Interim Debt Specialist

Connect2Luton are excited to recruit an Interim Debt Specialist on behalf of Luton Borough Council.

Main purpose of position:

Seeking a highly experienced Interim Debt Specialist to lead a comprehensive review of our debt services (recovery and management) over a period of approximately 3 months. This interim role is central to identifying opportunities to transform, improve efficiency, scope service re-design and drive value for money across our debt recovery and management services.

Successful candidate will provide strategic insight, benchmark against best practice and recommend a future operating model, please see programme delivery for details of expectations of role.

You will be responsible to:

• Map and evaluate existing income and debt recovery processes, roles, systems and policies across appropriate service areas
• Understand our current performance, the escalation of debt (how many go to court/summons stage vs paid at reminder or within payment terms) and aged debt profiles
• Benchmark performance and approach against statistical neighbouring LA's and best practice
• Review how data is captured, shared and used to support recovery.
• Identify inconsistences, duplication, inefficiencies and gaps across services and processes.
• Review our approach to bad debt provision and write offs
• Produce report with key findings and high-level recommendations plus identify any quick wins to drive efficient and effective in the shorter term (e.g. sundry debt collection)

Skills and Experience:

• Substantial experience of working within local authority debt related services.
• Excellent negotiation and influencing skills to be able to engage effectively at Board level with major partners and stakeholders for complex, high level strategic issues and challenging situations when needed.
• Able to work on own or as part of a team. Able to prioritise, plan and organise heavy workload within a matrix management arrangement to meet conflicting priorities, targets and deadlines.
• Decisive and able to exercise judgement within an agreed framework and able to assess and manage high levels of risk.
• Able to identify when discrimination is taking place in service delivery or in the workplace and to take appropriate action where discrimination is identified.
• Knowledge of Programme, Project and Risk Management systems, methodologies and tools
• Strong understanding of governance, legal/statutory compliance
• Strategic thinker with ability to interrogate data, identify issues and develop solutions

About Us

Luton Borough Council have partnered with Kent County Council to create Connect2Luton, a recruitment managed service for all contingent temporary agency, contract, and interim roles at the Council.

Our heritage and being local government owned which means we have a wealth of knowledge and expertise within the public sector, with many of our employees having previously worked for the Council or have supplied previously into the Council, for several years.

We are an equal opportunities employment agency and business that positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates.

Connect2Luton is a trading style of Luton & Kent Commercial Services LLP - A joint venture between Luton Borough Council & Commercial Services Kent Ltd. Connect2Luton is an equal opportunities Employment Agency & Business. It positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates.