Benefits information worker jobs in upper norwood, greater london

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Team Leader to join our homelessness & complex needs service in Kensington & Chelsea.

£31,534.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week.

Want to feel like you're making a difference? You'll feel at home here.

Our benefits include:

Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
Free DBS
Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
Fully paid induction programme and further training
ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
Cycle to work scheme
Employee Assistance Programme for 24-7 confidential support
Online wellbeing resources
A generous pension - we will contribute up to 4% and life assurance cover up to £10,000 (T&Cs apply)
Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff's commitment and contribution

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

The post holder will be fully involved in all aspects of the day to day management of their designated service, including line managing the relevant front line staff.

You will lead in carrying out supervisions, case work management and working with the team to achieve service objectives.

You will work closely with the Contract Manager to ensure that the service delivers on all targets, both financial and those around the quality of the service.

9 - 5pm working Monday & Friday. Occasional asked to work weekend to ensure service needs are supported.

What you'll do:

- Lead and motivate your team to ensure the championing of and maintenance of a positive local culture within your service

- Deliver effective supervision and team meetings with staff and ensure that information, reporting and communication

- Responsible for the personal development of staff, identifying high performers and feeding into the organisations succession plans

- Ensure that Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) required as part of the Contract are met and recorded correctly

- Develop key business relationships with all appropriate relevant customers/external parties to ensure service delivery excellence and maximise new business opportunities in own patch

- Participate in and monitor the initial and continuous assessment of needs and ensure that support planning is carried out in line with assessed needs of the customer

- Carry out other administrative tasks as relevant to the service and directed by the Contract/Heads of Operations

- Deliver an out of hours on-call service for region, where required

- Ensure that all safeguarding cases are managed in line with safeguarding protocols and are reported to Contract Manager/Head of service , as appropriate

For the full list please see our website.

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead

About you:

- Enjoys social interaction and the company of others, networks in local business community

- Approachable and open behaviour

- Prefers working as part of a group or team

- Is fundamentally calm and resilient, does not let emotion adversely affect them or obscure their judgement

- Has a practical and logical mind and is naturally well organised

- Thrives on change and enjoys dynamic diverse environments

- Is confident with high levels of self-esteem

- Is respectful, articulate and sensitive in style of communication

- Is passionate and enthusiastic about his/her career and job experiences

- Is motivated towards excellence and improvement of personal performance with a can do attitude

What you'll bring:

Essential:

- Educated to degree level or equivalent

Desirable:

- Other relevant professional memberships and/or specialist qualifications are desirable

About us:

Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 100 services, providing support to thousands of customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness and complex needs, young people and care leavers and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:

We focus on Excellence and innovation.
We are Caring and Compassionate.
We are Inclusive and Trusted.
We work in Partnership and are One-Team.
Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.

Job Title: Employment Adviser

Line Reports: Client Services Manager

Location: London

Salary:  £29,000 - £32,000

Hours: Full-time 37.5 hours per week, with occasional evening or weekend work (TOIL provided)

Contract: Permanent

Overall purpose

The Employment Adviser (EA) plays a key role in supporting refugees and people from refugee backgrounds to progress towards and secure sustainable employment. The EA provides tailored employment advice and guidance, helping clients build the knowledge, confidence, and skills needed to navigate the UK job market. This role will work with clients at various stages of their employment journey, with a particular focus on those in the earlier stages of understanding career options, developing employability skills, and exploring education, training, and volunteering opportunities.

The EA will deliver one-to-one and group-based employability support, collaborate with employers and volunteers to source opportunities for clients, and maintain strong relationships with referral and support partners to ensure a holistic approach to employment support.

To view the full job description and person specification, as well as details on our accessible recruitment process, please view the attached recruitment pack.

Other considerations

• As part of our safeguarding commitment to our clients, we carry out preemployment checks to ensure that successful applicants are suitable to work with adults at risk. These include basic DBS checks, obtaining references and verifying a candidate’s identity and right to work in the UK.
• Some travel between our different areas of operation (including London, Birmingham and Manchester) will be required. Occasional evening or weekend work may be required. Time off in lieu would be provided in this case.
• We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity status, race, religion or belief.

How to apply

If you are looking for a role where you can make a real difference, we want to hear from you. To apply, please submit a CV and statement (up to approximately 500 words/1 A4 page) outlining:

• Why you are interested in the role
• What skills you would bring to be successful in this role
• Any experience you would like to highlight
• Any reasonable adjustments you require for the interview process
• Disclosure of disabilities if you wish to do so (as a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, we guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role)

Please note that applications without a covering letter will not be considered.

Closing date for applications is 11:30pm on Tuesday 22 July. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis so please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

We belong to the Experts by Experience Employment Initiative, which advocates and supports organisations to employ more people from a refugee background. With this in mind, we particularly welcome applicants with experience of seeking asylum and/or a refugee background. 

If you are an expert by experience (a refugee or a migrant with direct, first-hand experience of issues and challenges of the UK asylum or immigration system), you can ask for an independent and confidential support for your job application from the Experts by Experience Employment Network. Please reach out to HR Manager Rebecca Hughes for further details (we are unable to include email addresses in this advert, but you can find contact details on the final page of the attached recruitment pack).

Core Job Purpose:

The Production Coordinator is responsible for maintaining, overseeing and coordinating all of FCW’s in-cell production. This is an exciting and varied role which helps contribute to the smooth running of the charity.

The duties of the role include:

· Administration of sending and receiving kits stitched in prison.

· Supporting volunteers teaching in prison by dealing with materials requests and orders.

· Ensuring our stitchers are paid for their work accurately and efficiently.

· Providing feedback on the stitching by our in-prison workforce.

· Assisting the extended production team with the ordering of materials, special commissions, donations requests and our tapestry finishing service.

· Gathering, logging and reporting on information related to production and prisoner pay using FCW’s custom database.

· Visiting our stitching groups in prison to get an better understanding of the challenges with production that both our volunteer teachers and our stitchers might face in delivering FCW production

You should have excellent interpersonal skills, be accurate in your attention to detail, be flexible and have the ability to take initiative. We expect you to work independently, prioritising your own workload, as well as working as part of a small, lively team.

Principal Accountabilities for the Core Job:

1. Support our volunteers and stitchers by sending our pre-prepared kits to volunteers around the country ahead of the stitching classes and receiving kits back from volunteers.
2. Administer the production process on FCW’s custom database: logging items as they are sent to prisons and volunteers around the country, tracking items as they are returned from prison, providing feedback to prisoners on the work completed and maintaining standards through rigorous quality control.
3. Process payments to prisoners on a weekly basis.
4. Support Fine Cell Work volunteers by dealing with requests for threads and troubleshooting problems with kits. 
5. Log data, collate and report on production, prisoner pay and stitcher statistics as required for the senior management and the fundraising teams, to include monthly reports and annual reports.
6. Supporting the use of FCW’s custom database to include testing and feedback on new features and uploading and maintaining relevant information.
7. Order materials in advance for production activities in prison workshops as well as at the FCW office, liaising with commercial suppliers as well as materials donors. Supporting the production manager with the production of all kits in prison workshops as well as by volunteers in the office.
8. Work with the Programmes and Impact Officer to enable Open College Network accredited training to be delivered in prisons by making up and sending out starter kits and materials to stitchers.
9. With the Programmes and Impact Officer, provide technical support for our lone stitchers by sending out work, talking to them on the phone or replying to letters.
10. Where appropriate, working with the Design and Commissions team to assist with the preparation of specialist kit and sample products, ordering materials and collecting stitcher feedback to assist with future production.
11. Coordinate FCW’s tapestry finishing and making up service.
12. Support the production manager to ensure that all ability and pay levels are appropriate to FCW’s stitcher population ensuring these are made and assigned with a view to developing prisoners’ skills and self-responsibility.
13. With the Programmes team, co-facilitate production training for volunteers both online and in person.
14. Assist with bi-annual stock counts involving staff, volunteers, prison leavers and prison staff to include finished items, work in progress and raw materials in all the prisons where FCW operates, as well as at FCW’s London office.
15. Coordinate Fine Cell Work volunteers with their weekly tasks as provided by the production manager.
16. First point of contact for phone calls to the office, assisting callers with enquiries and diverting calls to relevant members of staff.
17. On occasion, visit cell groups in prison around the country to support volunteers and stitchers in FCW production.
18. Assist with Fine Cell Work events as and when required.
19. Ad hoc duties to support the work of the charity as required including back-up support to production with apprentices and volunteers in the Clothworkers Studio.
     

Core Job Context:

Fine Cell Work is a UK based rehabilitation charity and social enterprise which makes beautiful handmade products in British prisons. For 28 years we’ve been transforming the lives of people in prison and prison leavers, one stitch at a time. Our unique process boosts our stitcher’s self-worth, instils accountability, and fosters hope.

We support people in prison and prison leavers to finish their sentences with work skills, money earned and saved, and the self-belief to rebuild meaningful, independent, crime-free lives. 

Set up in 1997 by Lady Anne Tree following years of lobbying the government to change prison rules about prisoners earning money from work done in their cells, Fine Cell Work operates in 38 British prisons engaging with over 600 people in prison in 2024. Our stitchers are supported by our skilled and valued volunteers who visit prison fortnightly to teach needlework.

By providing, paid, purposeful activity to prepare people in prison to successfully reintegrate into the community post-release, we are teaching key soft employment skills, supporting the development of self-discipline and self-belief,  and working to improve prisoner well-being, all key in reducing recidivism.

Core Requirements for the Role

Essential:

• Organised and process driven with strong administrative skills.
•  The ability to prioritise and meet deadlines and take initiative.
• Proven track record of delivering on targets and outcome.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• High standard of numeracy skills.
• Excellent team working skills.
• Accurate attention to detail for logging information and quality checking work.
• Proficient in MS Office particularly in Excel
•  A flexible approach to managing workload.
• An enthusiastic and positive attitude and strong interpersonal skills.
•  A non-judgemental approach to supporting prisoners.

Desirable:

• Experience of and/or knowledge of textiles and embroidery/needlework.
• Experience of working with volunteers.
• Experience of using complex databases.

This role is full time and based in our offices in Battersea, South London.

Reports to: Production Manager

Salary: £27,000

Fine Cell Work offer the following benefits to all our team members:

• A supportive learning culture and opportunities to develop in your role
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro-rata) increasing after 2 years of service
• Employer pension contribution after 3 month probationary period
• Season ticket loan
• Cycle to work scheme

Fine Cell Work is committed to the principle of equality. No job applicant, employee, volunteer or worker is discriminated against either directly or indirectly on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, religious belief, sex, marital or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy status, age or disability and we will maintain a neutral working environment in which no employee or worker feels under threat or intimidated.

To apply for this role please send a cover letter, outlining how you meet the person specification, and CV by 10pm on 13th July. Please note your application will not be considered if a cover letter is not included.

If successful in your application, interviews will be held week commencing 14th July.

Local Quality Manager - National Youth Agency
 

The National Youth Agency is looking for a new Local Quality Manager to join our Youth Work Innovation & Development Team.
 
Contract: 12 months fixed term
Hours: Full-time - 37 hours per week
Salary: £44,473 per annum
Remote: This role is homebased (within the UK) with occasional travel for staff residentials and other events.
 
What we do
 
As the national body for youth work, the NYA has a dual function. We are the professional statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) responsible for qualifications, quality standards, and safeguarding for youth work and services in England. In line with our charity mission and aims, we also champion youth work through research, advocacy, campaigns, and programmes.
 
We work in partnership and believe in collaborative leadership, listening to youth workers and the youth work sector so that we can understand their needs and respond to the challenges they face. We are ambitious for youth work and for young people and integrate youth voice and influence across our work
 
About the Role
 
Responsibilities will include:

• Lead delivery of key Local Offer programmes, such as our successful Peer Review and Peer Network Programme, which are designed to support Local Authorities and organisations in meeting the needs of young people and in the case of Local Authorities meet their Statutory Duty (section 507B).
• Manage the delivery of traded services relating to Quality Standards and Organisational Development.
• Manage and regularly update both existing and new online resources related to Quality Standards, ensuring consistency and standardisation across all materials.
• Collaborate with the National Curriculum and Learning Manager to influence the youth work curriculum and share learning and insight from programmes
• Work collaboratively with the Youth Investment Fund Programme Manager to inform and develop Quality Standards.
• Work with Local Policy & Partnerships Manager and the NYA Knowledge Team to develop sector insights and to share learning and knowledge across NYA teams and the youth work sector.
• Collaborate with Local Authorities and partner organisations to promote awareness and encourage participation in NYA programmes and Quality Standards.
• Utilise NYA tools, including Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Project Management systems, to generate timely and relevant performance and financial reports that support informed decision making and effective programme delivery. Experience of using project management platform (or similar) would be an advantage.
• Provide line-management and support to peers and officers as required.

 
Our ideal Local Quality Improvement Manager should have the following:

• Extensive experience working directly with young people across diverse settings, demonstrating a deep understanding of youth development and engagement.
• Demonstrated expertise managing youth work programmes and improving practice standards, including within Local Authority contexts.
• Proven experience in assessing youth work against established standards and implementing quality assurance processes for effective management, delivery, and evaluation.
• Comprehensive knowledge and experience in embedding best practices in youth voice, participation, and leadership within services and programmes.
• Strong understanding of the current challenges facing Local Authorities and youth sector organisations, and the implications for young people’s needs and service delivery.
• Ability to analyse complex organisational and Local Authority structures, reflect critically, and articulate clear recommendations for improvement and recognition of effective practice.
• Excellent organisational and leadership skills, with experience supporting and managing peers and officers in a collaborative environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to motivate teams and work effectively with partners and stakeholders.
• Proven experience in project management, with a proactive, self-starting approach and a strong focus on solutions and outcomes.
• Resilient, flexible, and ambitious, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, work under pressure, and maintain high standards.
• Willingness and ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends as required.
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail in all aspects of work.
• Confident in using modern Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, project management tools, and online learning platforms. Experience of using project management platform (or similar) would be an advantage.

 
Please refer to our Candidate Pack for more information on the role and the requirements.
 
Why Work for NYA?
 
NYA operates as a people-first organisation, prioritising the well-being and needs of its employees.
 
NYA offers an exceptional flexible working approach which encourages our team to balance professional responsibilities with their personal life.
 
A remote based team, spread across England, fostering inclusivity and diverse talent. Despite geographical distances between team members, NYA maintains a highly motivated and connected team through the optimisation of digital tools.
 
NYA is committed to supporting the continual personal and professional development of our team and helping them achieve their ambitions.
 
We provide 25 days leave plus 8 days, life assurance scheme, 5% employer pension contribution and a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme via with unlimited specialist support available to all NYA employees.
 
How to Apply:
 
Please download our applicant pack to find out more about the role and requirements.
 
To apply, please submit the following via our online application platform by 11:59pm on Friday 18th July 2025:
 
A detailed CV setting out your career history, with responsibilities and achievements in line with the person specification in the About You section.
 
A covering letter (maximum two sides) highlighting your suitability for the role and how you meet the requirements in the About You section.
 
We will request data for our EEDI monitoring purposes, providing this is optional.
 
Please note: the covering letter is an essential part of the application process and will be assessed as part of your full application. We use AI detector software, so cover letters or CV’s with over 30% AI generated content with be disregarded. We understand that AI tools can offer support to candidates who have learning differences, which is why we will accept applications with some AI assistance. CV’s will not be accepted without a cover letter.
 
The National Youth Agency is an equal opportunities employer.
 
At NYA our inclusive culture means that we embrace individual differences and understand that we need a diverse team to achieve our organisations mission.
 
We wish to recruit candidates from all backgrounds to ensure our team reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve. We encourage applications from anyone regardless of disability, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sexuality, religion, socio-economic background and political beliefs but we particularly welcome applications from global majority candidates and those from other minoritised ethnic groups in the UK as they are currently underrepresented in our team.
 
More about us
 
Discover more about the National Youth Agency and our work on our website.
 
Youth Work changes lives.
 
Which is why we’re committed to ensuring that as many young people as possible get to benefit from the national body for youth work in England, the National Youth Agency (NYA) exists to champion its transformative power. We believe all young people should have the opportunity to benefit from the life-changing impact of extraordinary youth workers and trained volunteers.
 
We help to grow youth work provision in ways that keep it effective, relevant, safe and engaging, to help millions of young people reach their potential and thrive. We do this by providing guidance, support, advice, training and staff development opportunities for youth workers and youth work organisations. At the heart of everything we do are young people themselves. We work hard to ensure their voices are integrated into all our work, to develop provision that truly meets their needs.
 
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