Please Note: The application deadline for this job has now passed.
Job Information
An opportunity has arisen for a permanent welfare benefit support officer to provide housing and benefit related support to vulnerable residents living in and applying for Northumberland County Council properties. This includes providing practical support to sustain a tenancy and help with access to welfare benefits and assistance with debt issues.
We are looking for applicants who are passionate about delivering an excellent service to our customers. We expect a working knowledge and experience of dealing with benefits, budgeting and financial inclusion activities.
We currently offer hybrid working and the role is supporting customers in the Blyth and Alnwick area.
Role of the job:
Reporting to the Income Manager, you will provide housing related support to vulnerable people. This includes:
- providing practical support to set up and sustain a tenancy,
- help with access to welfare benefits
- assistance with debt issues.
We are looking for people who have a passion for providing advice and support to customers to help sustain tenancies and who like to work in partnership with other services and external organisations and who can contribute to the development of the service. As a welfare benefit support officer, you will also be responsible for supporting customers to make applications to our hardship fund and applications for water discounts and wider benefit applications.
Requirement of the job:
- You will be a motivated self-starter, able to work alone and as part of a team with very good written and verbal communication skills and with the ability to prioritise your workload to ensure deadlines are met.
- You will also have experience working with vulnerable people and a proven ability to work effectively with other agencies to provide support.
- ·You will have good knowledge of the welfare and benefits system in particular universal credit and the ability to give debt and budgeting advice.
For further information about this vacancy, please contact donna.gallagher@norhtumberland.gov.uk for an informal discussion
Northumberland is world-renowned as a visitor destination and an ideal location to strike a perfect work/life balance. There is no better way of enjoying the picturesque scenery and stunning coastline than on an everyday basis!
Northumberland County Council’s (NCC) vision is “To make Northumberland a county which you regard as a great place to live, in which you can access the activities you enjoy, whilst having the opportunity to learn and thrive”.
Why choose us?
We have some outstanding benefits to offer you, including:
- A starting salary of 27,344 – 30,151 (Band 6)
- 26 days annual leave plus public/bank holidays, rising to 31 days after 5 years of service (pro rata for part-time employees)
- Automatic enrolment into the Local Government Pension Scheme
- Flexi scheme – up to 2 days flexible leave available per month (pro rata for part-time employees)
- Local government discount schemes available to all employees with offers at local businesses along with various national brands
- Commitment to work/life balance offering flexibility through various schemes including job sharing, home working, flexible working, term-time only, and compressed hours
- Car leasing scheme
Further information
We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you wish to notify us of your eligibility for this scheme, please email hrrecruitment@northumberland.gov.uk or ring 01670 623930 with your name and the job title you have applied for and one of the recruitment team will ensure this is factored into the shortlisting process and kept anonymous. If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format or would like us to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to attend an interview, please also let the team know. This information will be treated as confidential and will only be used to check that you meet the essential requirements of the post.
Although we advertise on North East Jobs, and other websites, your application process will be directed to our Tribepad system. Please note that all communication regarding your application for this post will be sent to the email address that you have registered on Tribepad, including your invite to interview if you are shortlisted. Please check your emails regularly, including Spam/Junk, after the closing dates for notifications.
