Job Description
| Job Title: | Community Energy Adviser |
| Department: | Operations |
| Location: | Main office in Wallasey and community venues across Merseyside and Cheshire (potential option for flexible home/office working) |
| Pay Grade: | £24,536 per annum |
| Reporting to: | Project Manager |
| Working hours: | 35 hours per week (occasional evening and weekend hours) or part-time as part of a job share arrangement |
| Permanent/Fixed Term | Permanent |
Job Summary
You will meet with, or speak by telephone to, residents and provide accurate advice in a friendly and reassuring way in regard to fuel bills, fuel debt, and energy efficiency. This will include providing advice on solutions, and the availability of funding and other support to address energy efficiency, sustainability, bills and fuel debt, income and benefit maximisation, and (through referral to external partner agencies) general debt.
You will also assess Clients’ eligibility for support, make applications to funding providers to remove/reduce arrears on fuel bills and other needs, provide energy efficiency and tariff advice to assist Clients to achieve affordable warmth, help Clients navigate the relevant financial support schemes available at any time, and advise on the potential for sustainable energy measures. The advice provision will be underpinned by the use of external and internal on-line and off-line software to make applications and capture all aspects of Client engagement.
Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities
- Dealing appropriately with all Client queries received including general and specific enquiries on dealing with domestic fuel debt, fuel tariffs, and energy efficiency.
- Giving advice on grants available to deal with arrears on fuel bills and energy efficiency measures
- Maintaining a high degree of flexibility in conducting face-to-face meetings with Clients at main office and also through outreach and home visits. A significant amount of the advice will be given at local community sessions or in Clients’ homes.
- Making high quality and successful applications to funders on behalf of Clients to address fuel debt and other support available.
- Sign posting and referring Clients to other specialist agencies for detailed advice and support on other issues
- Making on-line and offline applications on behalf of Clients to funders for support
- Accurately and efficiently inputting Client data and circumstances onto appropriate internal off-line databases ensuring all records are up to date and correct
- Adhering to service delivery procedures
- Conducting customer satisfaction, project related outbound and follow up calls as required
- Attending community and other events.
- Safely and securely transporting documents, materials and equipment as required
- Maintaining up to date knowledge of schemes
- Constructively contributing through team meetings, informal dialogue, and gained experience to the effective delivery and continued improvement of the service
- Achieving targets to high quality standards
- Undertaking duties of colleagues when required to cover absence
- Other duties as may be required in a small office environment
General Responsibilities and Accountabilities
- To process data and perform other routine clerical tasks as assigned
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships
- Maintain regular consistent and professional attendance, punctuality, personal appearance, and adherence to relevant health & safety procedures.
- To keep upto date within industry changes in relation to Energy Support and grants.
- Pursue personal development of skills and knowledge necessary for the effective performance of the role
- Adhere to Health and Safety policies
- Adhere to procedures relating to the proper use and care of equipment and materials
- As sensitive personal data of Clients is managed a satisfactory DBS certificate is essential
Key Interfaces
- Clients requesting advice
- Funders
- Colleagues and managers
- Liaising with internal departments as required
- Working with third parties and suppliers
Qualifications
City and Guilds 6281-01 (Energy Awareness) – training will be provided
Full clean driving licence and insurance for business use
Person Specification
| Skill | Essential (E) / Desirable (D) |
| An approachable and confident manner in engaging with residents | E |
| Knowledge and experience of advice provision to vulnerable and low-income people. | D |
| Knowledge and experience of advice provision specifically regarding energy efficiency and fuel bill advice. | D |
| Holding the City and Guilds Level 3 Energy Efficiency Advice (if not already held then training will be provided). | D (E within 3 months) |
| Experience of supporting Clients with fuel debt and other issues and being able to identify solutions appropriate to individual Clients’ needs. | D |
| Awareness and understanding of the welfare benefits system | D |
| Excellent and effective oral and written communication skills to produce high quality applications for support on behalf of Clients | E |
| Strong computer skills, including using on-line forms and capturing essential Client information quickly, accurately and with a high attention to detail. | E |
| Experience of interviewing Clients at neutral outreach locations, within our charity’s office, and in Clients’ homes. | D |
| Capability of providing effective empathetic support to vulnerable Clients (vulnerability can include infirmity, age, financial stress, emotional stress). | E |
| Methodical time and workload management and ability to independently prioritise own workload, meet deadlines and achieve targets. | E |
| Ability to give and receive feedback objectively and sensitively and a willingness to challenge constructively. | E |
| Ability and willingness to work as part of a team by maintaining a flexible approach. | E |
| Experience of working within, and achieving and exceeding, set quality standards. | E |
| Ability to work in a time pressured environment whilst maintaining positive relationships with all contacts, particularly Clients, other support organisations, Clients’ utilities, and colleagues. | E |
| Full, clean driving licence and access to vehicle insured for business use. | E |
| Understanding of, and commitment to, the aims and principles of the Charity. | E |
File Downloads
Community-Energy-Adviser-job-description
Application instructions (all posts)
ACAS Equality-and-diversity-monitoring-form-template September 2022