Head of Income Collection – Temporary Accommodation & Housing Gateway Ltd -Enfield Council – EN1 3XY 3 Months Contract Full time HYBRID – 2 days on site

£334.45 PAYE/£440 UMB

I am currently representing Enfield Council who are offering an initial temporary contract for a period of 3 months with a view to be extended or offered a permanent position for the right candidate at a rate which is negotiable dependent upon experience.

We are looking for Head of Income Collection based at Civic Centre, EN1 3XY

The provision of good quality, secure, private housing solutions for Enfield residents is a key priority in the Council’s Good Growth Housing Strategy. The Housing Advisory Service (HAS) and Housing Gateway Ltd (HGL) are the strategic lead in this area; understanding the market, pressures for residents and creating solutions that contribute to a balanced housing market. The aim of both services is to secure the provision of good quality, affordable accommodation, whilst delivering cost savings to the Council and reducing homelessness. HGL is the Council’s independent housing company, growing an asset base of owned and leased stock.

HGL and HAS have undergone a period of rapid change recently which has significantly impacted the Income Collections team and accounts. As an innovative solution to the temporary accommodation pressures faced by most Councils, LBE progressed a scheme to transfer temporary accommodation (TA) out of the Council and under the management of HGL. This scheme delivers significant savings against the TA budget and therefore was conducted quickly and at scale. Moving families from the Council to HGL meant that they also transitioned from Housing Benefit to Universal Credit. This change has resulted in large arrears accruing very quickly. This has been further compounded by HGL increasing rent in line with market levels and the implementation of a new housing management system - Civica Cx. The arrears have now largely stabilised, but significant inroads need to be made in recovering the lost income. The performance of the Income Collection team has a direct impact on both the HAS and HGL’s bottom lines. Therefore, this is the single most pressing issue faced across HGL and HAS at present.

Key Accountabilities :

We are looking for a swift intervention that will rapidly improve income collection across both HGL and the Council’s TA portfolio. We also want processes and procedures to be aligned, wherever possible, across the two business streams. At present there are two teams; one focussed on TA collection, the other on HGL collection. Both team leaders are focussed on improving collection, but require strategic direction and support to implement new processes, a change of culture, and engage with 3rd party suppliers who can rapidly improve collection rates.

Requirements :

We are looking for a proactive income collection professional who has experience of implementing swift interventions to deliver improved performance in a short period.

Previous experience could be within the public or private sector.

The ideal candidate would have experience in both sectors, but we are looking for a tenacious approach to resolving the current challenges and encourage innovative solutions.

It is essential that candidates can deliver all the below criteria:

* Experience of delivering a successful income collection service while meeting stretching targets

* Experience of implementing fast interventions which yield an immediate positive impact

* Experience with legal proceedings pertaining to income recovery actions