Employment advisor jobs

*This role can be either hybrid working in London (minimum 4 days per month in the office) OR homebased. Both locations require travel around the UK.

Independent Age is the national charity focused on improving the lives of people facing financial hardship in later life. We believe no one should face financial hardship in later life.

Our Helpline and expert advisers offer free, practical support to older people without enough money to live on. Through our grants programme, we support hundreds of local organisations working with older people across the UK. 

We use the knowledge and insight gained from our support services and partnerships to highlight the issues experienced by older people in poverty and campaign for change.

We would love to find individuals from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds to join us on this journey.

Responsibilities and Person Specification:

The External Training Manager will work with internal subject matter experts to develop and implement our programme of external training which is aimed at building knowledge of older people’s options when experiencing financial hardship.

Our training is aimed at professionals and trusted intermediaries working in the commercial, statutory and not for profit sectors. Our ambition is for everyone who works with older people to know what older people may be entitled to, how to support them to claim and where to get further help. 

You should have extensive experience of designing and delivering training to a range of audiences, along with experience of developing resources and of training evaluation. Knowledge of how to ensure training is inclusive and accessible, along with excellent communication and relationship building skills is essential. Prior knowledge of financial hardship topics relating to older people is not required, as you will be working with subject matter experts. 

For full details on the role and requirements, please review the job description and person specification.  If your experience doesn’t align perfectly with all of the criteria in the person specification but you do meet most of them and are excited about the role, we encourage you to apply anyway. 

This is a full-time role, 35 hours per week, which you can choose to work over five days or a 9 day fortnight. We also are open to this role being worked on a part-time basis on a minimum of 28 hours per week.

Salary Information:

The salaries below are full-time (35 hours per week) and will be pro-rated if part-time. 

London based: £46,227 per year 

Homebased: £41,607 per year 

What it’s like to work at Independent Age:

We celebrate diversity at Independent Age and champion the differences that make each of us unique. We actively support and encourage people from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and skill sets to join us and help shape what we do. We aim to attract and retain a wide range of talent and create an environment where everyone can feel safe, protected, welcome and included.

We offer great benefits including 28 days annual leave plus public holidays, a generous pension scheme with life assurance, and fantastic learning and development opportunities. We also offer a number of enhanced leave provisions and benefits.

We know that a good work life balance helps us perform at our best and supports wellbeing. Flexible working hours and hybrid working is standard for all (those contracted to work in the office usually attend 1 day per week). But if you need a different form of flexibility, we are always happy to talk flexible working. 

You can find out more about what it’s like to work at Independent Age on the careers page of our website.

Application Process:

To apply, please submit a CV and a Supporting Statement, detailing how your skills and experience meet the criteria within the Job Description and Person Specification, by visiting our jobs website (please do not hesitate to contact us if you have specific requirements and need support to apply in an alternative format).

To support our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion our hiring managers use anonymous shortlisting. Therefore, please do not include your name, photo, or information to indicate your gender or age in your CV and supporting statement. Please do not omit dates of employment. Please ensure the title of any uploads does not contain your name. 

Independent Age is committed to safeguarding and follows Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding those we work with. We therefore ask that you supply your full work history with explanations for any gaps in the application documents you submit and, if offered the post, we will require two employment references including your current or most recent employer. 

Closing Date: Monday 21 April 2025, 11:59pm

Finance Assistant (full time employment contract)
£31,000 pa; 7.5% pension contribution by St James’s with 0.5% contribution by the employee; 25 days annual leave plus public holidays

St James’s, Piccadilly is seeking someone who has at least 2+ years experience working in finance or similar role, who has a strong knowledge of MS Office Suite and XERO with particularly extensive experience of using Microsoft Excel and financial modelling skills. A certified accountancy qualification or studying towards one is essential. 
This new role has been created as part of a review concerning St James’s partnership with St Pancras Church Euston Road.

St James’s is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All post holders and volunteers are expected to share this commitment. 

St James’s actively welcomes applications from people who are currently underrepresented in our community including people with global majority heritage, people with lived experience of poverty and people who identify as LGBTQ+. 
Role description and person specification and application form (referee information required) can be downloaded from our website.

Closing date for applications is midday Monday 28th April 2025. Interviews will be held on-site at St James’s Piccadilly and are planned for Thursday 8th May 2025. Aiming for a start date as soon as possible.

We are seeking a dynamic Support Worker to provide holistic support to Praxis clients. You will be part of a holistic support service beyond traditional client assistance, focused on enabling people to navigate the immigration and asylum system independently, and empowering people with lived experience to champion their own cause. Your responsibilities will encompass delivering support in areas such as housing, benefits advice, access to education and employment with the assistance of volunteers.  

Praxis Community Projects is a dynamic, award-winning human rights charity that supports migrants in crisis or at risk, ensuring their essential human needs are met and that they can overcome the barriers they face. We provide legal advice and a range of welfare support, including group work. We build community, challenge exclusion and discrimination, influence policy, improve services and inspire solidarity with migrants.

The ideal candidate will have a good understanding of the challenges faced by migrants with NRPF and those at risk of homelessness navigating systems, and what they need to overcome these. They will be able to step immediately into a busy advice environment and work independently.

At Praxis, we work to build community, challenge exclusion and discrimination, influence policy and improve services. We advocate and campaign for lasting changes to policy and practice to address the root causes of the issues faced by at-risk migrants.

We are a progressive organisation, committed to an inclusive workplace which reflects our values and the society we want to live in. 

We recognise that how you feel about your work is impacted by what is happening in your life outside of work. As a result, we offer generous family leave policies, with equal parental leave, flexible and hybrid working, and enhanced annual leave through our Life Happens and Religious and Reflective Leave policies. We take care of our staff by thinking about their health and wellbeing and offer reflective practice, a Menstrual Champion and a range of policies to support people at work. 

We welcome applications from all backgrounds and particularly encourage applications from candidates with lived experience of the migration system or who have experienced homelessness.

Having a criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify you from this role. We believe in second chances and assess each application on individual merit. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of background.

Our Attractive Benefits Package Includes  

· Culture of flexible and hybrid working (where appropriate)

· 25 days annual leave increasing to 30 with service (plus paid Bank Holidays)

· Equal parental leave (incl. 26 weeks on full pay, eligible after 1 year in post)

· Religious/reflective leave, life happens leave and menstrual leave

· Reflective practice for all frontline roles

· Employee Assistance Programme offers counselling and support 24/7

· Workplace Pension Scheme and Life Assurance (1x annual salary)

· Financial wellbeing support, including payroll savings, signposted advice and hardship loans

If you need us to make an adjustment or provide additional support as you apply for a role, please email our Recruitment team who will contact you to discuss how we can help.

For further details, please contact Teya Cooper - Support Coordinator.

To apply, send us your CV and cover letter demonstrating how you meet the requirements in the Person Specification. Where relevant, use examples to illustrate how you meet these requirements. Applications will only be accepted with a cover letter.

If you don’t meet every single requirement, but you’re excited about the role and think you could do it well, please apply. We’re happy to consider transferable skills and potential.

The Youth Endowment Fund

Senior Change Manager, Education 

Reports to: Head of Change for Education 

Salary: £51,300 per annum, depending on experience  

Location: Central London or Hybrid*(see below) 

Contract: (2-year fixed term – potential to extend)

Closing date for applications: Tuesday 29th April 2025 at 12pm

Interview dates: Week commencing 12th May 2025

About the Youth Endowment Fund 

We’re here to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice.

In recent years violent crime has risen significantly. Homicides, assaults, robberies and offences involving weapons have all seen sustained growth. We have also seen large increases in violent crime involving children and young people. This is a tragedy. Every child captured in these numbers is an important member of our community and society has a duty to protect them.

The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) is a charity with a £200m endowment and a mission that matters. We exist to prevent children becoming involved in violence. Our mission is to find what works and build a movement to put it into practice. A big part of the movement that we need to build is in the world of education. We need to inspire and connect with education leaders across England and Wales to spread what works and make our country safer for some of our most vulnerable children. We are looking for someone to lead on making this happen.

Key Responsibilities

We are making good progress building the evidence of what works within and around education to reduce violence, including launching our new Education, Children and Violence Guidance in May 2024 which provides school, college and alternative provision leaders with five evidence-based recommendations to help prevent children’s involvement in violence. We also have our Toolkit, annual Children, Violence and Vulnerability Report and new implementation resources due next year. But the big risk is that we publish these resources and nothing changes. That’s where you come in.

Your role is to help us ensure more senior education leaders within schools, colleges and alternative provision settings use our Guidance, toolkit, research and implementation tools to inform day to day operations and strategic decision making. This will involve:

• Developing great relationships and partnerships with executive and senior leaders in education, making connections and building credibility and trust with the sector.   
• Managing our new online digital self-assessment tool for sector leaders, driving awareness and engagement with education leaders and refining and optimising the system in collaboration with the software developers. 
• Synthesizing and analysing data from the self-assessment tool, using findings to produce value insights reports for YEF and the sector. 
• Creating implementation resources which respond to need and support education leaders to put evidence into practice. 
• Continuing to develop a strong understanding of education practice and policy across England and Wales. 
• Working out other effective ways to connect people with the evidence, then making those things happen, from regular virtual learning events to presentations. 

As a senior member of staff in the organisation you also: 

• Build a culture where it is natural to perform well and support colleagues brilliantly.
• Contribute to setting the strategy, delivering results and building and modelling the culture that we need to succeed.

You are this sort of person: 

• You are fascinated about change and are experienced in making it happen. You have outstanding analytical judgment alongside the emotional intelligence and experience needed to identify the right opportunities for change, then make them happen.
• You understand why people find change difficult. You come alive talking about how people make decisions and why they do the things they do. 
• You understand the education sector. You really understand how schools, colleges and/or Alternative Provision settings tick. You have experience of working with/supporting senior and executive education leaders to facilitate change and improvement that improves the lives of young people. You might have previous experience of supporting a school to reflect on and adopt evidence-based practice. 
• You are digital and data savvy. You have experience of working with data and systems to support evaluation, improvement and meaningful change.You have experience of translating complex information into plain writing and impactful visuals that everyone can understand.
• You have excellent project and time management skills and the ability to design and deliver high quality outputs such as reports and digital resources to a high standard.   
• You win people over. People tend to warm to you and respect you. You have built good relationships with very senior people and with very junior people. You are good at chairing meetings, connecting people and having good introductory meetings. You are comfortable talking to a government minister, a youth worker, a company CEO, a teacher and a 15-year-old student. Listening to people from all backgrounds matters to you.
• You have experience of developing resources which support schools/education settings. You understand and take a curious approach to learning about the needs of leaders from across the education spectrum. You are able to skilfully translate these insights into helpful resources and tools which support leaders to improve practice. 
• You learn fast but remain humble. You are very quick at getting your head around things. You like learning. You are very good at synthesising information. You know how much you don't know. You know that you can learn more. You know that it's easy to assume you know when you don't. You care more that good things happen than who gets the credit. You are a great and supportive team player. 
• You don't want your days to pass without making a difference. You want to play a significant part in reducing violence.
• You understand young people. You understand what the lives of vulnerable young people can be like, and you understand some of the organisations that work with them, ideally through first-hand experience.
• You are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. 

You must have this sort of experience 

• Delivering positive change within education: You have significant experience of working with education leaders to support the development and improvement or practice.
• Working as a senior leader within the education sector, preferably in a role/setting specifically working with young people who are vulnerable to or involved in violence.

While it’s not a criteria, we’re especially interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of violence affecting children and young people. 

It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background.

All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well. 

Hybrid Working 

The office is based in Central London. Those living in and around London are expected to be in the office a minimum of 2 days per week. If you live outside of London and work remotely, you’ll be expected to work from the London office 2 days per month. 

To Apply 

Please click on the "Apply for this" button and submit your CV, your completed monitoring form and ensure your covering letter answers the following three questions below. Please submit your application by Tuesday 29th April at 12pm

Application Questions 

1. How have you successfully supported education leaders to improve their practice or leadership? Please be specific about the scale and context of your experience working with senior leaders in education settings. 
2. Describe your experience using data and digital tools to gather insights, inform decisions, and drive improvement in education. What data did you use, how did you present it, and what impact did it have? 
3. What personal and professional experiences shape your understanding of the education sector and its role in preventing youth violence? 

As part of our commitment to flexible working we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at the interview stage. 

Interview Process 

This will be a one stage interview process. Interviews will take place the week of 12th May 2025 

Please Note: We do not sponsor work permits and you will be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK. 

Benefits Include 

• £1,000 professional development budget annually 
• 28 days holiday plus Bank Holidays 
• Four half days for volunteering activities 
• Employee Assistance Programme – 24hr phone line for free confidential support 
• Volunteering days - 4 half days per year 
• Death in service - 4 times annual salary 
• Flexible hours. Core office hours 10am – 4pm 
• Financial support including travel and hardship loans 
• Employer contributed pension of 5%. 

Your Data 

Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful, and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.

We are looking for a dedicated and passionate Project Worker to join the Lucy Faithfull Foundation’s Children & Young People’s Team. Our work makes meaningful and lasting difference to young people’s lives by preventing harmful sexual behaviour and by responding to incidents to restore safety and promote positive outcomes.

This new Project Worker role will support the delivery of a varied range of projects across our young people services, also offering opportunities to contribute to the development of exciting, new, youth-led initiatives. As part of your role as Project Worker, you will support in the development and delivery of our young people’s website, Shore, as well as providing non-judgemental and anonymous advice and support via our chat and email service.

We offer a welcoming and supportive environment, with access to excellent one-to-one and group supervision to develop your clinical practice. This is a varied and highly rewarding role, where you will be supporting our approach to youth participation and advocacy.

Alongside hybrid working, this role will be based at either our office in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire or Epsom, Surrey.

We offer the following benefits:

- Hybrid working (with a minimum of 2 days in the office after one month in the position)
- NEST pension
- 33 days’ annual leave rising to 38 days (inclusive of statutory bank holidays following qualifying period)
- Up to 5 days’ learning and development per year
- Flu jabs & eye tests
- Season ticket loans
- Charity discounts
- Employee assistance programme
- Option of Benenden medical cover

If you're interested in hearing more, please download our job pack.

#projectworker #youthprojectworker #youngpeople #youthwork #projects #clinicalpractice

The Youth Endowment Fund  

Senior Manager - Area Leaders Programme

Reports to: Area Leaders Programmes Change Lead 

Salary: £51,300 

Location: Central London, Hybrid 

Contract: 2-year fixed term

Application Deadline: 12pm on Tuesday 29th April 2025   

Interviews: commencing the week of 12th May 2025 

About the Youth Endowment Fund 

We’re here to prevent children from becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to change things.

In recent years, violent crime involving children has increased. This is a tragedy. Every child is an important member of our community and society has a duty to protect them.

The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) is a charity with a £200m endowment that exists to prevent children from becoming involved in violence. We’ll achieve this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice. We do this by funding, evaluating and then spreading the very best work on reducing youth violence across England and Wales.

The Area Leaders Programme (ALP) is central to this mission. The ALP will transform how areas identify and support young people and places most vulnerable to violence, collaborate effectively, and deliver impactful interventions to better protect children from being drawn into violence. We are seeking an exceptional senior manager to help drive the next phase of the ALP, scaling from a successful pilot in four Local Authorities to broader implementation across England and Wales. 

Key Responsibilities 

The Senior Area Leaders Programmes Manager will be an essential part of the YEF Change team and will support the expansion and delivery of the Area Leaders Programme, ensuring its effectiveness in increasing evidence-based decision-making, commissioning, and multi-agency collaboration. You will provide direct operational oversight and stakeholder engagement to support local areas in reducing youth involvement in violence.  Approximately 0.4fte of the role will be presenting YEF Toolkit evidence in both the ALP and across wider violence prevention networks supported by the YEF.

This will include: 

Programme Management and Delivery 

• Support the management of the expansion of ALP from four pilot areas to 10 new local authority areas from spring 2025. 
• Support the development and refinement of frameworks, tools, and resources to support effective identification of the people and places most vulnerable to violence, evidence-based commissioning, effective case management, and multi-agency collaboration. 
• Commission and manage contractual arrangements with external consultants secured to support ALP development and delivery. 
• Manage robust monitoring and evaluation processes to assess the impact and inform continuous improvement of the programme. 
• Manage programme resources effectively, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to high standards. 

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration 

• Build and maintain strong relationships with local authorities, safeguarding partnerships, community safety partnerships, and other stakeholders. 
• Represent YEF in discussions with partners and policymakers. 
• Help facilitate collaboration across diverse stakeholders to align priorities, overcome barriers, and promote evidence-based approaches. 

Capacity Building and Support 

• Provide strategic and operational support to multi-agency teams, empowering them to embed effective violence prevention practices. 
• Lead capacity-building activities, including workshops, coaching, training, and peer learning opportunities for local partnerships. 

Presenting Toolkit evidence.

• You will present Toolkit evidence in talks and workshops and speak clearly and persuasively about Toolkit evidence, so that insights from our research lead to positive change. You’ll work with key stakeholders to identify areas of policy and practice that should be informed by Toolkit evidence.

About you 

You are this sort of person:

• A passion for making a difference by keeping children safe from involvement in violence. You want to play a significant part in reducing the level of youth violence and see the value in an evidence-informed approach. You’ll know about the key issues and debates in preventing children and young people becoming involved in violence.   
• You believe in the importance of using evidence to prevent violence and enjoy sharing evidence to inform others. You have a keen interest in learning from research, identifying key findings and sharing these insights with people working in various sectors and organisations. You tailor your style and content to ensure evidence is understood and used. 
• Knowledge of crime or violence prevention. You might have worked closely with, or been a practitioner in, a youth offending team, policing, children’s services or youth work and might have previous experience of supporting a local partnership to develop their violence reduction strategy or reflect on and adopt evidence-based practice. You are aware of the current context, issues or challenges facing some of these sectors or agencies.
• You are fascinated about change and are experienced in making it happen. You understand why people find change difficult. You come alive talking about how people make decisions and why they do the things they do. 
• You are comfortable with complexity and ambiguity, whilst being excellent at bringing clarity and structure. This may have been in the context of helping to develop/grow a new programme. 
• You’re a critical thinker. You critically assess the quality, reliability and relevance of information and evidence. You consider different viewpoints, identify problems and make well-reasoned decisions.
• You write in a way that people easily understand. You have that rare skill of writing in plain English. You can summarise long or complicated reports and write in a way that everyone can understand.
• Excellent project and time management skills. You have the ability to deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced environment. You can work independently and to a high standard.
• You’re good with people. You’re comfortable working with a wide range of people, including research experts, policymakers, practitioners, children and their families. You’re able to provide constructive challenges when required.
• You learn fast but remain humble. You are very quick at getting your head around things. You like learning and are good at synthesising information. You know how much you don't know. You know that you can learn more. You know that it's easy to assume you know when you don't. You care more that good things happen than who gets the credit. You are a great and supportive team player.
• A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. You believe and act in a way that celebrates and encourages a range of experiences, views and values.

While it’s not a criterion, we’re especially interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of youth violence. 

It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background.

All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well. 

Hybrid Working

The office is based in Central London. Those living in and around London are expected to be in the office a minimum of 2 days per week. If you live outside of London and work remotely, you’ll be expected to work from the London office 2 days per month.  

Travel  

Due to the nature of the programme there is some national travel required within England and Wales. This is likely to be around twice a month, all travel costs can be reimbursed with flexibility for overnight stays if preferred.   

To Apply

To apply, please send a CV and cover letter, and complete the monitoring form click on ‘Apply for this job’ button. Please submit your application by 12pm on Tuesday 29th April.

Interview Process

This will be a one interview process. Interviews will take place the week commencing 12th May 2025. 

We do not sponsor work permits and you will be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK. 

Additional Benefits Include 

• £1,000 professional development budget annually 
• 28 days holiday plus Bank Holidays 
• Four half days for volunteering activities 
• Employee Assistance Programme – 24hr phone line for free confidential support 
• Volunteering days - 4 half days per year 
• Death in service - 4 times annual salary 
• Flexible hours. Core office hours 10am – 4pm 
• Financial support including travel and hardship loans 
• Employer contributed pension of 5% 

Your Data 

Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful, and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you.

We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area. 
The people we are looking for do not discriminate and we believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background. 

Employability Coach – Birmingham, B7 5QT

Salary:£29991 per annum

Location:Nechells, Birmingham B7 5QT

Hours:Full Time, 37.5 hours per week. Fixed Term contract until 31st March 2026.

Benefits: 25 days holiday, pro-rata, 5.5% Employer Pension Contribution including Life Cover, Occupational Sick Pay Benefits & Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Paternity Leave and Pay, plus more

Reporting to:Employability Manager

FareShare Midlands is the region’s largest food redistribution charity, tackling food inequality and transforming lives. In partnership with FareShare UK, we rescue good-quality surplus food and redistribute it to over 800 local charities and community organisations, reaching 83,000 people weekly. Beyond fighting hunger, we empower individuals through education, training and volunteering, helping over 730 people to date build brighter, more secure futures. Together, we’re fighting hunger, reducing food waste and creating opportunities across the Midlands:

· Our Mission is to maximise the social value of surplus food. 

· Our Vision is a Midlands region where no-one goes hungry when there is food being wasted, no child goes to school on an empty stomach, and where vulnerable people are supported to join​ or re-join the workforce. 

· Our Values are Passion, Ambition, Respect, Collaboration and Accountability – they run through everything we do and provide a clear framework for how we approach our work.

The Role:

As part of our mission, FareShare Midlands is delighted to be able to deliver our I-Can employability programme as part of Birmingham City Council’s PURE project. The programme will provide a range of wellbeing, training and employment support to vulnerable residents of Birmingham in order to improve their lives and move them closer to the jobs market.

Key Responsibilities

As the Employability Coach, you will be responsible for:

·  Identifying and recruiting eligible participants on to the programme

·  Co-ordinating registrations and inductions

·  Identifying individual employment barriers and providing appropriate advice and guidance

· Develop and maintain partnerships with external specialist support providers

· Arrange opportunities for both in-house and external training courses

· Develop and deliver a range of 1-1 and group coaching sessions

· Develop and deliver employability related workshops

· Identifying and developing relationships with local employers

· Tracking progress of clients and delivering regular feedback

 Person Specification - Skills, Qualities & Experience

 Essential

 - Excellent written and verbal communication skills

-  Ability to provide comprehensive information, advice and guidance 

-Ability to deliver 1-1 and group training sessions

-  Ability to assess understanding and adapt resources and delivery to the needs of the audience 

-  Ability to coach and inspire others to reach their goals

- Committed to working as a team and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders

Desirable

- Knowledge of the food industry and retail sector in the Midlands

- Understanding of food waste and food poverty issues

Values and behaviours 

-  A commitment to Equal Opportunities

-  An appreciation of FareShare Midlands’ mission and vision

-  Flexibility of approach and ability to work in a team

-Proven ability to develop and maintain good working relations, with both internal and external audiences

How to Apply:

If you would like to apply for this role, please create a supporting statement to demonstrate your suitability and to explain your interest in both the job and FareShare Midlands. Please send your supporting statement with a copy of your CV.

We continue to strive to ensure that the profile of our staff and volunteers reflects the diverse communities we serve across the Midlands. As such we encourage and welcome applications from all our communities. We particularly welcome applications from people from ethnically diverse backgrounds as they are currently under-represented within FareShare Midlands. 

We will be actively interviewing applicants as they apply

Transforming Lives for Good (TLG) are a national Christian charity working in partnership with local churches to bring struggling children hope and a future. Building on the huge success of TLG Early Intervention Coaching, TLG Therapeutic Support will be a new way for TLG, with partner churches, to provide support in school for the increasing number of pupils struggling to cope due to their emotional, relational, and mental health experiences. This programme addresses the underlying issues children are facing, whilst also providing the option of direct support to their parents/carers and the school staff team.

In this role we are looking for individuals that thrive working with children and young people in a school context and are passionate about supporting pupils and their families struggling with emotional, relational, and mental health challenges. The ideal candidate will hold an accredited coaching qualification and have an aptitude for creativity whether this is music and drama, sport and outdoor recreation or other fields of kinaesthetic development. The TLG Therapeutic Coach will be present each week in the school, providing specialist trauma aware care for these children, whilst supporting staff and parents/carers too, so we're looking for an individual who can build and foster strong relationships.

TLG is a Christian charity and, as a team, we want to bring our faith to the work we do; as such, we are recruiting an individual with a strong and vibrant Christian faith. We would welcome applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds to enable us to better reflect the needs of the communities we serve.

Hours: 2.5 days per week (18.75 hours, term-time only)

Closing Date: Rolling Applications

For further information check out the job description attached to this page. Applications will be reviewed on application prior to the closing date. We reserve the right to interview and appoint prior to the closing date if a suitable applicant applies. The date of interviews is to be confirmed.

Citizens Advice Peterborough[CAP] is the leading provider of generalist advice services in Peterborough. We help approximately 5,000 people each year with free, confidential, and impartial advice on a wide range of issues.

At CAP we try to help people find a way forward, our advice helps people to overcome life’s challenges – from dealing with the cost of living crisis, managing their money, understanding their housing rights; navigating benefit rules to clarifying their employment situation.

A team of four income maximisation advisers are at the frontline of our new service.  You will use your skills and experience to understand the clients’ situation and capability through sensitive interviewing skills, then providing informed information and advice on next steps to help resolve the presenting issues.

It will be an exceptionally rewarding and worthwhile role, and you can be certain we’ll invest significantly in your personal and professional development – so we need someone who enjoys dealing with people who is organised, focused and committed to good client care and resolving problems.

You will need an understanding the benefits system, debt assessments and housing issues, with an interest in equity and diversity with proven advice skills. You will need a level of empathy to work with clients and be organised with a methodical approach. Above all, you will possess a degree of understanding, good team spirit and a determination to make a difference.

Purpose of the Job

Advice Quality and Operations Managers will make sure clients get accurate and appropriate advice and that advisers are supported and can develop their skills.

Maintain a consistent quality of advice and help for clients by providing support, guidance and feedback on a day-to-day basis and using those insights to drive advice service development.

This role is vital in fostering a culture of quality and excellence within the agency, ensuring that both staff and volunteers are well-equipped to deliver exceptional advice services to clients.

Job Description

Strategy and planning

• Work with the Head of Advice to develop and deliver an operational plan to support delivery of the strategic priorities, which is measured, monitored and reported up to the CEO and Board of Trustees.
• Co-ordinate activities, procedures and systems so as to promote the common policies and practices with the appropriate advice services.
• Ensure that the strategy is accessible to and understood by all staff and volunteers and they know the role they play in achieving our goals.

Risk management and compliance

• Regularly review the risks to which the charity is exposed to relating to Advice Services and provide assurance that systems or procedures are in effective operation to manage those risks.
• Ensure the use of systems in place to meet the requirements of all applicable regulatory bodies relating to the Advice Service Delivery.
• Working with the rest of the management team ensures that good data protection practices are embedded in our day-to-day operations.
• Assess requests made in relation to GDPR.

People management and development

• Support team members in continuous learning that will equip and develop people to deliver outstanding advice delivery. Responsibility for the delivery of the training and development plan for the Advice Services Department including, sourcing, delivering, evaluating and maintaining records.
• Supervise the work of paid staff and volunteers
• Maintain and develop standards of service delivery.
• Advise the Head of Advice on staffing and service-related issues.
• Plan and allocate work, monitor achievements of deadlines and key performance indicators and provide support as appropriate.
• Ensure that the service area and projects are adequately resourced.
• Ensure recruitment and selection of paid staff and volunteers as appropriate.
• Develop inclusive learning and development activities to meet quality standards and the organisation’s learning and development plan. Facilitate inclusive group and / or one-to-one learning and development activities. Organise internal and external learning and development activities to ensure the competence and continuing development of staff and volunteers.
• Contribute to the assessment of competence of staff and volunteers. Co-ordinate assessment activities and make final decisions on competence.
• Working with the rest of the leadership team ensures the organisation delivers a fair, inclusive, equitable and transparent employee and volunteer experience, taking account of our EDI aims and in line with employment law and the Equality Act 2010.
• Ensure Open and timely communication that provides information about the organisation and context for decisions that are made, helps to build trust and confidence and earn legitimacy. 
• Ensure the effective performance management and development of staff through regular supervision sessions, appraisals and learning and development.
• Ensure Training is delivered and records confirm all client facing paid staff and volunteers that may be involved in providing money and debt information and advice have completed an accredited training programme
• Direct reports: Dependent on advice area, between 5 to 11 Advisors per AQOM, plus volunteers.

Operational performance management

• Maintain, develop and monitor effective and relevant performance indicators and management processes, with particular emphasis on the application of customer insight data and feedback on complaints.
• In line with the Advice Quality Standard, work with the Head of Advice and the other Advice Quality and Operations Managers to ensure that staff and volunteers have adequate supervision and that advisers have access to support at all times when delivering advice to clients. 
• Ensuring quality - actively supporting the quality of advice by guiding the team to information sources, checking that all aspects of a client's situation have been considered, checking that follow up work is progressed, and that research and campaigns issues are identified.
• Monitor the quality of advice given to clients to ensure that standards meet Citizens Advice requirements. Completing Case Checking, QAA Audits and independent file reviews (IFR) to ensure quality assurance at a whole service level. Using the insights to further develop the services to clients and skills of advisers.
• Maintain and develop standards of service delivery. 
• Take part in internal consistency exercises at least quarterly.
• Providing support - actively supporting each team member to develop their skills and competences, by explaining, guiding, demonstrating, encouraging, suggesting, coaching, giving constructive feedback and challenging appropriately - adapting the level of support to individual competence and need, and taking account of the team as a whole.
• Manage the practicalities of the service: Including overseeing all practical issues relating to the service delivery, ensuring service delivery and adequate cover is in place, allocating the team to face-to-face work and other communication methods, checking waiting times and interview lengths, and if necessary, dealing with client or Citizens Advice emergencies.
• Provide technical support and act as consultant to the advisers.
• Monitoring of service delivery and advice service contracts performance to report against KPIs, with reference to outcomes for clients, identifying any issues and proposed actions. Reporting significant risks to the Head of Advice. Ensure that appropriate systems are developed and maintained for case recording, statistics, follow up work and quality control.
• Client Experience: Use our written process for dealing with complaints, ensuring that regulatory requirements are met (for debt and money advice complaints) to ensure Complaints are handled effectively and data is used to drive improvements where appropriate. 
• Ensuring that appropriate data protection procedures are in place and are followed by all workers.
• Lead on safeguarding and gender violence issues in accordance with policies.

Other duties and responsibilities

• Understanding and acceptance of the need to work occasional evenings and weekends, both on site and on-call, as required.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with management and other departments to align quality standards with organisational goals.
• Engage with external partners and regulators to ensure compliance with industry standards and share best practices.

Reporting and Analysis

• Prepare and present reports on advice quality metrics to management and stakeholders.
• Utilise data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.

Confidentiality and safeguarding

• Confidentiality is a core principle of Citizens Advice. Support the team with the application of the confidentiality policy.
• Implementing adult and child safeguarding policies and training staff and volunteers how to identify and deal with safeguarding concerns.
• Dealing with a conflict of interest and ensuring our service takes the right action to protect the client, our staff and volunteers and the service.

Research and Campaigns

• Ensure that staff and volunteers consistently and accurately generate Advice Issue Codes (AICs), evidence forms and profile data and participate in the Network Panel Surveys

Person Specification | What you need to do this job

Essential Criteria 

• Ability to lead and contribute to a team, including the ability to prioritise own work and the work of others, and take decisions in the day to day running of a busy service area.
• Ability to plan and manage projects.
• Commitment to continuing professional development.
• Experience of monitoring and maintaining service delivery against agreed targets.
• Ability to plan and prioritise own time and work and work of others in a pressured environment.
• Experience of analysing information to produce reports.
• Leadership and management ability within the context of understanding the needs of a voluntary sector organisation.
• Ability to communicate effectively in person, in writing and over the telephone with individuals and with a wide variety of organisations and audiences.
• Ability to meet Citizens Advice competence with a minimum of three years’ experience of involvement with advice giving.
• Ability to research, analyse and interpret complex information and to produce and present clear verbal and written reports. 

Desired Criteria

• Significant experience managing large advice and helpline services which includes supporting individuals within at least one of the areas of – (for example) welfare benefits, debt management, housing, or health and social care issues.
• Demonstrable experience of driving innovation and service improvement within an advisory/customer focused service.
• Experience of supporting change.
• Well-developed staff management and leadership skills, with strong experience of implementing robust performance management processes.
• Proven ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing, including excellent IT skills.
• Proven ability to create a positive working environment in which equality and diversity are well managed, dignity at work is upheld and staff are empowered and motivated to do their best.
• Experience in managing budgets.
• Ability to ensure best use of IT systems and packages in the provision of advice services and the ability to monitor and maintain casework systems and procedures.
• Ability to work with a variety of organisations and to earn and maintain the trust of those people with whom the Bureau deals.
• Ability to contribute to the team combined with willingness to learn and develop and have a positive attitude to change with an ability to plan ahead.
• Access to own transport and able to work at any service location in the Bureau’s area of operation as required.

Application Process:

To apply, please complete the application process on CharityJob. Please submit a concise supporting statement which includes examples and evidence of when you have demonstrated the attributes listed within the person specification. You will be expected to address each point separately and, in the order listed.

If you do not complete a full supporting statement in the requested format, your application may be rejected.

Addressing each point of the person specification

This is a key section of the application which allows you to provide evidence of your experience, knowledge, skills and abilities that are relevant to the role as described in the role profile.  Selection is based on an assessment of the evidence you provide against the requirements of the role as set out in the person specification.  It is important that you tailor your response to clearly demonstrate how you meet each requirement. No assumptions will be made about your achievements and abilities. 

Please provide one example for each requirement.  You should choose examples of past experience that clearly demonstrate what we are looking for, and be precise about what you did, how you did it and the outcome or result of your actions. Please try to limit your response to each criterion to a maximum of 200 words. 

A useful guide might be S.T.A.R:

• Specific – give a specific example
• Task – briefly describe the task/objective/problem
• Action – tell us what you did
• Results – describe what results were achieved

Please provide recent work examples wherever possible.  However, do remember that relevant examples from other aspects of your life, for example: voluntary or unpaid work, school or college work, family or home responsibilities, can also be given.

We are an equal opportunity employer. If you have any requirements (e.g. for attending an interview) please note these clearly on in your letter.

Interview Process:

The closing date is Friday 2nd May 2025, 6pm

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by telephone, so please give a daytime telephone number or somewhere we can leave a message to arrange an interview.

Our selection process consists of three stages:

• Stage 1 – Telephone Interview:

            Initial interviews will take place via telephone on Thursday 15th May 2025.

• Stage 2 – Formal Interview (In-Person):

            Candidates who are successful at Stage 1 will be invited to our Stevenage office for a formal face-to-face interview                on Monday 19th May 2025.

• Stage 3 – Practical Activity & Final Q&A:

            Following the formal interview, candidates will complete a short activity and have the opportunity to ask any final                   questions.

Please note that Stages 2 and 3 will take place on the same day.

�� Location: West Midlands

�� Contract Type: Permanent, hybrid

⌚ Hours: 35 hours per week

�� Salary: £42,213.23 - £46,434.55 (depending on experience and skills)

What can we offer you?

�� Expenses incurred while traveling outside your base location will be reimbursed.

�� Birthday Bonus with an additional day of annual leave dedicated to celebrating your birthday and long service recognition rewards programme 

�� Perks and discounts at over 4000 retail and hospitality outlets through the Blue Light Card

In addition to the perks outlined above, there are many more benefits alongside what is written above for you to enjoy. Find out more during your interview!

Empower people, inspire performance, and drive lasting change as a key partner in shaping our success

Be the driving force behind people and performance. As an HR Business Partner, you’ll work side by side with leadership, shaping strategies that make a real impact. With a strong focus on employee relations, you’ll work closely with stakeholders to resolve key employee relations cases. You’ll champion a culture that supports colleagues while keeping the business running smoothly.

Guide and support colleagues, driving a culture of growth and success

There will be an expectation to travel 1-2 times a week (and as needed) to support different locations, ensuring continuity and strong HR presence. With your expertise in employment law, performance management, and strategic HR, you’ll be the trusted Business Partner that colleagues and leaders rely on.

CIPD Level 7 or equivalent experience preferred. Ready to make an impact all while collaborating with our dedicated L&D and Recruitment teams to ensure a seamless, high-performing organisation. Let’s talk.

Battersea’s Human Resources department provides expert advice, guidance and support through partnership with managers, teams and people across the organisation. Our work involves everything from pay and benefits to providing learning and development solutions that support other departments achieve their strategic objectives. We do this to attract, retain and develop our people to be the best they can be, so we can be here for more dogs and cats. 

We have an exciting opportunity for a HR Business Partner to join us, to business partner with leaders and managers in Battersea’s corporate services functions – Marketing & Communications, Income Generation, Global Programmes and Finance & Corporate Services – as we embark on an ambitious 5-year organisational strategy underpinned by an inspiring people strategy.

The postholder will build collaborative relationships with leaders and managers from allocated business areas (circa 300 employees) to drive change and create positive impact for teams and individuals through a range of people practices and interventions. They will critically question information and evaluate it to make judgements and decisions that mitigate people risks. In addition, they will consistently role model professional principles, behaviours and values, collaborating with colleagues and providing insights and guidance to co-create solutions that help business areas to achieve their plans and positively impact on the employee experience.

The ideal candidate for this role will be MCIPD level 7 qualified (or equivalent), with strong working knowledge of current UK employment law and human resources concepts, practices and processes, with good experience of dealing with and resolving complex employee relations issues, and experience in a business partnering role, including experience of establishing positive, credible and influential working relationships with leaders, managers and colleagues.

What we can offer you:
In return for your commitment to our cause and to recognise the value of our employees, Battersea offers a range of benefits to support the wellbeing of our employees. These include:

- 28 days of annual leave (plus 8 days paid public holidays) per year
- Discounted gym memberships and cycle to work schemes
- Employee Assistance Programme and access to Wellbeing Resources.
- Generous pension contributions – up to 10% employer contribution
- Free healthcare cash plan, where you can claim for a range of treatment including dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropody and acupuncture every year.
- Annual interest-free season ticket loans

We are also committed to providing learning and development to our employees. During your time with us, we provide support for your professional and career development, including access to digital and in-person training programmes, leadership and management training, mentoring and much more.

Our hybrid working model:
We operate a 50% onsite hybrid working model, with our office-based staff splitting their time between site based and home working. This enables our office-based staff to balance the benefits of home working with onsite collaboration and maintaining a connection to our cause.

Diversity and inclusion:
We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive experience for all staff, volunteers and trustees and those hoping to join us. We operate an anonymised shortlisting process and actively seek to ensure our process is fair and equitable for all.

We understand the value of diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences to help us deliver even more for our dogs and cats, and we welcome applicants from all sections of the community.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we will ask about any adjustments you may need at application and/or interview stage, and if you are offered a role with us, we’ll talk to you about any workplace adjustments you may need to help you perform at your best.

More about us:
At Battersea, we aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. We give each one lots of love, expert care and get to know their characters and quirks so we can find them a new home that’s just right for them. Join us and help us be here for every dog and cat, wherever they are, for as long as they need us.

Closing date: 14th April 2025
Interview date(s): w/c 21st April 2025

To apply for the role, please click the button below. All applications must be submitted before the closing date advertised. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received.

About the project 

The proposed service Kineara aims to provide is a Community-Based Housing Advice and Support Service for lone parents living in TA (Temporary Accommodation) and to provide a prevented service that advice and support lone parents living in PRS and social rented accommodation, where their tenancies is insecure.

This service will address urgent housing concerns, provide essential advice, and offer tailored, intensive support for those with complex needs. The project will focus on delivering maximum reach through our outreach while maintaining smaller 1:1 caseload for high-needs cases.

About the role 

We are looking for an experienced, motivated and compassionate community -based housing advice and support worker. This role involves conducting community drop- in surgeries which will be delivered across Lambeth Schools, Children’s Centres, Community Groups, GP practices and

Housing Advice Surgeries offering face-to-face housing advice, legal support (where necessary), and signposting to additional service.

You will have experience of working with families and individuals with complex needs. You will be an enthusiastic person who has empathy, patience, and a non-judgmental approach to working with clients and who thrives when working independently with a passion to support change. You will have excellent interpersonal skills, knowledge of housing policies and tenants' rights, experience of delivering holistic support, be a solution-minded thinker, have a good understanding of strength-based approaches and be able work committing to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of work. To work as part of a team and independently, the roles require you to think creatively and use the resources around you effectively. 

Strong partnerships will be essential to the project’s success. Building on relationships developed through the Homeward consortium, you will work closely with local schools, Lambeth Council, children’s centres, community organisations, and legal advisors to ensure meaningful signposting and wraparound support for families.

The successful candidate will work with clients to identify their needs and offer tailored solutions to help them achieve sustainable housing outcomes. In this role, you will be working in partnership with community organisations and the council to coordinate tailored support for each client to address their housing issues. The objective of the programme is to provide advice and support to clients who have problems related to their housing and to improve wellbeing and awareness of tenancy rights and housing polices.

About Kineara 

Kineara is a unique community interest company and Charity that supports people in poverty across London who facing barriers to housing, employment and education. We break down barriers, provide holistic support for families, vulnerable adults, and school pupils, and deliver intensive one-to-one interventions to those in need of extra help through challenging times. We use holistic, trauma-informed methods, partnership working and a flexible, non-judgemental approach that puts the needs of those we work with first. 

For members of the Black community safe engagement may be enhanced, even minimally, by working with a Black professional who has the lived experience of the wider community.  If this decribes the value you can add, alongside your skills. please get in contact.  

The Black Empowerment, Enrichment & Support service (BEES CIC) provides counselling, advice and advocacy, delivered by Black professionals for the Black Community.  We believe that professionals who are representative of the community group, can fast-track engagement and confidence, whilst applying a holistic and intersectional lense to the issue at hand.  Empowering people to me go forward with the knowledge they need to manage life's challenges is essential. 

The Advocate will be able to engage, hear and understand the issues at hand whilst representing the client's needs in the best way possible.   Are you an experienced Advocate or Advisor who can signpost and support  BEES Clients.  Challenges may include employment, housing, general health concerns, Education, Mental Health and more.   If so – introduce yourself – we are listening.

BEES Equalities Statement

This post is restricted to applicants from the Black community due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies. 

We are committed to applying our equal opportunities policy at all stages of recruitment and selection.