Advice Manager

Do you want to work for an organisation that makes a real difference, every day, to people from all walks of life? This is an exciting opportunity for someone already working in an advice role and looking to take the next step in their career to join the Brent Irish Advisory Service (BIAS) as Advice Manager.

The Advice Manager will take the lead on BIAS’s day-to-day advice services, managing a small team of advice specialists to ensure that we provide the highest-quality service to our clients. You will need to have strong people skills and the ability to build good working relationships with staff and clients, along with excellent organisational abilities to ensure that projects are delivered on time.

This role will also involve working with the leadership team to help identify areas for future development and support grant applications and reporting, which will give you the opportunity to have a direct impact on shaping the organisation’s future strategy and direction.

If you are an experienced advice specialist and are looking to step up but don’t have all the skills required, please consider applying as we are willing to consider appointing the right candidate as a training and development role.

Key work areas and main duties

Staff management

• Managing a small advice team, ensuring the quality of the advice provided.
• Providing support and supervision to staff on the delivery of advice services, ensuring that appropriate advice is provided and casework deadlines are met.
• Ensuring good teamwork and lines of communication between staff, volunteers and partner agencies.
• Creating a positive working environment in which equality and diversity are promoted and staff can do their best.

Quality and service delivery

• Leading the welfare advice services, including contributing to possible future expansion.
• Maintaining a small personal caseload (approximately one day’s work per week).
• Working with the Operations Manager to ensure that BIAS maintains the Advice Quality Standard (AQS) and is successful in AQS renewal.
• Leading on monitoring service delivery, recording outcomes and ensuring efficient allocation of resources.
• Managing all aspects of risk relating to advice delivery, complaints handling, safeguarding and GDPR.

Operational support

• Working with the leadership team as required on operational matters, including planning, strategy for future development and grant applications and reporting.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• A minimum of two years’ experience providing advice or advocacy on welfare, benefits, housing or similar areas.
• Ability to take the lead on running day-to-day advice services with minimal guidance, including managing, motivating and supervising staff.
• Knowledge of welfare benefits and other statutory sector services that clients may access.
• Excellent organisational skills and experience of working to deadlines whilst coping with competing priorities, working both independently and as part of a team.
• Experience of using customer relationship management (CRM) systems and/or willingness to undertake any necessary training.
• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels, building good working relationships across staff, clients and partner organisations.
• Excellent IT skills, including a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office.
• An understanding of and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Desirable Criteria

• An understanding/awareness of the needs of the Irish community.
• Knowledge of Advice Quality Standard (AQS) accreditation and ability to contribute to maintaining/renewing AQS.
• Experience of maintaining community resource information to support clients.
• Ability to contribute to grant research, applications and reporting alongside the leadership team, based on client data.

Candidates must be eligible to work in the UK. The job description is a guide to the nature of the work required of the Advice Manager. It is not wholly comprehensive and may be reviewed as required. We will also offer training opportunities to support your career development.

This role will be based in our advice offices but there may be some options for flexible working (i.e. one or two days per week).

About BIAS

BIAS is a local charity which has supported England’s largest Irish community in Brent for over forty-five years. We deliver our support through our welfare advice drop-in service, our Active Ageing Clubs and our Be-a-friend volunteer scheme. We raise over £1 million in extra income for the most vulnerable every year and have over 3000 attendances at our club services. BIAS has exciting plans for possible further expansion in 2024 and has a range of medium- to long-term grant funding, including from Ireland’s Emigrant Support Programme.

For further information about BIAS, please see our website www.biasbrent.co.uk

How to apply

To apply, please send a CV and cover letter (max. 1500 words) via the button below. Your cover letter should demonstrate how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for this role, with supporting examples.

For further details, please see the attached job pack.

The deadline for applications is 7 June 2024 but we encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible as interviews will be carried out on a rolling basis.