Job Title: Service Link Officer Starting Salary: £33,366 progressing to £36,124 pay award pending Hours: 37 Location: Hemel Hempstead Contract Type: Permanent Directorate: Adult Care Services Hybrid working, regular presence required at our Hemel Hempstead offices. Some travel required for client visits. About the team We're transforming debt recovery by focusing on generating revenue for Hertfordshire County Council and prevention of debt. Our team consists of 9 Service Link Officers, supervised by 2 Senior Finance Officers/ Our current drive within debt services - planning and resources is to focus on recovery of debt for care services received. We're looking for a motivated individual who is able to adapt to change and pivot quickly in response to new guidelines and agreements. About the role You will be at the forefront of debt recovery activity. You'll work alongside a team of experienced individuals, leading on resolving complex debt recovery issues with our customers and their families, as well as investigating related financial queries, identifying and reporting potential safeguarding concerns. Interpersonal skills and teamwork are essential to the development of our team and our overall success. In order to carry out recovery activity with a clear direction, you'll have frequent interactions with key internal and external stakeholders- such as the Central debt, Income and finance and Legal teams. About you Essential: Experience in query resolution using various systems Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Word, in addition to good numeracy and general IT skills. Good diary and time management skills to be able to prioritise workloads and adhere to timescales set when pursuing payment of outstanding invoices Evidence of creating reports to enable monitoring for management information Strong negotiation and influential skills Excellent communication skills Ability to manage challenging conversations Ability to work both independently and as part of a team Management of individual workloads with direction Travelling for client visits - driving licence and access to a car Desirable: An NVQ level 3 in accounting and financial qualification, or equivalent, is desirable Knowledge of credit control, accounting and debt recovery Experience in local government We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role. This job role is within the Corporate job family, level 9 job profile. Please locate this via: Job profiles - Corporate services To hear more about this opportunity please contact vithushaa.naguleswaran@hertfordshire.gov.uk for an informal discussion about the role. Interview Date:21 May 2025 Benefits of working for us How to apply As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences. Disability Confident We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. Safeguarding This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check. Driving required You'll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations. English Fluency The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.