Systems Support Officer LBS-08

Job Description

Job Title : Systems Support Officer LBS-08
Job Category : Admin & Clerical
Location : 160 Tooley Street, Southwark Council
Hours Per Week : 36.00
Start Date : Immediate Start
Start Time : 09:00
End Time : 17:00
Salary: £19.11

Job Summary:

Team Collaboration: Work as part of a team to maintain the integrity and availability of all revenues and benefits systems, ensuring accurate and timely delivery of council tax, business rates, and housing benefit overpayment documentation and notices.

Systems Management: Take responsibility for aspects of day-to-day systems management, including planning and coordinating system and subsidy reconciliations and managing batch schedules.
Technical Support: Provide technical expertise to support departmental projects and transformational change.

Principal Accountabilities:

Application Management: Provide advice, expertise, and guidance on revenue and benefits application management, offering cost-effective and innovative solutions.
Technical Advice: Respond to and provide technical advice on user inquiries, including complex issues referred by senior managers.
Issue Resolution: Investigate issues in conjunction with users, software suppliers, and other relevant parties. Take ownership of disseminating lessons learned and make recommendations for process improvements, implementing them once approved.
System Improvements: Proactively identify and implement improvements to system outputs and reporting to enhance compliance and efficiency.
Account Reconciliations: Ensure timely and accurate completion of account reconciliations (circa £300m), including:
Housing and council tax reduction award postings, payments, and returns
Cash receipts for revenues and HBOP
Revenues refunds
Revenues suspense payments, reallocating to correct accounts to maximize income collection
Reconciliation Discrepancies: Investigate and resolve any reconciliation discrepancies reported by service areas in conjunction with Team Managers.
Documentation Issuance: Issue housing benefit and council tax reduction award notifications, including debtor invoices, council tax and business rate bills, reminders, and summonses.
Batch Schedule Management: Establish and manage Northgate batch schedules, reviewing and amending as necessary to incorporate changing software, business processes, working practices, and priorities.
Direct Debits: Ensure the timely scheduling and production of all council tax and business rates direct debits.
Court Documentation: Provide court lists, posting dockets, and evidence lists for Revenues Officers attending court.
Government Returns: Support the Senior Systems Officer in the timely scheduling and preparation of revenues and benefits Government returns, ensuring the correct software and parameters are used.
Data Security: Encrypt and decrypt DWP data transfers, ensuring compliance with GDPR data security restrictions and the Government Connect secure email service.
System Maintenance: Maintain the Northgate application to ensure maximum availability.
Operational System Issues: Identify recurring operational system issues and opportunities for process and service improvement.
User Account Management: Ensure revenues and benefits system user accounts and document management systems for 500+ users are maintained in compliance with security and access policies, system protocols, audit recommendations, and ICT best practice guidelines.
Audit Participation: Participate in audits of system administration, using recommendations and conclusions to improve the quality assurance function.
Test Schedules: Develop, write, and run detailed test schedules for enhancement and timetabling of live processing runs.
Project Support: Provide technical support and assistance to ongoing and new projects within revenues and benefits.
Policy Implementation: Interpret and implement policies as directed by the Team Manager.
Management Reports: Schedule, prepare, and analyze monthly management information reports for timely distribution to revenues and benefits Operational Managers and Team Leaders.
Forecasting and Reporting: Develop models for forecasting and predicting trends to support management reporting.

Year-End Planning: Support senior officers in the planning and implementation of year-end and roll-over processes.
Training and Development: Support junior officers in the training and development of their skills.