Initial Contact Assessor

Initial Contact Assessor

Hours: Full-time (34.5 hours per week over 5 days)

Location: Hybrid working (40% working from the office in Leeds)

Salary: £26,073.23 - £29,345.65

Contract: Permanent

DBS: An enhanced check will be required

About us

At Epilepsy Action we are inclusive, ambitious, supportive, and committed to creating a world without limits for people with epilepsy. ​

As we achieve the goals in our 2024 - 2030 strategy we are excited to welcome you to our passionate, supportive and committed team.​

We understand the importance of a work life balance, and that's why we have a number of ways to support our people to achieve this. By operating a flexible and supportive approach, we empower people to work in a way that suits them that also meets the need of the charity.​

If you are interested in building a career you can be proud of in an inclusive and ambitious organisation we might have the role for you!

​ 

About the role

Be the first voice of support. Be the difference.

Do you love signposting ​people to enable them to access services and get the right support at the right time? ​Do you thrive in a fast‑paced environment where every conversation has the potential to help someone on their epilepsy journey with us? If so, this could be your perfect next step.

Our Information & Support Hub is at the centre of that mission to create a world without limits for people with epilepsy. As an Initial Contact Assessor, you will be the welcoming first point of contact for anyone reaching out for help, understanding, support or reassurance.

At Epilepsy Action we recognise the power of collaboration and teamwork, so our team members with hybrid contracts can expect to work a minimum of 40% at our office in Leeds. On average this is 2 days a week, normally on Mondays and Thursdays, for full-time employees. The expectation to collaborate face-to-face is driven in part by your role and the activities you need to do which may vary from time to time, so you will need to work in a flexible way to help us create a world without limits for people with epilepsy

​

What you will do

Every day is different, but your purpose stays the same: help people feel supported from the very first moment they get in touch.

You will:

• Respond to emails and webforms by providing basic epilepsy information and signposting to our range of support services.
• Answer calls to our helpline encouraging people to open up about their situation so you can assess their needs and level or urgency. Using call handling skills to keep the conversation focused and on track.
• Enable people to access our range of support services by making timely referrals or signposting to external organisations for support where the primary need is not epilepsy related.
• Responding compassionately, while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Identify and responding to safeguarding concerns appropriately in line with our procedures.
• Keep accurate, confidential records, contributing to meaningful insights and real impact.
• Play a key role in promoting our services, reaching out into online communities where epilepsy is discussed to raise awareness of the support available.
• Work alongside our wider services team to help every person feel supported on their epilepsy journey with us.

This is a role where you’ll make a positive difference empowering people to access support every single day often at moments when someone needs it most.

​

About you?

We’re excited to meet people who bring energy, care, and curiosity to the role. You will thrive here if you are:

• A warm, confident communicator able to explain things clearly, calmly and sensitively.
• An excellent listener, skilled at putting people at ease and understanding what’s really going on.
• Empathetic, patient and non‑judgemental, especially when supporting people in distress.
• Experienced in customer‑facing or support roles, ideally across both phone and digital channels.
• Comfortable assessing needs, identifying risks and navigating next steps.
• Organised, focused and calm under pressure, even when juggling multiple enquiries.
• Digitally confident, with strong attention to detail and accurate record‑keeping.
• A team player, who also works well independently and takes initiative.
• Committed to safeguarding, confidentiality, and doing what’s right for each person.

Experience with long‑term conditions, disabilities or vulnerable groups is a bonus, but if you don’t yet know much about epilepsy, don’t worry. We’ll train you.

​

Why this role matters

You’ll be the person who answers the call or reads the message when someone is anxious, confused, newly diagnosed, overwhelmed, or looking for hope.

Your voice, your empathy, and your guidance will help them access our support services so they can live well with their epilepsy.

If you’re someone who loves making a real difference from the very first “hello”, we’d love to hear from you.

​

Interested?

If you are interested in what you have read so far, you can submit your application via our online portal.

​​

Closing Date: Thursday 21st May 2025 @ 12pm

Informal Chat: Arranged as applications are reviewed

Interviews: Week commencing 8th June 2026

Recruitment process: We believe that having an informal chat before the formal interview process allows us and you to have an open and honest conversation about the role, our organisation culture and what attracted you to apply. This is why as part of this process we will be inviting people to a 30 minute online chat with a member of our team before inviting shortlisted candidates to formal interview. There will be a panel interview and a written task as part of the process.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications therefore early applications are advised.