Financial Support Officer - EAL10130

Vacancy Information

Hourly rate of pay: £14.85 - £15.91

Temporary until 31st March 2025.
Days and Hours of Work:
Monday - Friday
Starting and finishing times are flexible, and flexi time is applicable.
To start asap.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Financial Support to work within the Council's Revenues Service. This post would normally be based at John Muir House, Haddington, however the successful candidate will be expected to work from home. IT equipment will be provided.

The purpose of this role is to assess and make decisions on claims for The Scottish Welfare Fund, including Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants. The candidate will be involved in the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction schemes.

The successful candidate will help to reduce poverty and inequalities through the delivery of an efficient and effective Financial Support service and will help build financial resilience within our communities working closely with other Council services and external Agencies to deliver a joined up approach.

The successful candidate will also have a role to play in the development of the Financial Support team, contributing to service improvement work.

The successful candidate will have a good understanding of the UK and Scottish welfare systems.

The successful candidate must be highly motivated and demonstrate experience and ability working within a customer focused/welfare environment, having had experience of working with vulnerable people in adverse social circumstances. Excellent communication skills are very important and the ability to deal sensitively with customers who are facing financial hardship is a key personal quality which the role requires.

The successful candidate will be highly motivated and have the ability to work remotely in an effective way, using Microsoft Office applications and other Council IT systems.

Home Working Consideration
Applications for homeworking or hybrid working will be considered for this post, subject to a trial period and in accordance with East Lothian Council’s Home Working and Worksmart Policies which can be found here. Home or Hybrid working options can be discussed with candidates invited for interview. All applicants must live in the UK and will be expected to attend Council offices from time to time as required.

Job Details

To assist in the delivery of an effective and efficient Financial Support Service which safeguards taxpayers assets, maximising efficiency of service delivery within specified standards/approved budgets and in compliance with the Council’s policies, legislation and plans with a commitment to achieve best value. 

Please download the Job Outline/Person Specification (available under 'Job Attachments') for the full range of tasks and duties associated with this job. You will need to refer to these in order to complete the application form. You must ensure you meet every 'essential' criteria stated on the Person Specification to be considered for interview.

The ‘East Lothian Way’– values and behaviours we expect our employees to demonstrate in their everyday work. Should you be invited to interview, you may be asked questions based on these behaviours. Please refer to the document via the link to familiarise yourself with them.

Job Requirements

Relevant Qualifications
Educated to ‘Higher’ level, NC or SVQ2 or equivalent and/or able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge, skills and competencies gained through previous experience.

Driving Licence
A full current driving licence is desirable for this post.

Disclosure
The preferred candidate for this position may be subject to a Basic Disclosure provided by Disclosure Scotland prior to a formal offer of employment being made by East Lothian Council.

Please note:
If a Disclosure check is required and you have spent more than 3 months working or living outwith the UK in the last 5 years then you will also be required to present a copy of an overseas criminal record check. Details of how to apply and contact details can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Additional Information

For additional East Lothian Council employment information please click on the following link:
www.eastlothian.gov.uk/nonteachinginfo

If you have any difficulties creating an account on MyJobScotland or applying for this post please contact the MyJobScotland support team via this link https://www.myjobscotland.gov.uk/contact-us.

If you require further information about this vacancy, please call , or email us on recruitment@eastlothian.gov.uk

Please note: We do not accept CV's (either electronically or by mail). All our vacancies must be applied for by fully completing the on-line application form. Although there is an ‘import data from my CV’ function on MyJobScotland, this only imports very limited data and should not be relied upon to complete the application form.