LVJB - Divisional Assessor

Service: Valuation, Assessor and ERO
Grade scale: Grade 5 level 1 - 8
Reports to: Assistant Assessor

Purpose of the job

To prepare, maintain and update an accurate Valuation Roll, Valuation List (Council Tax) and Electoral Register having regard to statutory requirements.

Our vision is to deliver quality and clarity in the work which we undertake, provide efficient services to all service users, and ensure completeness and accuracy of the Electoral Register, Valuation Rolls, and the Valuation (Council Tax) Lists.

To manage, control and direct a team of professional and technical staff in compiling and maintaining the Valuation Roll and Valuation List, for the purposes of the Lands Valuation Acts and the Local     Government Finance Act 1992.

To manage and dispose of all resulting proposals and appeals.

To deputise for the Assessor and Electoral Registration Officer in terms of section 27 of the Local Government, and such, (Scotland) Act 1994, section 84 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and section 8 of the Representation of the Peoples Act 1983.

Key tasks and responsibilities

Manage, control and direct a team of staff, ensuring delivery of the Board’s statutory duties.

Contribute to the strategic management of the teams.

Represent the valuation team at management team.

Undertake coordination of Revaluation, through to completion, in line with statutory deadlines, working alongside peers ensuring consistency throughout LVJB and the SAA

Autonomously manage and coordinate the disposal of all CT and ND proposals and appeals, within statutory timetables.

Responsibility and ownership of all elected member enquiries and complaints, investigate and respond in line with policies and procedures.

Act as an advocate at formal hearings for both CT and ND.

Including ensuring the accurate preparation and collation of formal papers for hearing, adhering to scheduled Tribunal and Counsel deadlines.

Carry out the duties of an APC counsellor, carry out training and assessment for all trainee valuers within LVJB, in line with the approved training plan and RICS guidelines, ensuring those trainees under your supervision have had the necessary training and guidance to allow them to undertake their APC in the necessary time constraints

To actively participate in the development, implementation and review of the Joint Board’s strategic policy and objectives, professionally representing the organisation to external bodies.

Work alongside your peers, ensuring coordination of all aspects of the valuation services, striving to ensure consistency of approach.

Recognising areas of improvement and providing formal reports to management team to justify procedural change.

Manage information management for valuation.

Person specification

Safer recruitment checks

As part of our approach to good practice and safer recruitment we carry out a number of pre-employment checks:

• Asylum and Immigration right to work in the UK.
• Reference check: external candidates require 2 references, one of which must be from present or most recent employer; Internal candidates require 1 reference from current line manager.
• Candidate Disclosure Scotland check, where applicable.

Behaviour framework

LVJB’s behaviour framework is a set of core behaviours that defines how employees approach work to enable the delivery of key tasks for the role. The expected behaviours for this role are:

Efficient

• Use initiative and drive to improve and develop systems and processes to increase efficiency achieving better outcomes in service delivery.
• Suggests ways to improve how others organise their own work.
• As a manager or professional/expert you actively seek solutions to deliver improvements and involves others in the development of solutions and improvements.
• Agrees SMART objectives for both team and individual employees reviewing progress to achieve successful outcomes.
• Manage budgets with no overspends and applying the council’s financial policies and procedures.
• Ensures sustainability and environmental awareness practices are being implemented and that they inform the development of new projects/initiatives.

Flexible

• Anticipates and responds flexibly to changing priorities and modifies practice to meet changing environment.
• Identifies and implements new ways of working.
• Supports individuals and team at times of both organisational and personal change making appropriate adjustments to accommodate individual needs where required.
• Expresses a positive approach to change and promotes the benefits of change to team and colleagues.
• Actively listens to customer feedback and takes action to improve customer experience.

Performing

• Use professional expertise and knowledge to ensure the council is leading best practice to improve outcomes.
• Ensure that the council is meeting it’s legislative and statutory requirements by keeping abreast of new initiatives and legislation.
• Evaluates and reviews the impact of service improvements from the customers perspective.
• Identifies trends and creates solutions.
• Ensuring that health and safety practices, policies and procedures are applied keeping employees and customers safe and minimising workplace accidents and injuries.
• Implements the council’s maximising attendance policy and procedure ensuring action is taken and recorded on people connect.
• Considers risk in the context of service development and delivery.

Working with others

• Promotes a positive team environment with good morale.
• Works with other teams and colleagues internally and externally, developing relationships and sharing knowledge, ideas and expertise to achieve outcomes.
• Provide objective and constructive advice and support if tensions arise.
• Shares knowledge with internal and external colleagues to achieve common objectives.
• Giving praise and recognition for good work.
• Use professional identity and expert knowledge to work across disciplines breaking down professional barriers to improve outcomes for individuals and communities.
• Encourages colleagues to consider different perspectives in their work.
• Adapts communication to encourage desired behaviour.

Leading

• Understands what needs to be achieved and ensures that this is communicated to team members.
• Expresses positive expectations of others to support their development.
• Recognise individual and team achievements thanking and praising others.
• Maintain a positive approach and motivate team when things go wrong, or demands are high.
• You identify talent and provide opportunities for those individuals who wish to progress or learn new skills.
• Takes responsibility for personal and team development needs taking account of learning styles and available learning/training methods of delivery.
• Uses professional judgement/expert knowledge to make informed decisions.