportunities for career progression. If you have experience of dealing with members of the public in a caring and supportive manner and want to make a real difference to our residents, then we want to hear from you! We are looking for dedicated, motivated individuals who demonstrate a high level of attention to detail and excellent communication skills who can work as part of a team and are able to organise and prioritise workloads to meet deadlines with conflicting demands. There are four full time posts and one part time post working 23 hours available. WHAT IS INVOLVED? You will be joining a supportive and enthusiastic team responsible for the collection of Council Revenues including Council Tax, Business Rates and sundry debts. As a Debtors and Collections Officer you'll play a crucial role in supporting customers in arrears by implementing effective collection strategies to ensure positive outcomes to minimise debt and help our customers. You will communicate with customers by telephone, letter, and email, maintaining detailed records of every interaction. You will learn and understand the relevant legislation and processes, using the Council’s Debt Management Policy and procedures to provide advice support and guidance to customers and explain the recovery process to them signposting them to appropriate assistance where necessary. A large part of the role requires you to deal with phone calls from a wide range of customers, providing excellent advice and customer service and to deal confidently with a full range of requests, negotiate payment arrangements and respond in a mature and courteous manner in sometimes difficult situations. From day one you will receive full training, support, and mentoring, not only from your managers but also from your colleagues. The training will complement and develop the skills you already have. Hybrid working is available upon completion of training. We encourage you to contact Sam Lloyd via email at Sam.Lloyd@durham.gov.uk to arrange an informal discussion about the role. WHAT WILL I NEED? You will have a clear, confident, and empathetic phone manner and be able to explain complex information simply. Good organisational, numerical and time management skills, An NVQ level 2 or equivalent qualification OR experience of working in a Finance, Customer Service or similar environment. You will have excellent communications and interpersonal skills with the ability to manage confrontational situations. This role is customer facing and you are required to speak to members of the public, the ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post. Please refer to the attached person specification for the full criteria. If successful, you will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service Disclosure. REWARDS AND BENEFITS We offer generous rewards and benefits that are designed to help you perform at your best: Competitive salaries and 27 days holiday per year rising to 32 days after five years continuous local government service. Option to purchase up to 10 additional days annual leave per year. Excellent work/life balance through schemes including job sharing, compressed hours and flexi-time (allowing up to 13 flexi days per year). Hybrid working (home and office working). Excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Plus, top up options - Salary Sacrifice Shared Cost AVC scheme and standard AVC scheme for members of the LGPS. Wellbeing Portal and access to an Employee Assist Scheme. Wide range of learning and development opportunities including professional qualifications, coaching and mentoring. Employee Benefits Portal and Lifestyle Savings Scheme (discounts across a host of major retailers). Discounted DCC gym membership. Staff networks run by staff for our staff, including Race Equality and Diversity, Disability, LGBT, Armed Forces, Carers, Menopause. Trade Union membership. A range of other salary sacrifice schemes such as car leasing.Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions. Take a closer look: Rewards and Benefits SOCIAL MEDIA Don’t see the perfect role for you right now? Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates on new opportunities at Durham County Council! Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook HYBRID WORKING Durham County Council currently operates a hybrid working policy where a model of 2 days in the workplace and 3 days at home/remote will apply. This model is pro-rated for part time roles and arrangements are at managers discretion, alternatively you can work all of your contracted hours within the workplace if you prefer. EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION We are a proud equal opportunities employer and recognise that a diverse, talented workforce brings new ideas and new perspectives, which will facilitate growth and improvements to services. We are committed to ensuring that our employment policies and processes are fair and equitable to all. We welcome job applications from everyone, and successful candidates are considered only on their skills and ability to do the job. As a Disability Confident Leader, we encourage applications from disabled people and provide support throughout the recruitment process. Take a closer look: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion INTERVIEWS Interviews will be held week commencing 20th October 2025. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran. HOW TO APPLY In line with the County Council's Recruitment and Selection Policy, please note that we are unable to accept CVs. Applications must be submitted on-line via the Northeast Jobs portal. Please use the ‘Person Specification’ section of your application form to demonstrate that you have the essential and where possible, desirable experience, skills, and knowledge. Candidates who do not evidence that they meet the essential qualifications and experience listed on the person specification will not be short-listed. If you have any support needs or require assistance when applying for this role, please contact the Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, or the Recruitment Team via email at RecruitmentResources@durham.gov.uk. We collect personal information from you when you register with North East Jobs and make an application. Details on how we process your personal data is available in our Privacy Notice. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION REGARDING YOUR APPLICATION FOR THIS POST WILL BE SENT TO THE EMAIL ADDRESS THAT YOU HAVE REGISTERED WITH NORTH EAST JOBS, INCLUDING YOUR INVITE TO INTERVIEW IF YOU ARE SHORTLISTED. PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL AFTER THE CLOSING DATE FOR NOTIFICATION FROM DONOTREPLY@NORTHEASTJOBS.ORG.UK AS YOU WILL NOT BE NOTIFIED BY ANY OTHER MEANS. PLEASE ENSURE YOU CHECK YOUR JUNK MAIL. VPRS/161