Benefits Specialist

What makes Community Integrated Care a great place to work : Community Integrated Care has a great opportunity for an accomplished and resourceful Benefits Specialist to join the Finance Team based in Widnes.

Reporting to the Personal Funds Team Leader, you will manage a quality service to the people we support regarding their personal monies and benefits claims.

We offer you a rewarding role with the opportunity to develop your finance skills and future career in a rewarding and enriching environment.

• Flexibility! You can work your full time hours over 4 days and enjoy a long weekend, or work over 5 days to accommodate your other commitments. You need to be available to make ad-hoc trips to the head office in Widnes, but otherwise you can work from home.

• Competitive Salary :£25,000 - £27,000 per annum (dependent upon experience)

• Holiday Purchase Scheme : up to 5 days

• Pension : contributory pension scheme

• Benefits : life assurance, retail discounts, leisure savings, holiday discounts, cycle to work scheme and travel discounts through our benefits app

• Employee of the month scheme :

• Best Lives Possible : You'll be working for an award winning charity who is passionate about ensuring our colleagues and the people we support lead the best lives possible

• Development : We'll work with you to develop your career or to learn and experience new things. We're passionate about developing our people!

• Support : From our Employee Assistance Programme (available 24/7), financial support options, and wellbeing fund you'll have the support available to lead an easier (financial) life

Who you’ll be supporting & more about the role : With a strong background in benefit administration, you will have the ability to prioritise and meet deadlines. You will also have the ability to communicate effectively at all levels.

It is also important that you share our company values which are at the heart of everything we do and ensure that we deliver high quality, consistent care and support.

Day-to-day tasks :

• Overseeing an individual caseload of approximately 150 Appointeeships
• Analysing the benefits of the individual people we support, ensuring everyone receives the funds they are entitled
• Continuously reviewing the savings of the people we support, and assessing the associated impact on benefits and other contributions
• Ensuring all appropriate forms are completed and returned to the relevant agencies in a timely manner
• Monitoring the timely relinquishment of balances for deceased and discharged people we have supported
• Facilitating mandatory reconsiderations and appeals
• Mentoring of the Benefits Co-ordinator
• Representing the team in onboarding meetings
• Supporting in the completion of departmental KPIs
• Building relationships with services and Local Authorities to best assist the people we support
• Keeping up to date with legislative changes to welfare benefits, housing benefit and care charging
• Supporting the Team Leader as necessary in any new initiatives or projects
• Undertaking any other duties that may be required for the team to provide a quality Appointeeship service to the people we support

Your values : Skills and Experience : Experience (essential)

• A solid background in benefit administration obtained within a large organisation
• Experience of working in administrative roles
• Experience of working in a fast paced and changing environment
• Experience of providing excellent customer service
• Experience of working with multiple systems
• Experience of working with Microsoft Excel

Experience (desirable)

• Previous experience in the social care sector
• Previous experience delivering an Appointeeship service

Skills / Knowledge (essential)

• Benefits system and welfare rights knowledge
• Confident, skilled team player with good IT and communication skills
• Strong problem-solving capabilities
• Ability to communicate at all levels, with a clear and understandable style
• Ability to prioritise and meet deadlines
• Ability to work at an efficient and accurate speed
• Ability to self-motivate and work alone, as well as being a strong team player
• Ability to adapt in a changing environment
• Ability to develop and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders
• Proven track record of holding and managing a caseload

Skills / Knowledge (desirable)

• Knowledge of the interconnection between capital levels and how they affect welfare benefits, housing benefits and care charges
• Good working knowledge of housing benefit legislation

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