The post holder will work with the Energy Advice Team Leader to provide specialist and holistic advice on Energy issues. The post holder will need to be organised and work efficiently, providing an excellent service to clients and maintaining quality of advice standards. The post holder will need to be comfortable delivering advice and dealing with clients both by phone and in person.

On occasion the post will be required to represent the bureau in stakeholder engagement in relation to energy advice and associated issues. There may also be opportunities for home visits or attendance at local outreaches, if required to meet the objectives of the projects.

As full training will be provided, this post would suit someone looking for a move into energy advice or would suit a more experienced worker with existing advice experience in energy.

Job description

Key responsibilities

• To provide specialist and holistic advice on energy issues to clients by phone, email or in person.
• To work with the Energy Advice Team Leader to ensure best practice in energy advice and to provide a supportive and collaborative service to volunteers and other bureau staff.
• To ensure compliance with Citizens Advice Scotland Quality of Advice Standards as well as any funder specific guidance.
• To carry an active energy advice caseload and to work effectively and efficiently in order to provide an excellent service to clients while meeting funder objectives.
• To assist the Energy Advice Team Leader to produce project reports as required.

The above job description is not exhaustive and is clarified and intended to include broad duties inherent of the post.

Person specification

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential

• An interest in energy advice work within the charity advice sector
• A good standard of IT literacy (MS Office and other relevant software) and good people skills (in person and by telephone)
• Experience of successfully working on own initiative and managing own workload.
• Ability to identify and action own training needs and to work effectively to enhance continual professional development including keeping up to date with any relevant legislation; procedures; guidance; directives and advice topics.
• An understanding of current concerns around household costs, costs of living issues and fuel poverty.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the aims and principles of the CAB service.
• Completion of the CAB Adviser Training Programme.

The post holder will be responsible for developing and delivering training courses/sessions to enable the EASE Project end users (AFTAR/CAB tenants of five partner Housing Associations, located throughout North Lanarkshire) to empower digitally excluded clients to claim online benefits, grants, offer IT sessions and employability sessions. The post- holder will have responsibility for planning group training sessions as well as one to one coaching sessions for the end users in their own home, or at community based venues or at partners’ premises. Learning will be evaluated through client user surveys and other feedback.

Owing to the flexible delivery nature of this project, a clean current driving licence and use of a car is required for this post.

Employee Benefits

• Competitive reward package including annual performance bonus scheme

• 5% employer pension contributions

• Generous holiday entitlement 38 days inclusive of public holidays

• Additional holidays for length of service

• Family friendly policies

• Home & Flexible working scheme

• Occupational Sick Pay

• Dedicated Training and Personal Development Budget as part of our Talent Management Pool

• Leadership Mentoring

• A wide range of Social Events and Team Building Days

Scotland’s Citizens Advice Network is an essential community service that empowers people through our local bureaux and national services by providing free, confidential, and independent advice. We use people’s real-life experiences to influence policy and drive positive change. We are on the side of people in Scotland who need help, and we change lives for the better.

The Citizens Advice network is made up of 59 local Citizens Advice Bureaux, each its own independent charity, and Citizens Advice Scotland as the national charity and membership body, which includes the GB delivery of Extra Help Unit service, a group of specialist case workers supporting vulnerable energy and post consumers. We provide advice across over 200 locations and deliver 12 national advice projects for UK and Scottish Government including the Money Talks advice service and the Help to Claim Universal Support advice service.

Last year the network helped nearly 180,000 people and unlocked £147million for people through things like social security payments and employment entitlements. Our online advice received over 5.4 million page views and our awareness raising campaigns reached millions of people.

Our vision is for a Fairer Scotland where everyone has the advice and information they need to realise their rights, and that the barriers to accessing those rights are effectively challenged.

Making Change Happen at Citizens Advice Scotland

The Impact team has access to the incredible wealth of data generated through advice giving by our network of Citizens Advice Bureaux and through the Extra Help Unit at Citizens Advice Scotland, and our online advice which is accessed by over 2 million people every month.

We hold the largest dataset on social issues outside of the public sector and this allows us to understand what is happening on the ground in communities across Scotland and reflect our client’s experiences to government and to those who can make a difference. We campaign and influence to tackle the root cause of the problems people face, and to work to strengthen their rights. To achieve change we work with governments, regulators and business at a UK and Scottish level on improving areas of particular detriment, and undertake research and deliver awareness and education campaigns.

Our Network Mission

• We help people navigate systems and access their rights
• We build resilience in local communities
• We support the realisation of human rights
• We help change policies and practices to ensure they work for people

This Opportunity

As a Policy Manager (Strong Communities) you will lead and manage a team dedicated to improving the policy, processes, and practices in the areas of access to justice and telecommunications and advocate for change on behalf of citizens and consumers in order to prevent detriment.

You will be responsible for managing the work plan, developing policy positions, directing the policy outputs of team members, advocating for change, raising awareness, undertaking research, and empowering people to make informed choices.

We are looking for someone who is highly motivated, can lead with drive and enthusiasm, able to efficiently manage a work programme of activity, and play a key role in a team dedicated to making positive change to the lives of people in Scotland.

This is a great opportunity to play a critical role in helping to make society fairer, and in supporting our network of Citizens Advice Bureaux across Scotland.

You will be able to demonstrate experience of working in policy development, advocacy, public affairs, consumer policy, or regulation. While not an essential criteria understanding of the Scottish legal system or legal qualifications, and/or knowledge of current issues and developments related to access to justice in Scotland, such as reform processes and the impacts of the pandemic on the justice system in Scotland would be beneficial to this role. Likewise understanding of telecommunications policy, the free advice landscape in Scotland, or experience of working as part of a network would also be beneficial for this role.

Employee benefits

Citizens Advice Scotland offers excellent terms and conditions. We want our people to have a great work life balance and we have designed our working practices and benefits to support this. Here are some of things our employees benefit from: a 35-hour full time working week, 40 days annual leave, genuine flexibility in working hours with a flexi-time system, and blended/hybrid working opportunities for every role.

Citizens Advice Scotland is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion. We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies and flexible working arrangements to support all our staff. We are also committed to equality of opportunity for all and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

CAS provides options for blended working to allow employees to balance their time attending the office with time working from home. The number of days you will be able to work from home each week will be dependent on your job role and can be discussed as part of the recruitment process.

Ceartas is an independent advocacy service which working with individuals aged 16 and over in East Dunbartonshire.

Are you looking for an exciting new opportunity?

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual who has a passion for equality, fairness and justice to join our team.

The post holder will provide independent advocacy support on a one to one and collective basis. The advocacy worker has a key role within the Ceartas team, undertaking a range of advocacy services which may include empowering, informing, enabling and representing service users in a variety of settings.

You do not necessarily have to have experience of delivering independent advocacy but you will have a strong knowledge and understanding of the role of independent advocacy and its guiding principles. Full training and support will be provided.

Ceartas is a Disability Confident Employer.