Boat Licensing - Case Management Officer

Our Licensing, Compliance, & Enforcement are committed to returning to a boat licensing rate of at least 95% by 2028. The Trust has around 35,000 boats on its waters, with around 7,600 of those 'continuously cruise' and must meet the additional requirements for a boat without a home mooring. The Trust typically manage around 3000 core enforcement tasks each month, at various stages of process. The majority of cases are resolved, but around 100 boats are removed from the water each year as a result of enforcement process. Around 10% of these boats are lived aboard boats.

Our Case Management Officer plays a critical role in ensuring that, when licensing compliance can not be achieved, that cases are progressed professionally and efficiently through define licence and statutory enforcement processes to remove (or resolve with) non-compliant boats from Trust waters.

Location and coverage

The role will be based working from home, with the expectation to attend face to face meetings with colleagues at hub locations when required. Relevant hubs for office access: Ellesmere Port, Burnley or Leeds.

It will be necessary for the Case Management Officer to make site visits to boats and boat removals on occasion, and give evidence in court, as required. Travel is often to remote locations, so a driving license and access to personal vehicle is desirable. 

See our network here: canal-and-river-network 

Key accountabilities:

• Have responsibility for a caseload of enforcement cases for boats across the waterway network, including continuous cruising and licence enforcement, and licence T6C non-compliance.
• Receive and progress enforcement cases involving customer contact, allocation of tasks to other teams, evidence gathering, and case documentation.
• Support early identification of potential vulnerabilities, equalities issues, safeguarding concerns, and other factors which may require involvement from our welfare or safeguarding team. 
• Prepare files for unresolved licence enforcement This may include files for our boat removal contractor or for court, with support from our legal team.
• Understand waterways legislation, boat licence terms and Trust policies, to make effective and lawful decisions.
• Communicate effectively with a wide variety of customers, using both written and verbal communication skills. 
• Work closely with ranger, welfare, advisor, and legal teams to ensure effective case allocation and that case progression, customer support, and risk management are optimised.
• Maintain a relationship with credit control team to understand financial circumstances of cases.
• Identify actions and process steps required by other teams to progress cases, manage relationships with teams to ensure efficient case management.
• Ensure risks and complaints are escalated appropriately and promptly. 
• Contribute to the continual improvement of processes and policies used and support the identification of keg areas which can help improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the team. 
• It will be necessary to make site visits to boats and boat removals on occasion, and give evidence in court, as required.
• Maintain relationships with other case managers and colleagues in LC6E and regional teams to understand regional priorities and local knowledge relevant to case management.
• Displaying the Trust values and behaviours at all times.

About you

Technical: 

• Ability to work closely to various processes, with great attention to detail and awareness of legislative requirements.
• Working with customers where a structured approach is required, often in difficult, complex, and sensitive circumstances.
• Ability to work closely and co-operatively with others to identify and complete actions and tasks within processes.
• Experience dealing directly with customers or the public regarding complaint, conflict, or enforcement.
• Experience of file building and accurately documenting actions and requirements, working systematically through processes.
• An awareness of indicators of mental or physical health risks, or safeguarding concerns when dealing with customers.
• Beneficial: Competent awareness and understanding of relevant Acts, Bye Laws and licensing terms and conditions, affecting Canal 6 River Trust. This will be part of training on successful application.

General: 

• Working with customers where a structured approach is required, often in difficult, complex, and sensitive circumstances.
• Ability to work closely and co-operatively with others to identify and complete actions and tasks within processes.
• Experience of problem solving, which will identify ways to support customers to compliance and end enforcement action.
• Excellent communicator, able to explain legislative and contractual requirements verbally and in writing.
• Computer literacy, including knowledge of Office 365 suite, and use of a Customer Relationship Management. 
• Ability to manage a high workload working predominantly from home, remaining focused and meeting deadlines. 

If you have any questions about the role please contact [email protected]

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient suitable applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

What we offer

In addition to your annual base salary of £26,000, we also offer, a competitive contributory DC Pension scheme arrangement, and numerous other employee benefits, including several salary sacrifice benefits we are also open to flexible working arrangements.

• Competitive contributory DC Pension scheme arrangement, where we will double your contribution to a maximum of 10%.
• 25 days paid holiday (plus paid Bank Holidays), increasing to 30 days after 5 years.
• Home working status with ‘hub’ facilities available should you need the flexibility to work outside of home.
• Free access to specialist counselling on a range of issues, e.g. health, financial, well-being and domestic matters.
• Access to a range of employee benefits including store discounts, boating holiday discounts and holiday purchase scheme.
• 2 days paid volunteering leave per annum, allowing you to volunteer for a local community project etc.
• Free fishing facilities across our canal network.

All candidates will be treated on the basis of their merits, skills and abilities and solely by being assessed against the requirements for the job.