Role: Administrative Officer (Supervision Billing Team)

Business: Office of Public Guardian (OPG)

Location: Birmingham or Nottingham

Grade: AO

Salary: £24,202 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Minimum Hours: 22.12 hours (see JD for further details)

Organisational Overview

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) protects people in England and Wales who may not have the mental capacity to make certain decisions for themselves, such as about their health and finance. We are an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), set up in 2007 following the introduction of the Mental Capacity Act of 2005.

OPG is responsible for registering lasting powers of attorney (LPA) and enduring powers of attorney (EPA) and supervising deputies who are appointed by the Court of Protection.

OPG is a fantastic place to work offering a range of development opportunities. The OPG is a disability confident employer and is committed to developing a supportive and inclusive environment that reflects the diverse community we serve.

OPG is currently delivering an ambitious transformation programme. This will change the way we provide services and help us meet the growing needs of our users, partners and our stakeholders. It will make sure our users experience a better level of support and will help us to respond to the changing needs of society. Transformation will ensure we can better support adults at risk and create high-quality services that are accessible and affordable.

Team Overview

The Supervision Billing Team is responsible for generating and issuing invoices to customers and associated debt chase activity. The role also involves managing fee-related queries, processing payments over the telephone, handling fee reduction applications and administering refunds. This role demands strong administrative skills, an excellent telephone manner, and a dedication to providing outstanding customer service and maintaining high-quality work in a fast-moving environment.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Managing and prioritising your workload, making the best use of available time and resources when dealing with customer enquiries received by telephone, email and postal correspondence.

• Progressing, analysing and resolving customer account queries in writing and over the phone

• Progressing, analysing and awarding applications for fee reductions

• Progressing individual debt chase activity on cases to recover outstanding supervision fees owed to OPG.

• Processing customer account transactions such as Credits, Write-offs, Refunds and Debit Memo’s to maintain customer records.

• Processing customer Direct Debit mandates within agreed SLA’s ensuring advanced notices and Direct Debit queries are issued and resolved prior to collections.

• Effectively chasing and monitoring terminated cases where proof of death or sufficient evidence is required to ensure the accurate billing and closure of client accounts.

• Inputting information and updating our case management system accordingly.

• Providing a telephony payment service to our customers.

• Analysing data and information from deputies’ accounts to make informed decisions whether to escalate findings to a manager.

• Attend and contribute to team meetings.

• Regularly make and answer telephone calls with external customers whilst maintaining confidentiality.

• Maintain quality of work to appropriate standard.

• Work within the team to support and contribute to the aims, objectives and performance of the OPG.

• Manage the safe and secure receipt of customer information in line with OPG policy.

• Learn and apply Continuous Improvement (CI) techniques.

• Review your performance with your line manager to assess your strengths and areas for development. Seek opportunities for developmental training or feedback and act upon it.

• Communicate with your colleagues to ensure that work is managed well and to foster good working relationships within your team and wider Supervision teams.

Agreed Expectations

The successful candidate will be expected to work from their base location on a weekly basis in line with current Civil Service requirements, outside of any reasonable adjustments.

Occasional travel to other offices to attend team meetings or training.

In OPG’s Supervision Billing team we offer hybrid working. This is subject to business needs and satisfactory performance. All new starters are expected to work in the office for the six-month probation period and will be able to work from home once the line manager has signed this off.

During the first 3 weeks of technical training all new starters in the Supervision Billing team are required to attend the office full time (37 hours per week) irrespective of their contracted hours. Following those initial weeks, you are expected to continue your training and consolidation in the office, but any agreements for part time working can commence.

We require part time staff to commit to at least 22:12 working hours over 3 days per week as a minimum.

Skills & Qualifications

Essential Skills

• Experience or knowledge of finance or debt recovery (Lead Criteria at Sift)

• Good written & telephony skills essential to the role, including the ability to adapt these skills to best suit the person you are communicating with.

• Experience of using financial data to make informed decisions.

• Flexible approach with the ability to manage and prioritise your own workload to meet objectives.

• Ability to work as part of a team and using your own initiative.

• Experience in using Microsoft Office Programs.

Desirable Skills

• Ability to adapt to change

Application process

This recruitment will follow the Civil Service Success Profile process. Candidates will be expected to provide a Personal Statement of Suitability of no more than 750 words in support of your application based on essential and desirable skills.

Please note: ‘Experience or knowledge of finance or debt recovery’, has been marked as a lead criterion at sift stage, and we reserve right to score this as a priority if the number of applications is high.

Interview Process

If you are successful at sift, you will be invited to an interview which will use the Civil Service Success Profiles.

At interview, candidates should expect questions on:

• Strengths relevant to the role

• The following Behaviours at AO Grade:

• Making Effective Decisions (AO Grade)

• Managing a Quality Service (AO Grade)

• An experience-based question (based around essential criteria)

All interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Reasonable Adjustments

At OPG we consider all applications on the basis of merit and want you to feel able to demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any reasonable adjustments for any aspect of the selection process, do not hesitate to get in contact with us.

As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. If you are applying for a role within OPG and would like to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the selection process.

For further information on benefits of working for OPG, such as our Flexible Working Policy and a FAQ, please check the candidate information pack attached to this advert.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, we may offer you an alternative role at the same or lower grade should one be available.