Hays
Head of Debt Recovery & Enforcement
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Head of Debt Recovery & Enforcement
Salary: £79,814 - £93,163 (depending on experience as per the JD)
Working arrangement: Hybrid Working - 3 days in the office
Location: Wembley Park
Your new organisation
At London Borough of Brent, finance is more than just producing the accounts - it's about enabling transformation, safeguarding public resources, and helping shape the future of our borough. Working closely with colleagues across the council to ensure that financial insight is at the heart of decision-making. Their work is grounded in fairness, inclusion, and respect, and great pride is taken in creating a team environment where every voice is heard, and every success is celebrated. These values are not just aspirations- they are embedded in how they lead, how they support each other, and how they deliver for Brent's communities.
Your new role
As the Head of Debt Recovery, you will be responsible for helping strengthen the Council's financial resilience through the effective management of debt recovery and enforcement services across a range of income streams, including Council Tax, Business Rates, Housing Benefit Overpayments, Adult Social Care contributions and Sundry Debts.
Leading a team of around 30 staff, with 2 direct reports, you will provide strategic direction for debt recovery and enforcement services, ensuring policies, processes and service delivery models align with the Council's wider priorities. Working closely with internal stakeholders and external partners, you'll oversee both in-house teams and outsourced contracts, driving high performance, legal compliance and a customer-focused approach that delivers positive outcomes for Brent's diverse communities. You will play a key role in maximising income collection, shaping service improvement initiatives, and ensuring fair and consistent recovery practices that balance the Council's financial objectives with the needs of residents.
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What you need to succeed
- Experience working within, or in partnership with, local authorities, with a strong understanding of debt recovery and collection services across areas such as Business Rates, Adult Social Care, Housing Benefit Overpayments, Council Tax and Sundry Debts.
- A proven track record of leading large operational teams within a complex local authority environment.
- Experience managing outsourced contracts and delivering sustained performance improvements.
- Strong leadership and management skills, including people, budget and service management.
- Experience using performance management techniques to deliver collection and recovery improvements.
- Strong communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
Benefits include
- Competitive salary
- The opportunity to join the Local Government Pension Scheme
- Generous holiday entitlements starting from 27 days' holiday a year
- A range of family friendly policies, including generous maternity and paternity entitlements and childcare schemes
- Flexible working patterns, including hybrid working
- Training and development opportunities
- Good travel links in and out of Wembley and a range of cost saving travel schemes
- Access to My Brent Rewards, our dedicated website for staff with big brand discounts and local offers
- Work at the outstanding state-of-the-art Brent Civic Centre
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The closing date will be 25th October. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we reserve the right to close the vacancy early should a suitable candidate be identified. We therefore encourage early applications and advise candidates not to wait until the closing date to apply. The salary quoted is the full salary range for the role. Starting salary will typically be appointed at a point within the range, with progression subject to performance and organisational policy.
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