Business Rates Officer
| Posting date: | 15 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £29,319 to £30,616 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 30 January 2026 |
| Location: | Colchester, Essex |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 2 days per week |
| Company: | Colchester City Council |
| Job type: | Temporary |
| Job reference: | COLREQ01577 |
Summary
Contract type:12 Months Fixed Term Contract (Maternity Cover)
Working Hours: 37 hours a week
Colchester City Council is committed to delivering high-quality and accessible services to residents, visitors, and businesses. We are a local government authority providing a diverse range of public and commercial services across Colchester, the second largest district in Essex.
We are looking for a motivated and detail-oriented Business Rates Officer to join our Business Rates team. This is a fantastic opportunity to work in a small, dedicated, and fast-paced team that plays a vital role in collecting over £70 million in Business Rates every year.
You will work closely with businesses, internal teams, and external partners such as the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to maintain accurate records, process changes, and help maximise collection rates. The role also involves property inspections, managing empty property lists, and supporting projects that improve service delivery.
This vacancy is a full-time fixed term position for a period of 12 months.
Duties of the role
Accurately process Business Rates accounts, including changes, payments and applications for reliefs.
Provide excellent customer service and resolve queries promptly, via both telephone and email.
Liaise with the VOA and internal teams to ensure accurate valuations and records.
Inspect properties to determine correct liability and issue Completion Notices where required.
Contribute towards achieve collection targets and support service improvement projects.
Ensure compliance with data protection and Council policies.
Qualifications and skills required
We expect you to have:
GCSE-level education or equivalent.
Knowledge and experience in Business Rates administration, however, training will be provided.
Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office 365.
Excellent communication skills and attention to detail.
Ability to work to deadlines and manage your own workload effectively.
A basic understanding of Business Rates legislation and procedures.
We also hope you have:
Experience using MRI Revenues and Benefits, and EDMS systems.
Full UK driving license and knowledge of Colchester area.
What we offer
The Council encourages all employees to maximise their potential. You will be entitled to join an attractive pension scheme and will receive a generous annual leave entitlement, including two extra company holidays during the Christmas period.
Other benefits include:
Flexible working
Opportunity to work from home
Opportunity to make a real impact on local services
Gym, travel and online retail discounts
Excellent training, development and progression opportunities
For an informal discussion about this vacancy, please contact Rhiannon Archer at Rhiannon.Archer@colchester.gov.uk .
For a copy of the job description, please click here.
Working Hours: 37 hours a week
Colchester City Council is committed to delivering high-quality and accessible services to residents, visitors, and businesses. We are a local government authority providing a diverse range of public and commercial services across Colchester, the second largest district in Essex.
We are looking for a motivated and detail-oriented Business Rates Officer to join our Business Rates team. This is a fantastic opportunity to work in a small, dedicated, and fast-paced team that plays a vital role in collecting over £70 million in Business Rates every year.
You will work closely with businesses, internal teams, and external partners such as the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to maintain accurate records, process changes, and help maximise collection rates. The role also involves property inspections, managing empty property lists, and supporting projects that improve service delivery.
This vacancy is a full-time fixed term position for a period of 12 months.
Duties of the role
Accurately process Business Rates accounts, including changes, payments and applications for reliefs.
Provide excellent customer service and resolve queries promptly, via both telephone and email.
Liaise with the VOA and internal teams to ensure accurate valuations and records.
Inspect properties to determine correct liability and issue Completion Notices where required.
Contribute towards achieve collection targets and support service improvement projects.
Ensure compliance with data protection and Council policies.
Qualifications and skills required
We expect you to have:
GCSE-level education or equivalent.
Knowledge and experience in Business Rates administration, however, training will be provided.
Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office 365.
Excellent communication skills and attention to detail.
Ability to work to deadlines and manage your own workload effectively.
A basic understanding of Business Rates legislation and procedures.
We also hope you have:
Experience using MRI Revenues and Benefits, and EDMS systems.
Full UK driving license and knowledge of Colchester area.
What we offer
The Council encourages all employees to maximise their potential. You will be entitled to join an attractive pension scheme and will receive a generous annual leave entitlement, including two extra company holidays during the Christmas period.
Other benefits include:
Flexible working
Opportunity to work from home
Opportunity to make a real impact on local services
Gym, travel and online retail discounts
Excellent training, development and progression opportunities
For an informal discussion about this vacancy, please contact Rhiannon Archer at Rhiannon.Archer@colchester.gov.uk .
For a copy of the job description, please click here.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.