Customer services officer jobs

We have an opportunity for an Income officer to join our Customer Accounts team in Bristol.

This is a Part Time role working 22.5 hours per week, on a fixed term basis until June 2027.

The starting salary is £19,459 - 23,108 depending on experience.

Wednesday is the Teams day in the office, but we can be flexible with your working pattern between our working hours of 8.30am and 5.00pm.

The role:

As an Income Officer you'll carry out a range of tasks including negotiating payment arrangements with customers, providing welfare benefit and money advice and preparing applications for court. You'll be on standby to visit customers in their home as well as occasionally attending court hearings.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Delivering a comprehensive rent & service charge collection service across the region
• Monitoring customer accounts for all tenures
• Managing end to end processes
• Engaging with external agencies including local authorities when needed
• Managing evictions

To be successful in this role you'll need:

• Experience in income management or debt recovery/collection is advantageous, but not essential
• Knowledge and experience of either social housing, home ownership or the private rented sector
• Excellent customer service skills
• A working knowledge of welfare benefits
• To be a self-starter with a proactive approach and possess the ability to work without close supervision
• To have effective decision-making skills, a diplomatic and confidential approach and the ability to prioritise a busy workload.

As you'll need to travel in this role, having a car and full driving licence is essential.

A DBS check will also be undertaken for the successful candidate.

Apply today to be considered!

Read the job description here:

BACKGROUND 
Over the past 90 years, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has developed unparalleled expertise in responding to emergencies and helping uprooted communities to rebuild. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. The IRC is on the ground in more than 40 countries, providing emergency relief, relocating refugees and rebuilding lives in the wake of disaster. 

The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve. The IRC is a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable. 

IRC UK 
IRC UK is part of the IRC global network, which has its global headquarters in New York. Our team in the UK works to raise profile, deliver policy and practice change, and increase funding to help restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. The IRC UK has been delivering Resettlement Asylum and Integration (RAI) programmes in the UK since 2021, working in partnership with local councils, providing integration support to resettled refugees across England.

In Europe, the IRC also has offices in Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, Geneva and Stockholm.

The Purpose of the Role

The Client Voice Officer will support RAI UK’s client engagement and participation agenda, ensuring that refugees and people seeking asylum meaningfully influence programme design, delivery, advocacy, and strategy.

The role will implement client voice related projects and strengthen RAI UK’s client voice systems, including structured feedback mechanisms and the Client Advisory Board (CAB).

The role will support the development of client-led research and evidence generation initiatives to inform programmes and policy positions. The role will also build relationships with migrant-led and grassroots organisations to ensure lived experience meaningfully shapes services, advocacy priorities, and external engagement. This role centres direct lived experience of forced displacement as a form of expertise.

Key Working Relationships:

The postholder will report to the Integration Lead Advisor and work in close collaboration with the Head of Programmes, RAI Director, Programme Managers, Senior Programme Development Advisor,  Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer, Senior Programme and Awards Officer, Advocacy and Policy Managers, Communication team and other IRC UK teams.

Scope and Authority

National remit across all RAI UK programmes.

Functional leadership for client voice and engagement across teams.

Matrix working with Programme Managers, Advocacy Manager, M&E colleagues, and the Technical Unit.

Coordination of project delivery staff on the Pinterest project (without formal line management responsibility).

Key Accountabilities

Project Coordination

· Work in collaboration with the Senior Community Engagement and Volunteer Officer to coordinate a new psychosocial education and photography programme for refugee young people (aged 16–19).

· Support the delivery and facilitation of this programme as required.

· Develop the participant outreach plan and support the day-to-day communication with the participants of the project in coordination with the session facilitators.

· Work in collaboration with the Integration Lead Advisor, Technical Advisor for Women and Child Protection and other relevant programme colleagues to ensure that the project curriculum is adapted and delivered to be contextually appropriate, developmentally suitable, and aligned with RAI UK technical standards, with an emphasis on ensuring client voice is strengthened through a person-centred and strengths-based approach.

· Work with the Safeguarding Advisor to ensure full compliance with safeguarding, consent, data protection, and ethical storytelling requirements throughout project delivery.

· Work in collaboration with the Senior Community Engagement and Volunteer Officer and clients to co-create and coordinate two dissemination events showcasing youth photography and lived experience outputs.

· Ensure robust monitoring of outcomes and timely, high-quality donor reporting in line with IRC and funder requirements.

Community Engagement

· Strengthen and coordinate the Community Advisory Board (CAB).

· Provide support and training to CAB members, including organising external trainings as needed.

· Undertake associated administrative and coordination responsibilities related to client, community and CAB work, including meeting organisation, coordination and record-keeping of travel and expenses logistics, documentation including sensitive data management cross-departmentally including facilitation of DBS checks, client communication, and tracking actions to ensure accountability and follow-through.

· Proactively engage migrant-led and grassroots organisations to share best practices.

· Collaborate with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning team to track quantitative outputs and qualitative outcomes of engagement with community, clients and CAB.

· Ensure engagement approaches are accessible and inclusive to reduce barriers to participation.

Client Voice to strengthen Programme Development and Internal Learning

· Develop and implement a Client Voice framework for RAI UK to embed participatory approaches into every stage of programming from design to delivery.

· Embed client voice into early stages of programming, including needs assessments, service design, and proposals.

· Work alongside colleagues to embed client voice and continuously improve participatory engagement approaches across RAI UK programme delivery.

· Contribute to internal and donor monitoring, evaluation and reporting requirements.

· Collaborate with the MEL team to design tools to capture client voice in our programming and to measure client influence and participation.

· Pilot innovative approaches and build RAI UK evidence base on client and community participatory engagement.

· Contribute to IRC global client & community engagement communities of practice.

· Support delivery of RAI UK capacity building work, delivering trainings as requested to ensure client and community voice is represented, such as Healing Spaces trainings or employer engagement sessions.

External Communications and Advocacy

· Summarise client and CAB insights into briefings to be used in RAI and cross-departmentally, including by Senior Management Team and IRC UK Board of Trustees.

· Collaborate with Advocacy Manager and Policy Manager to reflect and include client and CAB insights and experiences into policy and advocacy calls for action.

· Support initiatives equipping refugees to share lived experiences in collaboration with Communications team, promoting trauma-informed ethical storytelling aligned with safeguarding principles.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

· Solid experience working with refugees or migrant communities.

· Experience working with young people, including on wellbeing or psychosocial topics.

· Experience facilitating participatory engagement methods.

· Strong safeguarding knowledge and trauma-informed practice.

· Excellent communication and organisational skills.

· Commitment to refugee rights and GEDI principles.

· Experience supporting advocacy initiatives.

· Experience with monitoring and evaluation systems.

· Lived experience of forced displacement/ the UK asylum system is recognised as valuable expertise and will be considered alongside professional experience.

We are looking for a committed and proactive Safeguarding, Complaints and Assurance Officer to play a vital role in strengthening our organisational governance and ensuring the safety, wellbeing, and satisfaction of the people we support.

This is an exciting opportunity to join our charity at a pivotal time and help shape best practice, champion learning, and support continuous improvement across safeguarding, complaints management, and organisational assurance.

About the Role

As our Safeguarding, Complaints and Assurance Officer, you will:

Safeguarding

• Act as the central point of contact for all safeguarding concerns
• Coordinate referrals, maintaining accurate and compliant records
• Support staff in recognising and reporting concerns
• Liaise with statutory agencies such as local authorities and police
• Monitor trends and escalate risks appropriately

Complaints Management

• Lead and oversee the end‑to‑end complaints process
• Ensure fair, consistent, and timely resolution
• Conduct or support investigations
• Maintain clear, auditable complaint records
• Communicate professionally and transparently with complainants

Assurance, Risk & Continuous Improvement

• Provide assurance that risks are identified, recorded, and managed
• Produce regular reports for senior leaders and trustees
• Support internal audits and external inspections
• Analyse data to identify themes and embed organisational learning
• Contribute to policy development and staff training

About You

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Highly professional, organised and confidential in their approach
• Able to work independently and make sound judgements
• Compassionate, proactive and committed to our charity’s values
• Confident in communicating with a wide range of stakeholders
• Skilled in analysing information and producing clear reports

Essential experience:

• Managing safeguarding concerns in a charity, public, or regulated setting
• Handling and investigating complaints
• Strong knowledge of safeguarding legislation
• Experience with risk management and assurance processes

Desirable experience:

• Working within the charity or voluntary sector
• Supporting audits or regulatory inspections
• Training or qualifications in safeguarding, social care, law, or investigations

About Life:

Life is a national pregnancy support charity that helps over 60,000 people a year. Through our services, we help people – whoever they are – to meet pregnancy or pregnancy loss with courage and dignity so they can flourish.

Our services include

• Supported housing and community support
• Counselling and skilled listening
• Free pregnancy tests and baby supplies

Our values

All our work is underpinned by the following universal human values:

• Humanity – All people are special and equal
• Solidarity – We’re with you and for you
• Community – We’re better together
• Charity – Doing good for one another
• Common good – Building a better world

Information about the role:

For further information, please see the attached job description.

Please note, driving licence and own vehicle are required.

Salary: £30,000 per annum

Hours: 30 hours per week, Monday – Friday

Location: Home based but there is a requirement to be based in The Midlands

Benefits

At Life we are passionate about providing our employees with a supportive and engaging environment. As well as ongoing development and training, we offer our:

• Generous holiday allowance, starting at 25 days per year, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time hours)
• Birthday Leave (applicable after 1 years service)
• Extra annual leave for long term service
• Company Pension Scheme
• Signed member of the Menopause Workplace Pledge

Safeguarding and Equality

Life is committed to protecting all staff, volunteers and service users from harm of any kind. Life expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and equality within our organisation by encouraging applications from all backgrounds.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks. Life takes its obligation to protect the rights of children and vulnerable people very seriously; therefore, the successful candidate for this post will be also subject to extensive background checking, including an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) which is paid for by the Charity.