Accounts Receivable Officer

Our client is in need of an Accounts Receivable Officer to join their business in Central Birmingham. This role will consider hybrid working, and is paying circa £25k-27k per annum.

• Record all tenant receipts into client accounts daily, ensuring accuracy across Housing Benefit, Universal Credit, private payments, and other income streams.
• Allocate remittance payments from Local Authorities and DWP promptly while investigating and resolving unapplied or misallocated cash entries.
• Maintain clear audit trails for all postings by posting direct debit, standing order, card, and bank transfer receipts accurately every day.
• Monitor suspense accounts regularly and ensure they are cleared in a timely manner while coding income correctly across rent, service charge, and other categories.
• Manage the full rent ledger portfolio across multiple Local Authorities by maintaining accurate tenant account balances and preparing AR ageing reports.
• Identify collection risks early on by reconciling high-volume transactions, investigating ledger variances, and escalating overdue accounts as appropriate.
• Raise rent schedules, recharge invoices, and ad hoc billing as required while ensuring all invoices are accurate, authorised, and issued promptly.
• Liaise closely with Local Authorities regarding Housing Benefit awards, underpayments, suspensions, over payments, clawbacks, and support APA processes when needed.
• Actively chase outstanding tenant debt in line with agreed procedures by managing the dunning cycle, issuing statements or reminder letters, and agreeing repayment plans.
• Perform AR ledger reconciliation at month end by supporting accruals reporting processes and providing supporting schedules for management accounts.

• Minimum 2–4 years’ experience in Accounts Receivable or Rent Accounting roles within high-volume transactional environments is essential for success in this position.
• Demonstrated ability to reconcile large volumes of data accurately using intermediate to advanced Excel skills (including VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP functions and pivot tables).
• Experience working with Housing Benefit or Universal Credit income streams—ideally within social housing—is highly desirable but not mandatory.
• Proven track record of meeting month-end deadlines while maintaining integrity of accounts receivable ledgers at all times.
• Strong technical understanding of transactional finance processes coupled with excellent numerical capability is required.
• Exceptional communication skills enabling you to build rapport with Local Authority officers as well as residents facing payment challenges.
• High attention to detail combined with strong organisational skills ensures you can manage busy workloads effectively without compromising quality standards.
• Ability to work dependably both independently and collaboratively as part of cross-functional teams is vital for this role’s success.
• AAT qualified or part-qualified status—or equivalent experience is preferred alongside GCSEs (or equivalent) including Maths and English qualifications.
• Exposure to property or social housing sectors plus knowledge of internal control frameworks would be advantageous but not essential.

Robert Walters Operations Limited is an employment business and employment agency and welcomes applications from all candidates.

Contract Type:
Permanent

Specialism:
Accountancy & Finance

Focus:
Accounts Receivable / Credit Control

Industry: Property and Housing

Workplace Type:
Hybrid

Experience Level: Associate

Location:

Birmingham

Salary: £25,000 - £27,000 per annum