People are facing greater and greater hardship as a result of cuts in benefits, homelessness, uncertainty at work, and escalating racism. Legal Aid – which is an essential part of the welfare state – has been cut again and again. The people most in need across the ten districts of Greater Manchester are being deprived of access to justice.
Greater Manchester Law Centre has been set up to challenge this situation. We now have premises (on the main Princess Road in inner city Moss Side), a full time solicitor and volunteers providing legal advice (welfare rights, with sessional solicitors offering more widely). We are now looking for an experienced Welfare Benefits Advisor/team leader to work alongside the Supervising Solicitor and to assist in supervising and regulating all our advice and representation work.
You will be expected to provide support to the advice service and provide training where necessary. Ideal candidates will be experienced welfare benefit advisors and will be able to complete full benefit check for clients. If appointed, you will be expected to manage a workload of welfare benefit cases to agreed quality standards and to act as an advocate at Tribunal hearings. Ideally, we are looking for candidates with LAA supervisor status or the experience needed in order to obtain this.
You must have significant experience of managing your own case load and recent experience of giving welfare benefit advice (within the last 12 months). Experience of staff supervision is also desirable. You will be expected to train and mentor new volunteers.
Knowledge of case management systems, such as AIMS and the relevant IT skills is desirable.
This position is a part-time role for 17.5 hours per week and is offered on a fixed term basis for 12 months (in the first instance)
Salary is £22,000 pa FTE
Anyone who is interested is invited to contact Ngaryan Li using ku.gro.walmg@ilnayragn in the first instance (for informal inquiries and information).
The application pack can be downloaded here
Formal applications will need to be made by Tuesday 25th April 2017 at 5pm by email to ku.gro.walmg@ilnayragn.
Shortlisting will take place on Thursday 27th April, with interviews to take place from 12pm onwards on Thursday 4th May 2017.
[* The Greater Manchester Law Centre now has full membership of the Law Centres Network and is also a registered charity, number 1170317]
