Income Manager

Job Description

Job Title: Income ManagerContract Type: PermanentSalary: £35,928.31 + £4000 per annum London Allowance  (£37,176.4 is achieved after 12/18 months successful performance in the role)Working Hours: 37.5 hours per weekWorking Pattern: Monday to FridayLocation: Camden in London

If you share our values and are excited about making a significant impact at Riverside, please ensure you attach a current CV and covering letter. At Riverside we recruit to potential not just on skills and experience, so we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all the essential criteria on the job description.

The difference you will make as Income Manager

In this role you will be delivering an effective Income Management service by ensuring the Income Management teams provide a high quality, effective customer service. Champion a strong ethos of partnership working in order to support strategic goals and support the Head of Income to embed a balanced culture of income protection and tenancy sustainment through prevention, early intervention and recovery strategies.

About you

We are looking for someone with:

• Experience of managing teams within a housing environment
• Experience of successfully managing and motivating teams including managing team performance.
• Proven track record of effective stakeholder management, both internally and external to the organisation.
• Up to date knowledge of legislation, regulations and standards relating to social housing and income collection, welfare reform and Universal Credit.
• Results driven with strong analytical skills and experience of providing meaningful management information.
• Customer focussed with excellent written and verbal communication skills and lives Riverside values
• Excellent attention to detail with the ability to work under pressure, deliver to strict deadlines and manage conflicting priorities.

Why Riverside?

At Riverside, we’re a housing association with a difference – enhancing the everyday for all our customers. For 90 years, we’ve been revitalising neighbourhoods and supporting communities by providing the homes they need to live full, fulfilling and rewarding lives.

We have a portfolio of over 75,000 affordable residential and retirement homes across the UK. Our work ranges from homelessness services to social care, employment support to retirement living, and we need the best people on board to help us.

Working with us, you’ll enjoy:

• Competitive pay & generous pension
• 28 days holidays plus bank holidays
• Flexible working options available
• Investment in your learning, personal development and technology
• A wide range of benefits

Diversity and Inclusion at Riverside: 

We are inclusive. At Riverside, we value diversity in all its forms. We foster a workplace where all individuals are respected, empowered, and heard. Our commitment to inclusivity drives our success and enriches the lives of our customers and colleagues.

This role also falls under our Ethnic Diversity guaranteed interview scheme. If you are Ethnically Diverse and demonstrate you meet the minimum criteria for the role you will be guaranteed an interview.

Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to be considered. 

Role profile 

Deliver an effective Income Management service by ensuring the Income Management teams provide a high quality, effective customer service. Champion a strong ethos of partnership working in order to support strategic goals and support the Head of Income to embed a balanced culture of income protection and tenancy sustainment through prevention, early intervention and recovery strategies.

Leading and engaging a team:

• Line manage a specialist income management team and create a safe environment where colleagues can talk openly and honestly
• Work together with operational colleagues to set expectations and performance targets
• Hold regular ‘one-to-one’ sessions to reflect on achievements, performance and support individual personal wellbeing
• Undertake six monthly performance reviews to support and guide colleagues to fulfil their potential
• Facilitate regular team meetings to update and empower your team to share ideas and best practice
• Embrace reflective practice techniques so the team can learn from their experiences
• Recognising, praising and acknowledging achievements of colleagues and team
• Build effective partnerships with regional and other colleagues across Riverside, participating in wider initiatives

Leading a service:

• Manage income collection service across the region, delivering a high performing income management service.
• Meet Riverside arrears performance targets
• Participate in the setting and management of service budgets.
• Monitor spend by accessing the finance system and report budget variances to the budget holder
• Recruit great people for your team, sourcing and engaging relief or agency workers as and when required
• Devise, plan and deliver a comprehensive induction and continuous development plans for all colleagues
• Be responsible for cash handling, administration of monthly timesheets, raise and approve invoices through accurate record keeping
• Produce reports and other written documentation as required
• Ensure compliance with Health and Safety legislation and other regulatory obligations, assessing risk, putting in control measures and reporting risks
• Actively build positive relationships with all key stakeholders

Income management:

• Lead an income management service working across all services within the south and central region.
• Lead on hearing appeals, serving notice and ending of tenancies as per policy framework
• Train and monitor the performance of income management officers, ensuring arrears procedures and stage are followed methodically and systematically
• Manage the relationship with HB teams across the region, ensuring that HB income has been maximised.
• Deliver a tenancy sustainment and advice service to customers, by maximising their income i.e. claiming correct benefits, ensuring that the team support customers to maintain their tenancy through effective budget management
• Prevent evictions by effectively managing income collection approach
• Guide your team to record customer information on Riverside and relevant local or external digital platforms, ensuring information is clear, accurate and strengths-based

Supporting customers:

• Lead your team to provide a person centred, service for customers in line with our psychologically and trauma informed approach
• Promote the highest levels of customer consultation, communication and partnership working in all aspects of service delivery
• Work with your team to continuously identify and build relationships with community resources and promote multi-disciplinary working to enhance the service for customers
• Handle complaints transparently, ensuring customers are kept up-to-date with progress and a culture of continuous improvement is embedded

Other Information

• You will be required to work flexibly to meet customer and business needs, which may include out-of-hour working and participating in an “on-call” rota
• Undertake regular training and take responsibility for continuous development to enable you to deliver your role safely
• Use the Lone Worker system as and when necessary
• Ensure customers are safe at all times - carrying out all of your duties within Riverside’s Policy and Procedure Policy and Procedure framework e.g. health & safety, safeguarding, dignity at work, GDPR, cash handling, etc
• Deliver your role in line with Riverside company values – “Our Riverside Way”
• Participate in team meetings, attend regular supervisions and reflective practice sessions
• From time to time you may be required to undertake additional duties and responsibilities in consultation with your Line Manager

Person specification

Essential

• Experience of managing teams within a housing environment
• Experience of successfully managing and motivating teams including managing team performance.
• Proven track record of effective stakeholder management, both internally and external to the organisation.
• Up to date knowledge of legislation, regulations and standards relating to social housing and income collection, welfare reform and Universal Credit.
• Results driven with strong analytical skills and experience of providing meaningful management information.
• Customer focussed with excellent written and verbal communication skills and lives Riverside values
• Excellent attention to detail with the ability to work under pressure, deliver to strict deadlines and manage conflicting priorities.

Desirable

• Experience of using housing management / income collection ICT systems.