Position Title: / Credit Officer
Employment Type: / Full Time
Section: / Billing and Collections
Division: / Customer Services
Salary Band: / Band 2
Agreement: / Hunter Water Corporation Employees Enterprise Agreement 2012
Reporting To: / Manager Account Assistance
Approval Date: / 3 March 2014
Approved - Manager / Manager Billing & Collections
Approved - HR / ER Manager
Background
Hunter Water Corporation (HWC) operates on a commercial basis providing water, sewerage and stormwater services to the lower Hunter region. HWC is a progressive organisation committed to offering challenging and rewarding employment opportunities to our people. The Corporation has a comprehensive employee benefits program including Health & Wellbeing and Professional Development opportunities.
We will encourage a working environment that promotes excellence, personal responsibility, decisiveness, urgency and mutual respect. Every staff member has an Achievement Plan which assesses their performance on an annual basis against the desired behaviours and individual KPIs. The general performance requirements for all staff include safety and risk & regulatory compliance.
Work Health Safety and Environmental Management
All staff support the development and continuation of a safety culture at HWC, fulfilling requirements of the Work Health & Safety Act 2011 (NSW). Employment with Hunter Water Corporation is subject to a pre-employment functional assessment and drug and alcohol testing for all preferred external applicants.
Hunter Water Staff are committed to environmental impact minimisation, and will assess WHS and environmental risk of undertaking any activity, report WHS and environmental incidents immediately, and respond promptly to any incident in accordance with relevant legislative obligations.
Specific responsibilities and accountabilities are defined in Hunter Water Corporation’sWHS Management System Manual and Environment Management System Manual.
Risk & Regulatory
All staff ensure compliance with relevant legislation, HWC regulatory requirements, the Code of Conduct, Employment & Equal Opportunity, Diversity, Delegated Authority Manual and other people related policies and procedures.
Role of the Group
The work of the Billing and Collections group at HWC underpins and enhances the Corporation’s ability to deliver on its vision, values and drivers.
  • The group includes Credit Management and the Hardship program.
  • The group includes Billing Operations responsible for the revenue chain delivery.
The group includes Commercial Relationship for management of key customer supply contracts.
Overall Role Purpose
The Credit Officer is primarily responsible for:
  • Undertaking credit management action in accordance with policy and procedure including determining the appropriate action for timely collection of outstanding debt.
  • Assessment and treatment of customers requiring hardship support in accordance with the Account Assistance program.

Key Responsibilities
  • Credit and collection activity for all customer groups in accordance with Hunter Water Credit Management Policy: includes payment negotiation, inbound call management, administration duties and outbound calling for debt recovery
  • Negotiating and monitoring adherence to pay plans in accordance with business rules.
  • Liaising with internal and external stakeholders to promote programs (e.g. EWON, PAS agencies, community groups)
  • Initiation and coordination of debt recovery actions with various internal and external stakeholders e.g. debt recovery agency
  • Maintaining timely and accurate records of customer contacts and actions taken in relevant systems for reportable purposes
  • Identification and assessment of customers in hardship in accordance with Account Assistance Policy including promotion and referral to support services
  • Engagement with customers from a diverse range of backgrounds.
  • Administrative tasks supporting the delivery of customer service.
  • Other duties within Customer Services as required.
This position description does not form an exhaustive list of your duties. You may be required to undertake other tasks and activities as required by the business from time to time. The Corporation reserves the right to amend or update your position description in accordance with business needs.
Education / Experience and Skills
Formal Education / Essential
  • No formal education criteria.
Training courses required within 6 months:
  • General Environmental Awareness Office based.

Work Experience / Essential
  • Minimum of 2 years within a debt collection role.
Desirable
  • Experience working in a hardship / case management role.

Skills (Technical Knowledge etc) / Essential
  • Applied knowledge of debt collections processes.
  • Experience using a billing and/or customer information system.
  • Profiling individual customer information and instigating appropriate debt collection action.
  • Intermediate computer literacy utilising word, excel and email systems.
Desirable
  • Knowledge of legal processes in a debt recovery environment.
  • Knowledge of Hunter Water’s credit management and account assistance (hardship) policies and processes.

Behaviours /
  • Strong communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills with a customer focus.
  • Ability to work in and contribute to the delivery of team performance objectives.
  • Model Hunter Water’s organisational values of working safe, providing right solutions, being financially responsible, mutual respect, community commitment, keeping promises, continuous improvement, respecting the environment, and promoting personal leadership.
  • Agree to act within the requirements of Hunter Water’s policies and applicable legislation.
  • Abide by Hunter Water’s safety policies, procedures and safety instructions.
  • Abide by Hunter Water’s environmental policies, procedures and report all instances of environmental harm.