Advice Session Supervisor

North and West Gloucestershire Citizens Advice is a progressive advice service which puts clients first, providing high quality advice via all channels. We are currently developing a new approach to meeting demand and offering an excellent career opportunity for a motivated individual to join our enthusiastic skilled team.

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual with recent experience of advice work either as a supervisor or as a general advisor wishing to progress their career. You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills and be able to work flexibly as part of a wider team.

Apart from your ability to give good quality advice, you will need the confidence to support a team of volunteers and paid staff who deliver our front line services and various projects.

We believe that ethics and attitude are equally as important as knowledge and we are looking for someone who wants to make a real difference to people’s lives. We in turn value all our people and can offer a supportive environment within a charity setting that is truly committed to social justice

Want to chat about this role?

If you want to chat about the role further, you can contact Mariam Bhamla  (Tues-Thurs only) via details to the right of this advert.

The role

FTE Salary: £27,316 – 30,152 (dependent on experience)
Hours: 21 hours – Monday/Wednesday/Thursday – 9.am-4.30 pm
Reporting To: Core Services Manager
Location: Cheltenham. Occasional cover in Gloucester may be required\

Company Benefits

Pension:  Contribution of 7% based on 4% employee contribution

Employee Assistance Scheme:  Health Assured

Birthday Leave: Take a day to celebrate your annual personal milestone. This leave does not form part of your annual leave entitlement.

Christmas Closure: Our office will be closed between Christmas and New Year’s, and these days won’t count towards your holiday entitlement.

Flexible Working

Policy:  Includes compressed hours, flexitime, homeworking/hybrid

Role purpose

• To manage practicalities of the advice session, ensuring the highest quality of advice, and providing support to individual workers and the team.
• All Advice Session Supervisors will work together to offer clients the highest possible standard of advice and information and will have the same basic duties to ensure an effective and uniform delivery of service. Key areas of responsibility will vary as to the particular skills and experience of the post-holder, but all will be working closely with the team of volunteer gateway assessors and advisers to enhance their skills and give them support.
• Regular meetings of the Advice Session Supervisors will be held with the Core Services Manager in order to feedback and discuss relevant issues affecting the team and the service offered to clients.

Role profile

Supervising advice sessions

➢ Manage the practicalities of the advice session and ensure adequate staffing and resources.
➢ Provide an appropriate level of support and supervision to individual workers depending on their level of competence.
➢ Monitor the case records / telephone calls of designated staff to meet quality standards and service level agreements across core and project-based services (e.g. Advice First Aid, Barnwood Trust, Foodbank, etc.)
➢ Carry out Performance Quality Framework assessments, as directed .
➢ Ensure remedial and developmental issues are identified and acted on to develop individuals, improve the quality of advice, and ensure clients do not suffer detriment due to poor or inadequate advice.
➢ Keep technical knowledge up to date and provide technical support to advisers and / or caseworkers.
➢ Ensure effective involvement of staff (paid and volunteer) in gathering research and campaigns evidence
➢ Keep up to date with research and campaigns issues and contribute to research and campaigns work including drafting plans and identifying priorities for campaigns and development.
➢ Support and oversee advisers delivering advice across external projects such as Advice First Aid, Barnwood Trust and Foodbank partnerships, ensuring consistent standards and work with appropriate line manager to ensure coordination of workflow.
➢ Assist the Core Services Manager and Community and Partnership Manager to incorporate into advice sessions any requirements of newly acquired projects
➢ Undertake reasonably requested ad hoc exercises from time to time

Staff management

➢ Create a positive working environment in which equality and diversity are well- managed, dignity at work is upheld and staff can do their best.

➢ Participate in recruitment and selection activities as delegated.
➢ Participate in the induction of new staff as delegated.
➢ To liaise with Training Officer to ensure smooth transition into development phase by providing observation, case checking and role development of new staff members leading to qualification as a generalist adviser.
➢ Ensure the effective performance management and development of staff through regular supervision sessions, the appraisal process and learning and development.

➢ Provide supervision, performance support and case oversight to advisers across both core Citizens Advice services and externally funded or partnership projects (e.g. Advice First Aid, Barnwood Trust, Foodbank delivery).
➢ Encourage good teamwork and lines of communication between all members of staff.
➢ Participate in meetings as delegated/requested.
➢ Commitment to work with team leaders to support and share knowledge with each other to assist the development of these leadership roles.

Manage and oversee practicalities of the advice session by:

➢ checking on resources available (e.g. rooms, information, working computers, leaflets)
➢ ensuring resources are available given the expected number of clients
➢ checking that all cases are written up and follow-up action identified and logged
➢ checking referrals and advice follow-up work

Deal with any problems such as:

➢ disturbances, aggressive/violent clients
➢ emergency procedures (e.g. fire, accident, any safety concerns from bureau workers

Person specification

1.   Ability to commit to, and work within, the aims, principles and policies of the Citizens Advice service.
2.   A good, up to date understanding of equality and diversity and its application to the provision of advice, and the supervision and development of staff.
3.   Proven ability to give and receive feedback objectively and sensitively and a willingness to challenge constructively.
4.   Ability to monitor and maintain own standards
5.   Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
6.   Demonstrable understanding of the issues affecting society and their implications for clients and service provision.
7.   Demonstrable understanding of the issues involved in interviewing clients.
8.   Proven ability to manage / supervise others, including ability to recruit, develop and motivate staff.
9.   Proven ability to monitor and maintain service delivery against agreed targets/KPI’s
10.  Proven ability to develop individuals or groups by providing support, guidance, tutoring and / or training.
11.  Proven ability to supervise and support advisers working across both core advice services and externally funded or partnership projects.
12.  Proven ability to supervise and monitor advice work and to maintain casework systems and procedures.
13.  Ability to prioritise own work and the work of others, meet deadlines and manage workload in a busy environment.

14.  Ability to use IT systems and packages, and electronic resources in the provision of advice and the preparation of reports and submissions.
15.  Ability to monitor and maintain recording systems and procedures.
16.  Ability to research, analyse and interpret complex information.
17.  A commitment to continuous professional development.
18.  Ability to manage multi-channel advice sessions.

Applying for this post

To apply for this post, please complete our application form, which can be found on our
website, by clicking on Apply Now. Completed application forms should then be emailed to
the address to the right of this advert.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to provide individual feedback to applicants who are not shortlisted for interview.

If you have not been contacted within one week of the closing date, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion.

In accordance with Citizens Advice national policy we may require the successful candidate
to be screened by the DBS. However, a criminal record will not necessarily be a bar to your
being able to take up the job.