Hertfordshire County Council
Senior Finance Officer
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Job Introduction
Job Title: Senior Finance Officer
Starting Salary: £38,220 progressing to £41,771 per annum
Hours: 37
Location: Hemel Hempstead
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Adult Care Services
About The Team
There is a current drive within the department to focus on recovery of debt for Care services received and we are looking for a Senior Finance Officer to join our team to facilitate this.
We are undergoing a considerable transformation in debt recovery, focusing on generating revenue for HCC and prevention of debt. We are looking for a motivated individual who is able to adapt to change and pivot quickly in response to new guidelines and agreements. The West debt team comprises of 2 x Senior Finance Officers and 9 x Service Link Officers. As Senior Finance Officer you will be responsible for supervising a subgroup of SLOs within the West team. Geographically, we handle the accounts of clients within the West Hertfordshire catchment area which includes Dacorum, St Albans, Hertsmere, Three Rivers and Watford.
Strong 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, the SLOs and SFOs will have frequent interactions with key internal and external stakeholders- such as the Central debt, Income and finance and Legal teams. As Senior Finance Officer, you will support the team by identifying possible solutions and supporting your supervisees with handling particularly challenging accounts.
About The Role
You will be at the forefront of debt recovery activity, working alongside a team of experienced individuals, leading on resolving complex debt recovery issues with Service Users and families, as well as investigating related financial queries and identifying and reporting potential safeguarding concerns.
The role involves communicating internally and externally with stakeholders, so the successful candidate must be able to demonstrate that they can articulate confidently as well as listen and respond effectively. This will include using various communication methods to ensure that charges are raised, payments are made according to deadlines and queries are resolved to ensure a satisfactory outcome is always achieved, considering client confidentiality.
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An organised approach is needed to ensure that deadlines are adhered to. Good time management skills are required, the ability to prioritise workloads and the ability to deal with queries and requests promptly is essential.
The role will involve line managing Service Link Officers, this will include holding regular supervisions and discussions surrounding objectives and performance and fully supporting staff, experience in HR matter is desirable.
You will also be required to provide support to projects and managing pieces of work alongside our key stakeholders such as Care Payments, Client Finance and Income teams. It is essential that the successful candidate can work individually and as part of a team.
You may also be asked to carry out more senior tasks in the absence of the Debt Team Lead including the delivery of training to supervisees and representation at local level/board meetings across ACS and with external organisations.
You will be motivated, confident in making decisions and have the ability to assert yourselves in challenging situations.
If you have a desire to supervise people, have great influential skills, an ability to communicate effectively with people and some experience in any type of debt recovery or credit control then this role is for you.
We value the importance of personal development and career aspirations at HCC and through an organic method of training and learning, the individual will gain an array of core skills that they will be able to carry into other roles in the future.
About You
Essential:
- Previous experience in a supervisory role is essential.
- Experience in system and process development.
- Ability to produce reports and analyse figures, as well as dealing with complex queries when they arise.
- You will need to have a working knowledge of Microsoft Excel/Word/Microsoft Office experience of SAP, ContrOOC/ACSIS would be advantageous.
- Good communication and negotiation skills plus organisational skills are essential and customer service skills are crucial.
Desirable:
- A related Graduate level/NVQ level 3 qualification, or equivalent, is desirable.
- Knowledge of credit control, accounting and debt recovery.
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.
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This job role is Level 10. Please locate the job profile here: Job profiles - Corporate services.
To hear more about this opportunity please contact Carl.Nancarrow@hertfordshire.gov.uk for an informal discussion about the role.
Interview Date: 26 October 2026
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.
Additional Information
We are changing
Hertfordshire County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). If you are employed by Hertfordshire County on 1 April 2028, it is expected that most roles will transfer to the newly-created unitary councils on existing terms and conditions under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings – Protection of Employment) principles.
LGR is one of the biggest changes we will face in a generation. It will reshape how we work and how services are organised and gives us a real opportunity to build something better. To find out more, visit https://www.hertfordshire-lgr.co.uk/.
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.
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.
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