Job Advert INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY Applications for this post will only be accepted from current employees of West Lothian Council (this includes casual and agency staff who are currently undertaking work for us) Working as part of a team the Advanced Collections Officer will: Provide a one-point corporate and aged debt service including service accounts to customers who have debts due to the council, contributing to the development of the service and identifying strategies to deal effectively with council debt. Provide a point of contact for staff dealing with customers who have debts due to the council. Assist in the administration and collection of council debts and be able to identify and amend inaccuracies in records across relevant council systems Manage cases that are escalated to the team for advanced recovery action. This will involve assisting customers who engage to maximise benefits and to address debts going forward. Identify and prepare cases for legal action, managing the case until decree is obtained and the paperwork is returned to the housing manager to facilitate the eviction process. Attempting engagement through a variety of means, including telephone, text, visits etc.) Reporting to the Senior Section Leader, they will be expected to prioritise their own workload and generally work on an unsupervised basis assessing cases and situations and, based on their knowledge and experience, act accordingly. Accountable for the achievement of the council’s statutory and key performance indicators. Actively participate and contribute to the team’s development and contribute to the overall performance targets and identified outcomes.