Senior Payments Officer (Early Education Funding )

Job Introduction

About Us

Do you want to make a difference?  A REAL difference?  

Join Oxfordshire County Council on an exciting journey towards Delivering the Future Together, our ambitious transformation programme which will enable us to be an employer, partner, and place shaper of choice.  We’re seeking the right people who can help us get there while embracing our value of ‘daring to do it differently’, as we continue to strive to do better.

In our Children, Education, & Families Directorate, we want every child to have the best possible education and with this goal in mind, we’ve set out to improve and transform our services.

Oxfordshire County Council is a financially stable local authority which is committed to investing in Children, Education, and Families, to ensure that we have the resources we need to make a real difference to the children, young people, and families we work with.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly motivated individual to join our Early Education Funding Team.

As a Senior Early Education Funding Payments Officer, you will work with an established team whose role is responsible for managing payments across Children’s Education. The officer will be responsible for supporting the team to achieve its objectives.

As part of this role, you will:

• Contribute to discharging the Council's statutory duty to ensure sufficient early years & childcare places. 
• Ensure accurate, timely and effective administration and distribution of Early Education funding. 
• Develop detailed knowledge of all aspects of early education funding so that detailed and complex queries from providers and parents can be responded to in a timely way. 
• Work with private, voluntary and independent providers registered to deliver funded early education to ensure statutory requirements and the Council’s audit and financial procedures are met. 
• Proactively liaise with other colleagues, teams and agencies to provide consistent services, streamline practices and support the work on more efficient ways of working. 
• The senior payments officer will be responsible for working as part of a team in the prompt and accurate processing of all payments on behalf of Education.

About you

We would like to hear from you if you are:

• Kind and caring, with an ability to handle challenging and sometimes emotional situations and customers with your empathic, calm and clear communication skills.
• Advocating for equality and integrity in all you do, you can communicate effectively using different media and answer complex queries with understanding and empathy.
• Always learning, with a desire to build on your knowledge of national priorities in the early years and childcare sector.
• Willing to take responsibility and contribute to the delivery of Oxfordshire County Council’s vision you can effectively work alone and as part of a team.
• Driven to do it differently to embark on a journey of continuous improvement, you have a methodical, organised eye for detail and able to challenge constructively
• Confidently able to input and retrieve data from ICT based systems as needed.
• You will be able to travel throughout the county and hold a full driving licence with access to a vehicle.
• Willing and flexible, with a positive and optimistic attitude  
• Proficient ICT skills including the ability to use both Microsoft applications, particularly Excel, and business systems effectively, with the ability to apply system knowledge to across IT systems Experienced in handling and interpreting complex data and producing reports
• Able to Demonstrates an open mind to challenge traditional approaches in a positive way, develops innovative idea, solves problems and continually improves performance. 
• Commercially aware – i.e. cost drivers and understands true costs of services and considers the value in everything we do 
• Understanding of the environment in which the organisation operates and considers the financial and wider commercial implications of their decisions and actions. 
• Able to demonstrate the appropriate level of specialist knowledge and skills required to effectively fulfil the role and ensure continuous development 
• Inquisitive and actively owns and seeks to solve problems   
• Takes personal responsibility to find things out, develop and share knowledge   

Rewards and benefits

• Annual leave starting at 28 days per year (plus bank holidays).
• A comprehensive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Flexible working.
• Employee Assistance Programme including access to health and wellbeing support 24 x7.
• Range of family friendly policies.
• Excellent learning and development opportunities.
• Explore more here

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Suzie Jarvey suzanne.jarvey@oxfordshire.gov.uk 

Our commitment to:
 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education and safe spaces for all.

Our commitment to:
Guaranteed Interview Schemes

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

Our commitment to:
Safeguarding

Oxfordshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

Our commitment to:
Flexible Working

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, part time working, job sharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.

Follow us on Social Media

Stay up-to-date with the latest news and featured jobs from Oxfordshire County Council by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If you encounter any technical issues with the application system, please contact us at: careers@oxfordshire.gov.uk