Support and Outreach Worker (South London, Croydon & Brighton)

£33,215 per annum | Permanent | Full Time (35 hours)

Based from our London office, supporting vendors across Croydon, Brighton and the surrounding areas

Since 1991, Big Issue has fought poverty by creating opportunities and supporting people to take control of their lives. We believe in providing a hand up, not a hand out, helping people to earn, learn and thrive through enterprise, support and opportunity. 

We're looking for a Support and Outreach Worker to join our frontline team, supporting vendors to increase their income, build confidence and overcome barriers preventing them from achieving their goals.

This is a varied role combining outreach, relationship building, casework support and income generation. You'll work directly with some of the most vulnerable members of our communities while helping to create lasting opportunities and pathways out of poverty.

Key Responsibilities

• Proactive work with vendors, enabling them to increase their income through sales. This will include selling magazines to vendors, supporting them to become cashless and building wider skills and community resources.

• Undertake outreach, ensuring regular and appropriate contact with vendors is built and sustained.

• Actively recruit vendors by promoting Big Issue to individuals and building partnerships with third-party Organisations.

• Be responsible for the induction of new vendors, following the induction process to understand the needs and goals of each vendor, identifying a suitable pitch and creating plans to help achieve their aspirations and potential.

• Casework support, working with people to remove the barriers they face to move out of poverty through our Hand Up service. Working across key areas including housing, citizenship, financial and digital inclusion, wellbeing and education, training and employment.

• Identifying and promoting opportunities for people to move out of poverty through employment pathways including peer mentoring and Big Issue Recruit.

About You

To be successful as a Support and Outreach Worker, you'll:

• Have experience of carrying outreach work within community settings and be confident in lone working

• Understand homelessness, poverty and the issues involved in casework with vulnerable adults, including safeguarding

• Excel in communicating verbally and in writing, with the ability to build trust, explain sales techniques clearly and adapt your approach to the individual

• Be confident in dealing with difficult situations or conversations and escalate where necessary

• Understand the importance of confidentiality, data protection and GDPR

• Be computer-literate with a good level of skill in Office 365, and ideally some experience of using Salesforce

• Be organised and efficient, meeting deadlines and maintaining accurate records, including financial records

• Ideally have a clean driving licence and be willing to drive company vehicles

Salary & Benefits

• £33,215 per annum
• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Enhanced pension contributions
• Enhanced maternity pay
• Company sick pay
• Health cash plan and wellbeing support
• Training and development opportunities
• Life cover and access to counselling services 

Why Join Big Issue?

At Big Issue, you'll play a direct role in helping people affected by poverty build sustainable futures through enterprise, support and opportunity. Every day you will see the tangible impact of your work across your local community. 

Please refer to the attached Job Pack for full details of the role, responsibilities and person specification.

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