Rates Manager

Rates Manager

At Wollongong City Council, we continuously strive to create an Extraordinary Wollongong for our community. We focus on the delivery of exceptional services, infrastructure and facilities for our community. Our aim is to work toward the community's goals in the Our Wollongong Our Future Community Strategic Plan 2035.

Wollongong is a great place to work, live and play! Together, our responsibility is to create an inclusive community where everyone is welcome, valued and belongs. Our strength is the diversity of our people.

We lead with courage, openness and curiosity and believe our employees are the key to our success. Learn more about us here.

The Opportunity

Are you ready to lead a high-performing team and shape the future of rates management for one of NSW's most vibrant councils?

As our new Rates Manager, you'll be at the heart of Wollongong City Council's financial sustainability, driving strategic development and customer-focused service across our Rating and Debtor functions. You'll join a positive, cohesive team with two highly skilled Team Leaders and a group of up-and-coming professionals who are eager to learn and grow. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, you'll work closely with senior managers, council staff, and external stakeholders, making a real impact on our community and organisation-wide financial strategy.

This is your chance to bring your expertise to a role where your leadership, vision, and commitment to continuous improvement will be valued and supported. You'll be front and centre - empowered to guide, coach, and develop your team, while collaborating across the organisation to deliver outstanding results.

Team Size: You'll directly manage two Team Leaders and an undergraduate, with a total team of 10 all working together to deliver excellence in rates and debtor management.

This is a full-time 35 hour per week parental leave term contract position till October 2027 with the possibility of extension. Salary from $144,552 per annum plus 12% superannuation. (Salary package will be assessed based on skills, experience and qualifications)

How you'll make a difference

• Lead the strategic development, calculation, and communication of Council's Revenue Policy for Rates, Annual Charges, and associated frameworks.
• Champion customer service excellence for Rates and Sundry Debtors, ensuring a responsive, professional, and empathetic experience.
• Design and manage Hardship and Debt Recovery Policies, balancing efficient collection with equity and compassion.
• Oversee the planning, issuing, and management of Rates Notices, Annual Charges, and Sundry Debtor accounts.
• Ensure the accuracy and integrity of property rating information, supporting informed decision-making and high-quality service.
• Deliver organisational services including cash collections, payment gateways, and receipting systems.
• Advise on compliance with statutory, policy, and accounting standards, acting as a key regulatory advisor.
• Represent Council in legal proceedings related to Rates and Debtors, providing expert advocacy.
• Drive continuous improvement, process reengineering, and change management across the Rates Unit.

About you

You're an experienced rates professional with a passion for customer service and a proven ability to lead, coach, and develop teams. Thriving in complex environments, you bring deep knowledge of local government rating, debt recovery, and relevant legislation, complemented by a strategic mindset, analytical skills, and a commitment to continuous improvement. You value collaboration, empathy, and excellence, and you're ready to make a real difference for our community. Resilient and adaptable, you're skilled at managing stakeholder relationships, conflict resolution, and change.

Your background includes relevant tertiary qualifications and/or extensive experience in rates management within local government or similar environments, strong leadership and mentoring skills with a track record of building high-performing, customer-focused teams, and a comprehensive understanding of rating legislation, policies, and financial management. You possess advanced communication, negotiation, and influencing skills, as well as expertise in strategic planning, project management, and analysis. Your commitment to WHS compliance and maintaining a safe, supportive workplace is evident, and you hold relevant tertiary qualifications and/or extensive experience in Local Government Rating and Debt Recovery.

Why you'll love working at Wollongong City Council!

• True work-life balance
  We know you work hard, and we make sure that effort is rewarded with real flexibility. Our hybrid work options, flex-time, and rostered days off mean you can maintain balance while delivering great outcomes.
• Great working conditions
  Enjoy a 35-hour work week or a 9-day fortnight with a regular rostered day off (RDO).
• Career growth and recognition
• We are committed to supporting your personal and professional development. Our initiatives include a reward and recognition program, corporate learning opportunities, study assistance, and leadership development programs to help you grow and succees
• Generous leave provisions
  Benefit from five weeks of annual leave per year (pro rata) and access long service leave after just five years.
• Health, safety, and wellbeing
  We prioritise a safe workplace for everyone, every day, everywhere. Our wellbeing programs support mental, physical and social wellbeing of our people to be at their best and include an Employee Assistance Program, skin and hearing checks and discounted gym memberships.
• A vibrant social culture
  Join our Social Club for monthly activities, an annual trivia night, and fantastic Christmas events!

Participate and engage in meaningful work, and contribute to our extraordinary community, where together we make a difference.

For more information, click on 'Apply' to be redirected to Wollongong City Council's job vacancy page.

Applications close 11:59pm, Thursday 9 September 2026
Interviews are expected to be held on Thursday 17 September 2026.

We invite everyone to apply no matter your identity, you'll be welcome. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), people with disability and veterans.

Wollongong Council adheres to the principles of a child safe organisation and is committed to the care and protection of all children and young people in the community.

Applicants are required to undergo a rigorous employment screening process which will include Reference, Identity and Medical History Checks, and may also include a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check and Working with Children Check. Employment is subject to clearance of all these checks.