Pertemps Hillingdon Council

Trading Standards Officer / Senior Trading Standards Officer London Borough of Hillingdon Location: Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 1UW Rate: £39.67 per hour Working Pattern: Hybrid Make a Difference Protecting Consumers and Supporting Businesses: We are recruiting an experienced Trading Standards Officer to join the London Borough of Hillingdon's Trading Standards Service. This is an exciting opportunity to work within a high-performing regulatory team, delivering a broad range of consumer protection, business compliance and enforcement activities that help safeguard residents and support legitimate businesses. This varied role offers the opportunity to lead complex investigations, provide expert regulatory advice, and work closely with partner agencies including the Metropolitan Police, HMRC, UK Border Force and other enforcement bodies. The Role: As a Trading Standards Officer, you will manage a diverse caseload covering inspections, investigations, complaints, business advice and enforcement across the full range of Trading Standards legislation. Your responsibilities will include: Investigating consumer complaints and service requests. Leading criminal and civil investigations into breaches of Trading Standards legislation. Tackling rogue traders, scams and unfair trading practices. Managing product withdrawals and recalls. Gathering evidence, conducting inspections and interviewing under PACE. Preparing high-quality case files and infringement reports for legal proceedings. Attending court and presenting evidence where required. Providing advice and guidance to businesses to promote compliance. Working collaboratively with internal departments and external enforcement agencies. Maintaining accurate case records and intelligence reports. Supporting vulnerable consumers and referring cases to appropriate partner organisations. About You: We're looking for a motivated and experienced Trading Standards professional who can demonstrate sound judgement, excellent communication skills and a strong commitment to delivering high-quality regulatory services. You will have: A recognised Trading Standards qualification (DTS, DCATS, DCA, CSCATS with relevant modules, or an accredited Consumer Protection degree), or equivalent knowledge and experience. Significant experience of Trading Standards enforcement within a local authority or similar regulatory environment. Experience conducting complex investigations and preparing cases for prosecution. Strong knowledge of Trading Standards legislation, PACE, CPIA, RIPA and related enforcement procedures. Excellent report writing, interviewing and evidence gathering skills. Experience working with businesses of all sizes and a customer-focused approach to regulatory compliance. Confidence building relationships with residents, businesses, legal professionals and partner agencies. Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage a varied caseload.

Homelessness Caseworker & Housing Needs Location: Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 1UW Salary: £21.41 per hour Working Modal: Hybrid About the Role: A Homelessness Caseworker is responsible for managing a caseload of residents at risk of or experiencing homelessness, delivering assessments, housing advice and statutory decisions in line with the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. The role focuses on prevention, relief and move-on by developing Personalised Housing Plans, coordinating support, and helping residents access suitable accommodation, including the private rented sector and temporary accommodation. Working in a fast-paced environment, the Caseworker ensures high-quality, compliant casework, supports residents with complex needs and collaborates with partners to achieve sustainable housing outcomes. As a Caseworker within Housing Needs and Homelessness, you will play a key role in delivering proactive, person-centred housing solutions, ensuring statutory duties are met while helping residents achieve long-term housing stability and independence. What You'll Be Doing: You will manage a varied and demanding caseload across homelessness prevention, relief and main duty work, including: -Carrying out homelessness assessments and making statutory decisions (including S.184 decisions) -Delivering prevention and relief duties under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 -Developing and reviewing Personalised Housing Plans (PHPs) with residents -Providing housing advice on tenure security, housing options, benefits and prevention pathways -Supporting access to temporary accommodation where necessary -Working with Housing Benefit teams on Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) -Supporting move-on into sustainable accommodation, including PRS and social housing -Managing complex casework involving safeguarding, risk and vulnerability -Coordinating multi-agency support with Adult Social Care, Children's Services, health and voluntary partners -Attending case conferences, MARAC/MAPPA meetings and other multi-agency forums -Maintaining accurate, timely and GDPR-compliant case records -Supporting investigations, complaints, FOI requests and Ombudsman enquiries -Contributing to homelessness strategy, policy development and service improvement -Participating in emergency out-of-hours housing rota (where required) About the Service: The Housing Needs and Homelessness Service delivers vital support to residents at risk of homelessness, ensuring legal duties are met while promoting prevention-focused, customer-centred solutions. The team works closely with internal services and external partners to reduce homelessness, improve housing outcomes and strengthen community wellbeing. What We're Looking For: Essential Requirements -Experience working in a front-facing housing, homelessness or customer assessment role -Strong knowledge of homelessness legislation and housing options -Ability to manage a caseload and deliver high-quality statutory casework -Experience of multi-agency working and partnership coordination -Strong communication, negotiation and conflict resolution skills -Ability to work under pressure and manage competing priorities -Excellent IT and case management system skills -Understanding of safeguarding principles and risk management -Ability to produce accurate, legally compliant written decisions and records -Commitment to delivering customer-focused, outcome-driven services Desirable -Relevant qualification (NVQ, Diploma or degree in housing or related field) -Knowledge of local authority housing allocations and social housing systems -Experience of private sector housing solutions and landlord engagement -Full driving licence and access to a vehicle -Evidence of ongoing professional development -Key Strengths for Success -Analytical and solution-focused approach -Strong interpersonal and influencing skills -Ability to work independently while contributing to team goals -Commitment to continuous improvement and service excellence -Sensitivity when working with vulnerable residents and complex needs Why Join Us? This is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of residents experiencing housing crisis. You will be part of a supportive and forward-thinking service committed to preventing homelessness, improving housing outcomes and delivering high-quality statutory services.

Corporate Collections Officer Location: Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 1UW Pay Rate: £17.81 per hour Join Our Finance Team Are you an experienced finance professional with strong customer service skills and a passion for delivering excellent results? We're looking for a Corporate Collections Officer to join our Exchequer Services team and play a key role in maximising income collection while providing outstanding support to residents, customers and internal departments. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a fast-paced environment where you'll manage debt recovery, support financial processes and contribute to improving services across the organisation. About the Role: As a Corporate Collections Officer, you will be responsible for managing the recovery of outstanding invoices and debts, ensuring timely collection of income and maintaining accurate financial records. You'll work closely with customers, internal teams, legal services and external agencies to resolve queries and recover outstanding debts in a fair and professional manner. Key Responsibilities Manage and recover outstanding invoices and debts in line with council procedures. Respond professionally to customer enquiries by telephone, email, letter and face-to-face. Negotiate repayment arrangements and determine appropriate recovery action. Prepare cases for legal recovery where necessary. Process credit notes, refunds, write-offs and standing orders. Produce and process Direct Debit and BACS collections in accordance with regulations. Monitor debtor accounts and identify high-risk debts. Reconcile financial records and investigate payment discrepancies. Maintain accurate customer records and financial data. Produce reports and management information on debt recovery performance. Support service improvements and contribute to the development of recovery procedures. Train and support colleagues and system users where required. What We're Looking For: Essential GCSE (or equivalent) including Maths and English. Experience working within a finance or income collection environment. Experience dealing with customers regarding financial matters. Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. High level of accuracy and attention to detail. Good IT skills including Microsoft Office and financial systems. Ability to work independently and meet deadlines. Strong customer service focus and problem-solving skills. Desirable A Level, NVQ Level 3 or equivalent qualification. Practical experience in debt recovery and credit control. Experience within Local Government or a large public sector organisation. Knowledge of debt recovery legislation, including The Care Act 2014. Experience presenting cases within the County Court. Knowledge of Direct Debit and BACS processes. What You'll Bring You'll be someone who: Delivers excellent customer service, even in challenging situations. Builds positive working relationships with colleagues and customers. Has a proactive, positive attitude and enjoys solving problems. Works accurately under pressure while meeting deadlines. Takes ownership of your work and continuously looks for ways to improve services. Is committed to maintaining confidentiality and handling sensitive information appropriately. Why Join Us? This role offers the opportunity to develop your expertise within a supportive Finance team while making a real contribution to the efficient collection of income that helps deliver essential public services. You'll work with experienced colleagues, develop your knowledge of financial legislation and debt recovery, and have opportunities to broaden your skills across a varied workload. If you're an organised, customer-focused finance professional with experience in debt recovery or credit control, we'd love to hear from you.

Corporate Collections Officer Location: Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 1UW Pay Rate: 17.81 per hour Join Our Finance Team Are you an experienced finance professional with strong customer service skills and a passion for delivering excellent results? We're looking for a Corporate Collections Officer to join our Exchequer Services team and play a key role in maximising income collection while providing outstanding support to residents, customers and internal departments. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a fast-paced environment where you'll manage debt recovery, support financial processes and contribute to improving services across the organisation. About the Role: As a Corporate Collections Officer, you will be responsible for managing the recovery of outstanding invoices and debts, ensuring timely collection of income and maintaining accurate financial records. You'll work closely with customers, internal teams, legal services and external agencies to resolve queries and recover outstanding debts in a fair and professional manner. Key Responsibilities Manage and recover outstanding invoices and debts in line with council procedures. Respond professionally to customer enquiries by telephone, email, letter and face-to-face. Negotiate repayment arrangements and determine appropriate recovery action. Prepare cases for legal recovery where necessary. Process credit notes, refunds, write-offs and standing orders. Produce and process Direct Debit and BACS collections in accordance with regulations. Monitor debtor accounts and identify high-risk debts. Reconcile financial records and investigate payment discrepancies. Maintain accurate customer records and financial data. Produce reports and management information on debt recovery performance. Support service improvements and contribute to the development of recovery procedures. Train and support colleagues and system users where required. What We're Looking For: Essential GCSE (or equivalent) including Maths and English. Experience working within a finance or income collection environment. Experience dealing with customers regarding financial matters. Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. High level of accuracy and attention to detail. Good IT skills including Microsoft Office and financial systems. Ability to work independently and meet deadlines. Strong customer service focus and problem-solving skills. Desirable A Level, NVQ Level 3 or equivalent qualification. Practical experience in debt recovery and credit control. Experience within Local Government or a large public sector organisation. Knowledge of debt recovery legislation, including The Care Act 2014. Experience presenting cases within the County Court. Knowledge of Direct Debit and BACS processes. What You'll Bring You'll be someone who: Delivers excellent customer service, even in challenging situations. Builds positive working relationships with colleagues and customers. Has a proactive, positive attitude and enjoys solving problems. Works accurately under pressure while meeting deadlines. Takes ownership of your work and continuously looks for ways to improve services. Is committed to maintaining confidentiality and handling sensitive information appropriately. Why Join Us? This role offers the opportunity to develop your expertise within a supportive Finance team while making a real contribution to the efficient collection of income that helps deliver essential public services. You'll work with experienced colleagues, develop your knowledge of financial legislation and debt recovery, and have opportunities to broaden your skills across a varied workload. If you're an organised, customer-focused finance professional with experience in debt recovery or credit control, we'd love to hear from you.