Debt advice team supervisor jobs

Location: Birmingham

Salary: Grade 5 - £37,181 per annum pro rata-ed for part time

Contract: Fixed term maternity cover until March 2026

Hours: Part time – 30 per week – working pattern can be negotiated but will need to include Wednesdays

Closing date: Monday 14th July 2025 at 11.30 pm

Please note this role is being advertised as Housing Team Leader but on appointment the job title will be Team Leader.

Applications for secondments are welcomed from organisations closely aligned or who currently work with Shelter, subject to both organisations agreements.

Do you have proven experience of day-to-day staff and service management, including casework support and supervision? Then join Shelter as a Housing Team Leader and you could soon be playing an important role at the heart of our Birmingham Hub.

About The Role

The role of  Housing Team Leader is essential to the day-to-day management of the Hub and in particular the delivery of front-line services, contracts and projects. You will lead and supervise the staff and volunteer team that delivers specialist advocacy, empowerment, advice and systems change within their local community. Supporting the Hub’s strategic lead and management team to deliver our strategy locally will be important too, as will planning and supervising casework, monitoring the effectiveness of our services and helping to promote them. You will ensure we provide an excellent quality service that meets the needs of those who need our help and that everyone has access to a safe and affordable home.

About You

You will need experience of working with people facing exclusion and disadvantage and in a multi-disciplinary context with partners, community groups and other agencies. A good understanding of housing law is essential, while experience of debt advice, support services and delivery of advice in a community setting would be useful. The communication skills it takes to line manage others and promote effective working relationships, with external agencies, people with lived experience and internally across Shelter, are key. You must be proficient in the use of a range of IT tools to carry out your work, including case management systems, Microsoft applications, internet and email.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave (pro rata), enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

About The Team

Our Birmingham hub specialises in providing housing advice and homelessness work, with a particular focus on families and people experiencing multiple disadvantage. We work in partnership with a range of organisations to improve the underlying systems that prevent people from living securely in suitable, safe, affordable accommodation.

About Shelter

Home is a human right. It’s our foundation and where we thrive. Yet every day millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.

We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything.

We need ambitious, passionate people to join us. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. To win this fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, equitable and transparent. We are committed to combating racism both within and outside Shelter. We welcome you on our journey to becoming truly anti-racist.

How to Apply

Please click ‘Apply for Job’ below. You are required to submit a CV and a supporting statement. The supporting statement should include your responses to the points in the ‘About You’ section of the job description of no more than 350 words each.

Please provide specific examples following the STAR format and ensure you demonstrate how you address the behaviours below throughout your responses:

• Prioritise diversity and have an inclusive mindset
• We work together to achieve our shared purpose

Safeguarding Statement

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

Recruitment Agencies

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

About Citizens Advice BANES

Citizens Advice Bath and NE Somerset is an independent local charity providing information and advice to residents of the BANES council area. We aim to empower people to resolve their problems and change their lives for the better.

We provide free, independent and confidential advice; whoever you are, whatever the problem. We help people overcome their problems and campaign on big issues when their voices need to be heard. We value diversity, champion equality, and challenge discrimination and harassment.

We’re here for everyone in the Bath and NE Somerset area and we work in partnership with other local services to provide the best possible advice and information to meet the needs of local residents.

We value diversity and promote equality and would welcome suitably qualified people with disabilities and minority ethnic applicants as these groups are under-represented in our workforce.

Role Purpose: You will play a vital role leading and managing a team and service, with overall responsibility for delivering high-quality outcomes and providing clear, effective leadership. You will oversee a multi-skilled team, ensuring they remain motivated, supported, compliant and efficient in their roles. A key focus of the role is to foster a collaborative and client focused environment, where services are seamless and centred around the needs of those we support.

About our generalist advice service

We are contracted by Bath & NE Somerset council to deliver a generalist advice service to residents of the area. The contract was won by competitive tender in 2022 and runs for five years until March 2028.

The service is accessible by phone five days a week and face-to-face at three outreach locations in Bath, Keynsham and Midsomer Norton. Follow up appointments are available by phone, at our offices or outreach locations.

Our impact
During 2024-25:

• We helped 5,961 people
• We dealt with 20,960 advice issues
• Top three advice issues – welfare benefits, utilities & energy, debt
• 63% of clients disabled or long-term health condition; 12% BAME
• Recorded financial gains of £7,010,650 for local communities
• 90% of clients would recommend the service

What we offer our staff

• 6% employer pension contribution
• Employee assistance programme
• Five weeks paid annual leave, plus all bank and public holidays.
• Flexible working arrangements

Recruitment timetable
Closing date for applications: Monday 7 July 2025 at 10.00am
Interviews: week commencing 14 July 2025 (to be held in central Bath)

About Citizens Advice Watford

At Citizens Advice Watford, we pride ourselves on the values that make our workplace not just productive but also enriching and fulfilling. Our collaborative spirit is at the heart of everything we do, fostering a teamwork environment where every individual’s contribution, staff or volunteer, is recognised and appreciated. We are proactive, anticipating the needs of clients, and take the initiative to provide the best service possible. We value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination. We encourage and welcome applications from suitably skilled candidates from all backgrounds.

Context of the Role

We are seeking a Volunteer Manager (Learning and Development) who shares our vision of a thriving and supportive workforce. Through your management of volunteers and your coordination of the training and development we will maintain excellent quality of advice for clients and a fulfilling work environment for all staff and volunteers. An environment in which everyone has the knowledge, skills and confidence to excel in their role. As a key part of the senior management team, you will enjoy working collaboratively and effectively to deliver the aims and objectives of the organisation.

Role Purpose

• Recruit, induct, train and retain volunteers into various roles within the advice service
• Provide a supportive environment for volunteers throughout their time at CA Watford
• Plan and coordinate internal and external training to ensure that everyone is skilled in their role
• Implement annual training programmes to ensure the workforce is skilled and knowledgeable ensuring we maintain high quality of advice.

What we give our staff

• We provide an employee pension scheme with a 6% employer contribution
• Our Employee Assistance Programme Telus gives immediate access to professional and confidential counselling and advisory services
• Flexibility – our roles are open to discussion about flexible working
• Employees are entitled to 6.6 weeks paid annual leave in each year. In the case of full-time employees working a five-day week, this equates to 33 days paid annual leave (including the 8 statutory bank holidays). Pro-rata for part-time employees
• Training provided to support continuous professional development. There will be opportunities to progress within the organisation.
• We are a disability confident employer

Recruitment timeline:

Closing date for applications – Monday 7th July 2025

Interviews week commencing – Monday 14th July 2025

Please note, this job was originally posted as Learning and Development Manager.

BACKGROUND

For over thirty years, Asylum Aid has been providing legal representation to some of the most vulnerable people seeking asylum in the UK. Our welfare advice team provide generalist advice on welfare benefits, housing, asylum support and related issues to Westminster residents with refugee and migrant backgrounds who do not have English as a first language and who would otherwise be unable to access vital advice which enables them to avoid destitution, homelessness and food poverty. We deliver this advice as part of the Westminster Advice Services Partnership through a drop in and outreach at local community venues, and supported by local volunteers many of whom speak community languages.

The post of Appeals Support Advisor is a new post established with the benefit of a grant from Westminster City Council. The post holder will support clients with appeals and reconsideration requests in relation to welfare benefits and housing. This will allow us to provide a more comprehensive service for our clients, many of whom struggle to lodge appeals and reconsideration requests, and to gather evidence in support of their appeals without advice, due to language barriers.  The post holder will deliver advice in community languages, including with the assistance of interpreters, to local residents as part of our partnership work. Most of our clients are refugees, people seeking asylum and others with a refugee or migrant background. The Appeals Support Advisor will work with clients referred from Asylum Aid’s Information and Advice Service (including our weekly drop in) and from other partners in the local community. They will also provide training and supervision to the Generalist Advisor and our volunteers. External supervision will be arranged for the post holder.

The ideal candidate will be resident in or near to the City of Westminster and fluent in one or more community languages. In particular, fluency in one or more of the following is highly desirable: Arabic, Bengali, Farsi, Kurdish Sorani/ other Kurdish dialects, Somali, Amharic, Tigrinya.

As this is a new post delivering a specialist appeals and casework service from within our generalist advice team, it offers an exciting opportunity to set up and establish systems for the delivery of this service during the six month fixed term contract, including ensuring that case management processes are established which meet the requirements of our Lexcel quality mark and that clear referral procedures are established with the drop in service and our partners.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

The post-holder will:

• Be part of a generalist advice service, with special emphasis on language support, as part of the Westminster Advice Services Partnership (WASP), a collaboration of advice agencies Asylum Aid, Westminster Citizens Advice, Age UK Westminster, and Deaf PLUS Westminster Advice Service.
• Provide specialist appeals casework and support to clients who do not speak English as a first language and need to challenge decisions, request  mandatory reconsiderations, internal housing reviews, lodge appeals in relation to welfare benefits and housing.
• Provide ongoing casework support up to the Tribunal stage, including helping clients to gather evidence in support of their mandatory reconsiderations and appeals and preparing for hearings (but not including representation at hearings)
• Where capacity allows, help to deliver generalist face to face and telephone advice and information, in a community language and English, to migrants and asylum seekers on issues related to welfare benefits, housing and asylum support in accordance with Asylum Aid’s contract within the WASP partnership, and taking responsibility for the quality of advice given.
• Provide training and supervision to the Generalist Advisor and to volunteers, supporting the development of their advice skills and ensuring the quality of advice delivered throughout the advice service.
• Maintain a high standard of electronic case records (using AdvicePro) for the purpose of continuity of casework, information retrieval, monitoring and evaluation of the service, and to help identify issues to be raised through policy advocacy.
• Ensure that all casework is conducted in accordance with the Lexcel quality standard, including by establishing case management procedures for the delivery of specialist advice which meet the Lexcel standard, and participate as required in annual Lexcel quality mark audits
• Attend external and in-house training organised by Asylum Aid and regular supervision sessions to develop and maintain the skills and knowledge required to help deliver a quality advice service, and to keep up to date with changes in welfare benefits, housing and asylum support law
• Cascade information, changes,  and developments in social welfare law, including learning from external training, to other staff and volunteers who assist with the delivery of the welfare advice service
• Work effectively with partners to provide a seamless service for clients, making and receiving referrals and maintain up to date information about other service providers for the purposes of referrals and signposting. 
• Be responsible for achieving relevant targets for quality and quantity set by the WASP coordinator
• Provide case studies and other information from the work of the advice service to support policy advocacy and strategic legal work in support of Asylum Aid’s vision of fair and dignified treatment of people seeking asylum, refugees and other vulnerable migrants 
• Carry out any other tasks within the scope of the post to ensure the effective delivery and development of the service.

The post holder will need to be able to travel to and within Westminster to deliver advice at outreach locations as well as at a drop-in in or around the Church Street Estate. Travel expenses will be paid to attend locations away from Asylum Aid’s office(s) and the main location of our drop-in service (currently the Church Street library).

Other duties:

• Respect for client confidentiality at all times in line with Asylum Aid’s confidentiality agreements and consent forms. 
• To attend staff meetings as required.
• To undertake other duties which are generally compatible with the functions of the post.
• To comply with the organisation’s policies and procedures, particularly those relating to safeguarding, health and safety, diversity, equity & inclusion, confidentiality and security, as set out in the Office Manual as well the policies of other relevant partner organisations.

Person Specification

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• At least 12 months’ experience of supporting benefits appeals through to Tribunal stage and Housing Reviews
• At least 5 years’ experience of working face to face with clients to deliver generalist advice in different areas of law including welfare benefits and housing
• Knowledge on a range of issues on which advice may be sought including health and social care, housing and welfare benefits, including a thorough and up to date understanding of social security and welfare benefits legislation and policy  
• Experience of managing a case load
• Knowledge or ability to understand and use relevant legislation
• Have completed Advice UK’s Learning to Advise training or hold the Citizens Advice Generalist Adviser certificate or an equivalent qualification
• Be fluent in written and spoken English as well as a second language spoken by a substantial proportion of the Westminster population, ideally Arabic, Bengali, Farsi, Kurdish Sorani/ other Kurdish dialects, Somali, Amharic, Tigrinya (to a standard that enables accurate advice to be given in the language)
• Experience of working with interpreters in the delivery of advice
• Able to meet deadlines, work under pressure, meet performance targets and take responsibility for their work, while working flexibly within a team environment
• Able to relate to a wide cross section of clients in a non-judgmental way.
• Able to use a range of IT systems and packages confidently and competently to be able to support and encourage others in using online systems and resources to enable them to self-help.
• Able and willing to learn and assimilate new knowledge in a working environment.
• Able to give and receive feedback objectively and sensitively.
• Able and willing to work both on own initiative and as part of a team.
• Understanding of and commitment to the aims and principles of Asylum Aid service and commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Good understanding of the needs of migrants and asylum seekers and the issues and barriers that affect them in UK.

Desirable:

• Experience of specialist advice work, including appeals and mandatory reconsiderations
• Friendly, polite, and patient
• Experience of working under a relevant quality mark such as the Advice Quality Standard or Lexcel
• Understanding of the housing and other support available to people seeking asylum who do not have the right to work in the UK
• Experience of working with volunteers
• Experience of supervising other advisers, including volunteers  
• Demonstrable understanding of issues facing vulnerable clients whose English is not the first language and many with mental health problems.
• Lived or learned experience of the difficulties that migrants and refugee communities face when they have to deal with the UK welfare system
• Personal experience and/or Knowledge of the advice process and experience in the areas of either benefits, housing or debt.
• Experience of using interpersonal skills, including sensitive listening, and questioning skills to understand the needs of others,
• Ability to communicate with other organisations, housing, and welfare departments.

How to apply 

The first stage is to complete on our online application form on our website by 9am on 7th July 2025.

The website form will ask you to:

1. Upload a short covering letter. Please tell us why the position appeals to you, and how your

relevant skills and experience, including any voluntary experience and lived experience, matches the listed responsibilities and person specification. Please also state in your covering letter when you would be available to start the role.

2. Upload your current CV

3. Complete an online Equal Opportunities monitoring form – completion of this form will help us ensure that our recruitment procedures operate in such a way as to provide genuine equality of opportunity. The questions are entirely optional and this information will not be available to members of the selection panel.

Selection Process

We anticipate that we will invite candidates to an initial 15-minute online screening meeting week commencing 16 June 2025, followed by shortlisted candidates attending in-person interview week commencing 23 June 2025. We will also ask you to complete a short written task on the day.

We regret that we can only respond to applicants who make it to the interview stage.

Eligibility

Please note that the successful candidate must have the right to work in the UK (as a small charity we do not have the capacity to sponsor work visas).

Successful candidates will also be subject to a basic DBS check. If appointed, you will also be required to give your consent to the charity to receive regular updates on your criminal records status throughout your employment and to disclose any relevant convictions incurred during your time with us.

Adjustments

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we’ll always endeavour to be as accommodating as possible. If you require a different format of the application form, such as large print or Word format, or if you would like to discuss any specific requirements, please get in touch with us.