Job Information
ROLE OF THE JOB
We are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced individual to join our business rates team. Working as part of a dedicated team of six, you will help manage over 14,000 commercial properties and ensure the effective billing and collection of almost £100 million in annual business rate income.
You will support the Business Rates Team Manager to ensure a high-quality, efficient service across billing, collection, recovery and enforcement. This includes assisting with processing valuation schedule updates from the Valuation Office Agency, escalating recovery action relating to unpaid business rates and providing updates and summaries on more complex cases. You will also engage directly with businesses, agents, and the public, offering expert advice on reliefs, exemptions, and valuation matters.
You will play an active role in supervising and mentoring colleagues, encouraging a team culture focused on collaboration, continuous improvement and success. You will support colleagues in handling cases on all business rates matters through providing technical advice and acting as a senior point of escalation for complex or contentious cases. You will occasionally be required to prepare evidence in response to challenges or disputes, drawing on relevant rating legislation and case law, and may be required to represent the Council at Magistrates’ Court.
Your role will also include working on specialist projects to assess the impact of new schemes or legislative changes, liaising with the Valuation Office Agency, leading relief reviews, and ensuring our policies and procedures remain current and effective. You will contribute to service reviews, data reporting, and business planning, while also deputising for the Team Manager when required.
You will bring in-depth knowledge of business rates legislation and ideally have experience using Northgate or a similar revenues system. A professional qualification such as IRRV (Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation) would be highly desirable.
REQUIREMENTS OF THE JOB
- In depth knowledge and understanding of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and associated Statutory Instruments
- In-depth knowledge of business rate and the main operational, procedural and practical issues relating to the service
- Experience of working with a Business Rate or Revenues Section within a local authority
- Excellent communication skills both written and verbal
- Well-developed IT skills
- Ability to work to deadlines
- 4 GCSE’s or equivalent inc Maths and English
- IRRV qualification would be desirable
If you have any questions or would like an informal discussion about the role please contact Dale Kirk, Business Rates Team Manager at Dale.kirk@northumberland.gov.uk
Why choose us?
Northumberland County Council’s (NCC) vision is ‘Land of Great Opportunities’, for current and future generations. We believe there is no better place to live and work.
For further information about working for NCC, please visit our website here.
We have some outstanding benefits and perks to offer you, including:
- 26 days annual leave plus public/bank holidays, rising to 31 days after 5 years of service (pro rata for part-time employees)
- Automatic enrolment into the Local Government Pension Scheme
- Flexi scheme (if applicable) – up to 2 days flexible leave available per month (pro rata for part-time employees)
To see all our excellent benefits and perks, please click here.
Further information
Please note that this is a full time position but applications on a secondment or part-time basis would be considered for the right applicant.
For guidance on completing your application and for information about our Equality and Diversity principles, please see the attached guidance notes here.
We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format, please see the alternative methods below. This information will be treated as confidential and will only be used to check that you meet the essential requirements of the post.
Alternative application format:
British Sign Language: northumberlandcc-cs.signvideo.net
For those with speech difficulties or hearing loss: Text relay service dial 018001 01670 623930
