Trainee Energy Advisor

Job Title: Energy Adviser
Salary: £21000 per annum pro rata
Location: United Reformed Church, 13 Wilton Road, Handsworth, Birmingham B20 3RX
Hours of work: 20 hours per week
Contract Duration: Fixed Term until 31/01/2025 

Do you have experience of providing advice on energy, welfare benefits, money, debt and housing?

Do you have excellent interpersonal skills and an understanding of the issues involved in supporting vulnerable clients in relation to fuel poverty and associated issues?

Do you have experience of Casework, including Home advice visits (outreach), In-depth face-to-face advice appointments, Light touch advice, and In-depth telephone and virtual advice appointments?

North Birmingham Community Action Network: Energy Programme (BCAN – Energy) is funded by the Energy Trust’s Energy Redress scheme and focused on households in North and North-West Birmingham. The partnership is a consortium of voluntary sector organisations including Witton Lodge Community Association, Nishkam Civic Association, New Hope Global, Age Concern and Birchfield Community Association (Birchfield Big Local). The Energy Adviser will be employed by Birchfield Community Association (Charity No. 1193137) with support from Birmingham Voluntary Services Council (BVSC)

Birchfield Community Association was established in January 2021 as the legacy body for the Birchfield Big Local programme – a resident-led, ten-year programme aimed at connecting the gifts, passions, skills, and aspirations of local people to make Birchfield an even better place to live and work.

The BCAN-Energy programme will deliver a community-based energy advice & advocacy service to help vulnerable residents to recover from the social and economic impacts of Covid and the cost-of-living crisis. This will be achieved by working closely with the community, staff, and volunteers.

Purpose of the Role:

• Casework covering a range of energy related issues and energy advice.
• Undertake mandatory City & Guilds training.
• The role will entail providing advice via:

o   Home advice visits (outreach)

o   In-depth face-to-face advice appointments

o   Light touch advice – offered at workshops and events.

o   In-depth telephone/virtual advice appointments

• Assist clients with other related problems where they are an integral part of their case and refer to other advisers or specialist agencies.
• Building on existing partnerships to help vulnerable people impacted by fuel and cost-of-living crisis.

Please see the job description for further details and full employee specification.  

We encourage applicants to think creatively about how they can meet the requirements of the role and person specification if there are essential criteria you do not meet, so please describe this in your application. We are looking for talented individuals who align with our values and support our mission – there are no barriers to how you demonstrate this.  

To apply for this role, please submit your CV, and cover letter addressing the employee specification included in the job description. Please use your cover letter as an opportunity to tell us about your skills and experience in relation to the role.
  

Closing date for applications – Monday 29th January 2024 at 10am

Interview date – Tuesday 6th February 2024.

Interviews will be held face to face at United Reformed Church, 13 Wilton Road, Handsworth, Birmingham B20 3RX.

A DBS check will be carried out with the successful candidate to this role.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.  

Secondments will be considered.