Generalist Adviser
Location: Citizens Advice East Berkshire Offices (some hybrid working is possible)
Hours: Full-time 37 hours per week (flexible for the right candidate)
Salary range: £12 per hour DOE
Type of Contract: Permanent
At Citizens Advice, we’ve been solving life’s problems for over 80 years. We support our local community with expert free, independent, confidential, and impartial advice.
Serving the people of Bracknell, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, and Slough, last year we supported over 8,400 people securing £3.6 million of financial benefit. We know more people want our help and, at present, we are only able to meet some of the demand.
We are ambitious to do more. We are proud of our investment in our infrastructure, service, and people.
Citizens Advice East Berkshire is seeking a Generalist Adviser to join our dedicated team. As a vital part of our organisation, you will play a key role in providing high quality advice to our clients throughout East Berkshire and beyond.
Role Overview:
This post is to deliver generalist advice work, to achieve positive advice outcomes for people within the local community. You will be providing generalist advice on subjects such as benefits, debt, housing and employment to clients at CAEB offices or other community venues across East Berkshire. You will often be supporting people with significant mental illness. The role works closely with professional and voluntary sector partners, as well as a committed and experienced team. A DBS check is required for this role.
We are advertising for a full-time position but would be open to a combination of part-time hours for suitable candidates. This role is predominantly working from Citizens Advice East Berkshire Offices but some hybrid working will be possible. We will provide a suitable laptop, telephony, and headset. This role is a permanent position.
The closing date for this role is 21st January 2024 at 23:59. Applications will be reviewed as they are received so we’d love to hear from you as soon as possible!
Interviews will be arranged for the week commencing 22nd January 2024 with an estimated start date of 26th February 2024, though we are looking for the postholder/s to start as soon as possible.
To be successful, we would like to you to demonstrate the following:
- Empathy and motivation to provide good quality advice and casework support to clients.
- Experience of delivering advice, particularly on the subjects of welfare benefits and debt advice, in person and remotely.
- Commitment to achieving the best outcomes for clients through delivery of high-quality advice.
- Strong organisational and time management skills, using systems effectively, prioritise appropriately, and enable timely responses to client needs.
- Able to demonstrate good communication, listening skills and empathy to respond appropriately to challenging behaviour.
- Able to demonstrate adaptability, to manage different situations calmly and professionally.
- Ability to work independently, with the confidence to ask for help from the wider team and be proactive in managing challenges.
- Able to effectively and confidently use IT systems as a core element of day-to-day work, including case management. debt and benefits calculations.
- Self-awareness to enable giving and receiving feedback; and constructive engagement to achieve development goals.
- Willingness to carry out role in main office and other locations such as home visits and outreach venues to meet service delivery needs, with an understanding of the challenges in seeing clients away from the main premises.
- Ability to demonstrate a commitment to the aims and principles of the Citizens Advice service, including its equality and diversity policies, and research and campaigning role.
- Able to provide evidence as appropriate of any research and campaign issues.
- Ability to contribute to an inventive, responsible and generous organisation and team culture, sharing tasks and supporting organisation goals.
- Ability to utilise a range of reference resources.
We welcome diversity both in our people and our thinking.
Interviews will be arranged as they are received for suitable candidates and the openings will close upon successful appointment, so it is advised applications are submitted promptly to avoid disappointment.
You must be eligible to work in the UK and a basic DBS check is required for this role.
If you would like to find out more about any of our roles, please email us at recruitment@caeb.org.uk.
For a job pack and application form please see below. Once complete, please send your application to recruitment@caeb.org.uk. For an informal and confidential discussion about this position, please contact recruitment@caeb.org.uk.
Please be aware that Citizens Advice is not a sponsoring organisation. Therefore the successful applicant must already possess the right to work in the UK.
Please also note, in the event of a high number of applications, we reserve the right to close the application early.
Generalist Adviser Job Description (November 2023)
Job Application Form (June 2022)