Job Profile for Community Support Employment Officer

Job Details

Job title: Community Support Employment Officer

Salary/Grade: 3

Service: Housing and Community

Reports to: Community Services Manager

Manages/Supervises: N/A

Job purpose

To support residents managing complex barriers to employment through engagement and identifying individual solutions which will lead to progression towards the employment market.

To develop and strengthen partnerships with external organisations, both statutory and voluntary community sectors, to maximise the support and opportunities available.

Principal Accountabilities

• To develop and deliver effective advice in relation to employment, education, training and volunteering opportunities to enhance a customer’s ability to find work.
• To complete an initial assessment with customers, establishing a starting point for them to make choices regarding employment, education, training and volunteering.
• Work with different, complex and challenging customer groups to identify the barriers that prevent individuals returning to employment and devise effective, bespoke solutions.
• Develop and deliver clear pathways for customers to access employment support, debt/money management advice and other support through local organisations and services.
• Lead on insightful and proactive contact with customer groups who have been identified as needing further support and advice.
• Devise and develop appropriate campaigns with local partners to maximise effort in engaging hard to reach groups and raise awareness of the support available.
• Build relationships and liaise closely with Braintree and Witham job centres to take a joint approach in tackling unemployment in the District.
• Collaborate with other specialist support partners both internally and externally to build on partnership working for the benefit of the customers and the organisation.
• Demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of welfare benefits, including Universal Credit and keep up to date with relevant welfare reforms and changes.
• Assist in the development and implementation of effective processes to support and deliver the job purpose.
• Be able to work effectively and proactively across sites and locations and co-locate with Department of Work and Pensions at both the Braintree and Witham Job Centres.
• Accurately maintain all customer records on the relevant systems so that they are GDPR compliant and up to date.
• Provide regular monitoring and evaluations to DWP.
• Represent the Council at internal and external meetings, deliver presentations and prepare reports.

Corporate Accountabilities

• To take responsibility for maintaining own health and attendance.
• To support, contribute and comply with quality and governance procedures as directed by management.
• To apply and actively promote the principles of the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy in all areas of employment and service delivery.
• Any other associated duties detailed by Head of Service or his representative.
• To advise Line manager if, at any time, the above duties and responsibilities cannot be performed.
• Any other duties as required to support the business, including maintaining business continuity and during civil emergencies.
• To apply and actively promote the principles of the Council’s Safeguarding Procedure in all areas of employment and service delivery.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

(Tested at application and interview stage)

Experience & Qualifications

• Experience of working in the benefits advice sector.
• Experience of working with a wide range of partners from both statutory and voluntary community sector organisations.
• Ability to build relationships with individuals.
• Proven experience of partnership working.

Skills and Knowledge

• Good working knowledge of welfare benefits including Universal Credit.
• Knowledge of local partner organisations that support residents.
• Ability to manage own workload.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Excellent IT skills.
• Sound judgement and the ability to prioritise competing demands to meet deadlines.
• Excellent written and organisational skills to include report writing and presentation skills.
• Excellent time keeping and time management skills.
• Strong communication (telephone, face-to-face and written).
• Ability to network and utilise contacts.

Competencies

(Tested at the interview stage)

Communicating Effectively 

Demonstrate the effective use of the range of communication methods available: written, spoken, electronic, and use these methods in appropriate ways suitable to the context and situation

• present spoken communication in a polite, friendly and respectful manner seeking to ensure mutual understanding
• listen well and seek clarification and understanding, avoiding jumping to conclusions or making assumptions
• present information and ideas in a clear and understandable way which avoids jargon
• seek to understand the communication needs of colleagues and customers, being mindful of equality issues and the diverse needs of the range of people we work with
• choose the most appropriate method of communication for the situation, seeking to avoid using one fixed style or approach

Performing efficiently and effectively 

Promote good performance, developing clear, structured and efficient ways of managing workload and delivering results. Staff should challenge themselves and others to perform well, and to adhere to the Council’s performance management systems

• ensure that all work carried out by you is in line with the funding agreement and supports
• the overall aims and ambition of the Council
• plan your workload effectively, reporting achievements, and problems to appropriate managers and project leaders
• see tasks and objectives through to completion
• approach challenges with drive and enthusiasm
• strive for continuous improvement in your work and manage your learning and development to enable you to perform to the best of your ability
• create novel solutions to improve services and ways of working and challenge conventional practices
• seek out income generating opportunities and efficiencies and aim to provide more for less to achieve the best possible value and high standards of service delivery
• be enthusiastic about the Council’s services and look for opportunities to promote and sell them
• treat the Council’s money as if it were your own

Using and managing resources efficiently and effectively 

Demonstrate the effective and efficient use of the full range of resources used in and by the Council including time, finances, staffing, equipment, information, materials, buildings, etc.

• take responsibility for managing your time, seeking efficient ways to carry out your work, maximising your output and minimising wastage
• use and acquire materials effectively and efficiently minimising wastage, recycling where possible, and striving for cost effectiveness
• seek out ways to improve the use of resources

Engaging with the customer

Understand the needs and requirements of their customers, to provide excellent customer service, and to involve customers in the improvement of services

• provide a helpful and friendly service to customers both internally and externally
• take responsibility for following up on enquiries and solving customer issues
• make efforts to fully understand the customer’s needs and avoid assuming that “we know best”
• ensure that you have a full understanding of the needs and requirements of the customer
• seek feedback from internal and external customers on the effectiveness and efficiency of the service you provide

Working well together

Actively foster good working relationships with colleagues and customers in order to collectively achieve the Council’s direction and ambition

• co-operate and work well with colleagues at all levels of the organisation seeking collective responsibility for the achievement of goals
• demonstrate consideration, and respect for other’s feelings and opinions and avoid judging and making assumptions
• maintain positive working relationships with external contacts in order to maintain the reputation of the Council
• seek to actively solve problems and avoid passing the issue on to others or leaving the problem unresolved
• demonstrate self-awareness of your style of working and develop flexibility and adaptability in order to work well with others

Other conditions

• This post doesn't require a DBS check 
• This post is not politically restricted
• This post is not entitled to a casual car allowance 
• This post is not entitled to a lease car 

Job Profile Updated  September 2023

Values and Behaviours

We have corporate values and behaviours that set the standard for the organisation and all our staff. These are integrated in all we do including recruitment, induction, performance review, apprenticeships and all our learning and development programmes.

• P - Perform well and get things done
• R - Respect and value customers and staff
• I - Improve and learn
• D - Deliver that bit extra
• E - Efficient and effective

Following a number of workshops, which were attended by more than 100 members of staff from across all levels of the organisation, we have now developed a series of behaviours to support our PRIDE values.

Moving forward these will be implemented across the Council and will be used as part of performance reviews, induction procedures, the apprenticeship programme, and all training interventions.

P, Perform well and get things done

R, Respect and value customers and staff

I, Improve and learn

D, Deliver that bit extra

E, Efficient and effective

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