Do you have strong organisational ability, are good with computers and have excellent interpersonal skills? If so, a career as a parking notice processing officer might be just up your street. Read on to find out more about this role.

What does it involve?
The primary function of the notice processing officer is to provide a responsive service to users of parking services and serve as their first point of contact. This can involve dealing with enquiries and complaints from the public, processing appeals and parking permits, and working alongside legal authorities and bailiffs. 

Some of the other common activities officers have to undertake include :

• Invoicing 
• Processing refunds
• Data entry
• Monitoring appeal win rates
• Maintaining records

On occasion, notice processing officers may be required to represent the organisation for which they work at adjudications, as well as attending seminars and other working groups and functions.

What skills and experience are needed?
So what skills and experience do you need to make it as a notice processing officer? Experience of parking regulations is always helpful and for some positions this is mandatory. Other roles are open to people without specific parking experience, but you will be expected to pick things up pretty quickly.

What else do you need? Experience of working in a customer service-based profession is key, as much of your day-to-day work will be spent dealing with the public. You'll need excellent communication skills and to be able to deal with potentially difficult conversations in a professional manner. Being able to work under pressure is also vital, as the workload for notice processing officers is often quite high.

As you can see from the typical duties described above, this role can be incredibly varied and to be a success you need to be adaptable, and not afraid to step outside of your comfort zone and try something new from time to time.

Other skills and experiences that are important include :

• Strong IT skills and confidence using business management software 
• Good written English 
• Being capable of working effectively as part of a team
• Being able to follow instruction and use one's own initiative
• Experience of multi-tasking
• A positive can-do attitude
• Being able to keep up with changing legislation

What are working conditions like?
This is primarily an office-based role, although you may be required to attend external events such as adjudications and seminars on occasion too. Notice processing officers nearly always work as part of a team under the leadership of a manager. Working hours tend to follow the standard Monday to Friday, nine-to-five pattern, although evening and weekend work may sometimes be required.

In terms of pay, salaries for this position are usually somewhere between £16,000 and £25,000. Notice processing officers are often employed by local authorities and sometimes private companies to whom this work has been outsourced.

Next steps
Do you think you have what it takes to be a notice processing officer? Take a look at our vacancies to see if there are any positions going in your area. Here at Unity we have been helping people build their parking careers for years and will do our very best to help you find the ideal job.