Quality and Development Lead

This is an exciting time to join Citizens Advice Richmond, as we readjust to our face to face operations; look to be more involved/present in community settings, and explore our service delivery models. 

To achieve tis, we are recruiting our newest team member to work in a innovative and collaborative manner to work with our staff and volunteers to make a real difference to our community. 

For full details, please download our application pack HERE or read more. apply below.  

Job Title:                         Quality and Development Lead

Responsible to:               Chief Executive Officer

Immediate reports:          Paid advisers and project leads

                                        Advice Supervisors

                                        Advisers and Assessors

Main Purpose of Job

• You will be accountable and responsible for delivering the service delivery related objectives and outcomes from the organisation’s Business Plan.
• This post is responsible for all aspects of the Quality Assurance process.
• You will take overall responsibility for the development of our advice services. This includes working with the Client Services Manager, advice teams and supervisors to ensure that the advice given to our clients is the best that it can be.
• You will be responsible for working with our training supervisor to ensure that issues arising from quality of advice assessments are transformed into learning opportunities.
• You will be responsible for the management, development and delivery of our outreach services, including direct delivery of our Energy Advice Project.
• You will inspire those you manage to strive for excellence in all we do, and take an active role in shaping the charity’s strategy and development.

Principal Tasks and Responsibilities

Service leadership and management

• Manage and develop advice services and projects to ensure quality, access and consistency throughout the service.
• Ensure projects meet funder targets and are delivered within the budgets set by the CEO and Trustees, bringing any concerns or potential failings to the attention of the CEO as early as possible
• Identify need and develop our advice services and delegated projects in line with need and the Business Plan
• Take responsibility for ensuring the performance and quality assurance of all advice services to meet the required standards set by ourselves and our accrediting bodies
• Be accountable for Citizens Advice Richmond services and volunteering strategy
• Lead the delegated projects.
• Prepare and issue reports as required for CEO, trustees and partners, attending meetings as required to present findings and recommendations
• Ensure client satisfaction is maintained at a high level.

Research & Campaigns

• In conjunction with the Chief Executive Officer, contribute to the development of our Research and Campaigns activity, helping to amplify the voice of our clients to influence long-term or systemic change in policy and practice.

Staff Management and Supervision

• Manage, motivate and support paid staff reporting to the post
• Lead on the recruitment of roles directly line managed by the post
• Be accountable for the volunteering strategy and functions
• Work with those you manage to ensure the effective support, supervision and appraisal, including signing off volunteer appraisals completed by Supervisors
• Identify volunteer recruitment and training needs, and liaise with our Training Supervisor to ensure needs are met through targeted recruitment and training.

External Relations

• In conjunction with the CEO, develop and maintain relations with external partners as required, including attending meetings with external partners, organisations, and relevant agencies to talk about and develop the service
• Ensure all funder requirements are met and that reports are submitted to track progress on all work delivered by the service.

Learning and professional development

• Keep up to date with legislation relevant to the role, trends, ideas and thinking
• Attend and actively participate in regular support and supervision sessions and appraisals with the Chief Executive Officer
• Identify own learning and development needs and plan to meet them.

Administration

• Ensure that detailed records for the purposes of information retrieval, statistical monitoring and report preparation are maintained and developed
• Produce comprehensive, analytical and developmental oral and written reports on the work of the service as required.

Other

• Uphold and promote the Aims and Principles of the Citizens Advice Service
• Uphold and promote the Equality and Diversity policies of the Citizens Advice Service
• Deputise for the Chief Executive Officer as required
• Work at the service’s offices and elsewhere as required
• In addition to the tasks and duties outlined in this job description, to undertake such duties which are generally compatible with the functions of the post.

  Person specification

1. Demonstrable experience of staff and volunteer supervision and understanding of provision of staff support, development and motivation
2. Substantial recent experience of advice work and advice session supervision. This must include advising on complex cases in welfare rights, employment, housing and debt.
3. Proven experience and understanding of implementing quality assurance systems, including case checking and file reviews.
4. Ability to manage and develop a community advice service
5. Ability to work effectively as part of a team.
6. Significant experience of complying with regulatory standards.
7. Knowledge of the type of social policy issues facing the local community, and a commitment to influencing social policy.
8. Ability to monitor, maintain and develop advice systems and procedures
9. Excellent written and verbal communication skills
10. Strong numeracy, statistical and analytical skills
11. Experience of planning and prioritising own work and work of others, and take decisions within a pressured environment
12. Experience of working to multiple targets and deadlines
13. Experience of using IT in the provision of advice
14. Experience of taking responsibility for own learning and development
15. Commitment to the Citizens Advice service aims, principles and equality and diversity policies
16. Willingness to work outside normal working hours as required.

Terms and conditions

–    12 month contract for 28 hours per week

–    £34,000 pro rata (£27,200 pa)

• What we give our staff

We offer a range of employee benefits, including generous annual leave, pension contribution, and training and opportunities to continue your professional development.

Guidance notes for applicants

Application form

Please complete your application and return it by post or email (as a Word document) no later than the closing date referred to in the advert. If you return your application via email there is no requirement to send a hard copy in the post.

CVs will not be accepted as a substitute for the application form, unless specifically stated in the advert.

The application form plays a key part in our recruitment and selection process. We use the information you provide about your skills, experience, career and education history to decide whether or not to invite you for an interview. It is important that you complete the application form as fully and accurately as possible, ensuring that you give specific examples which demonstrate how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for the role for which you are applying.

Disability

Please let us know if you require any adjustments to be made to the application process or would like to provide any information you wish us to take into account when we are considering your application. If you are selected for interview, we will ask you to let us know if you have any access needs or may require reasonable adjustments to the interview or assessment (if applicable) at that stage. Please be assured that we will be supportive in discussing reasonable adjustments with you at any stage of the recruitment and selection process.

Entitlement to work in the UK

A job offer will be subject to confirmation that you are permitted to work in the UK in accordance with the provisions of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996. You will be asked to provide evidence of your entitlement to work in the UK if you are successful and an offer of employment is made.

Please note that Citizens Advice Richmond does not hold a sponsor licence and, therefore, cannot issue certificates of sponsorship under the points-based system.

Diversity Monitoring

Citizens Advice Richmond values diversity and promotes equality. We encourage and welcome applications from suitably skilled candidates from all backgrounds. Monitoring recruitment and selection procedures is one way of helping us to ensure that there is no unfair discrimination in the way that we recruit people. To do this we need to know about the diversity profile of people who apply for posts at Citizens Advice Richmond. This information is given in confidence for monitoring purposes only and is not seen by anyone responsible for making recruitment decisions. However, if you would prefer not to answer any of the questions we ask, please leave them blank.

Information, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities

This is a key section of the application form which allows you to provide evidence of your experience, knowledge, skills and abilities that are relevant to the role as described in the role profile. Selection is based on an assessment of the evidence you provide against the requirements of the role as set out in the person specification. It is important that you tailor your response to clearly demonstrate how you meet each requirement. No assumptions will be made about your achievements and abilities.

Please provide one example for each requirement. You should choose examples of past experience that clearly demonstrate what we are looking for, and be precise about what you did, how you did it and the outcome or result of your actions. Please try to limit your response to each criterion to a maximum of 200 words.

A useful guide might be S.T.A.R:

• Specific – give a specific example
• Task – briefly describe the task/objective/problem
• Action – tell us what you did
• Results – describe what results were achieved

Please provide recent work examples wherever possible. However, do remember relevant examples from other aspects of your life, for example: voluntary or unpaid work, school or college work, family or home responsibilities, can also be given.

Shortlisting outcomes

Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview. Some positions may require additional assessments such as a practical task/test – further details will be provided if you are shortlisted.

References

All job offers are subject to the receipt of two satisfactory references: One should be from your current or most recent employer or line manager (if you are employed through an agency), or your course tutor if you have just left full time education. The other should be someone who knows you in a work related, voluntary or academic capacity. Both referees should be able to comment on your suitability for the role. References will only be taken up for successful candidates following interview

We value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination

Our Full JD and Application process can be downloaded here