Direct Payments Officer

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Northampton

Apply for this job Manage my job alerts Direct Payments Officer

Job Reference Ref/162342/9557

Apply for this job Number of Positions: 1 Contract Type: Temporary Contract Details: FTC - 1 year Salary Range : £29,716-£31,251 Working Hours: 37 Location: Northampton Closing Date: 06/11/2026 Job Category: Finance Organisation: West Northamptonshire Council

Our benefits

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council

About the role

Are you naturally curious, good with numbers and someone who enjoys getting to the bottom of a problem?

We're looking for a Direct Payments Officer to join our supportive and experienced team. This is a role for someone who can quickly process numbers and analyse information to demonstrate an understanding of what may have occurred.

Direct Payments give people greater choice and control over how their care and support is arranged. As a Direct Payments Officer, you'll play an important role in helping adults, children and families manage those payments effectively, ensuring public funds are used appropriately while supporting people to remain independent and receive the care they need. You'll help balance a customer-focused approach with good financial stewardship, protecting public money while working with service users to achieve positive outcomes.

While you'll spend time reviewing financial information and reconciling accounts, success in the role comes from your ability to spot patterns, ask questions, identify and recommend solutions and make balanced decisions. You'll be supporting people from a wide range of backgrounds, handling complex and varied situations, and working closely with colleagues across Adult Social Care, Children's Social Care Services, Education and Finance.

One day you might be reviewing a Direct Payment account with a high balance and helping a service user understand how their funding can be used most effectively. Another day you could be reviewing an overpayment, identifying an issue that requires further attention, or working with social care colleagues to resolve a complex case. The variety of the role means you'll need to think critically, adapt to different situations and use your judgement to achieve the right outcome.

What will you be doing?

As a Direct Payments Officer, you'll review Direct Payment accounts to understand how funding is being used and whether it aligns with agreed care and support plans. Some accounts will be straightforward, while others may require a more detailed review to understand changes in spending patterns, resolve discrepancies or identify where additional support or clarification may be needed.

You'll develop a strong understanding of how Direct Payment accounts operate and become skilled at recognising patterns and trends within financial information. This could mean identifying recurring spending patterns, recognising unusually high balances, or noticing when contributions have not been paid as expected. Often, your role will be to identify when additional support, guidance or intervention may be beneficial and ensure the right teams are involved at an early stage.

You'll use financial information, invoices and supporting documentation to complete a reconciliation, applying judgement and common sense to determine the most appropriate course of action. Sometimes this might mean helping an individual understand their responsibilities, while at other times it could involve recognising when a matter requires specialist advice, safeguarding input or further management oversight.

A large part of the role is working directly with people. You'll build positive relationships with service users, family members, carers and representatives, helping them navigate sometimes complex processes and supporting them to manage their Direct Payments successfully. You'll be expected to handle sensitive conversations professionally and compassionately, recognising that many of the people you work with rely