Benefits Advisor

Kirklees Council; Kirklees; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Kirklees Council is seeking a Welfare Benefits Advisor to support residents across Kirklees, linked to Macmillan Cancer Support. The role involves complex benefits advice, including tribunals, with a mix of telephone, home visits and drop-in sessions.

The post requires knowledge of welfare benefits, excellent communication, and the ability to work with health professionals. Training is provided by the council's welfare benefits advice team.

Qualifications

• Experience of welfare rights work (paid or voluntary).
• Knowledge of current benefits and relevant legislation.
• Numeracy and literacy skills.
• Ability to represent clients in various formal settings.
• Skilled in communicating with a range of people on a range of issues.
• Positive about change and implementing improvements.
• Excellent customer focus.

Responsibilities

• Represent clients in various formal settings, including tribunals.
• Manage a mix of telephone, home visits and drop-in sessions for access to advice.
• Liaise with health professionals to share information and receive referrals.
• Ensure outcomes are measured and recorded for quality and results.
• Training and support are provided by the council’s welfare benefits advice team.

Skills

Experience of welfare rights work

Knowledge of current benefits and legs

Numeracy and literacy skills

Ability to represent clients in formal

Communication with a range of people

Positive about change and improvements

Excellent customer focus

Job description

We adopt a ‘name blind’ approach to shortlisting. Recruiting managers will not have access to personal information, including your name and contact details, until a shortlisting decision has been made - please note that this also includes any CV uploaded. Equality monitoring information is not accessible by recruiting managers at any stage.

Organisation

Kirklees

Directorate

Public Health and Corporate Resources

Service Area

Finance

Hours

37

Number of Jobs

1

Location(s)

Across Kirklees

Position type

Permanent

Grade

Grade 9

Salary

£35,570- £38,510

Advert Wording

Have you got a drive and passion for helping people? Have you got the organisational skills, communication, and empathy to support people to maximise their benefits? Then this might be the opportunity for you!

We are extending our long running partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support to provide detailed welfare benefits advice for residents in Kirklees affected by cancer and their families and carers, who may have a lot of questions and worries about their income and supporting their family over the coming period.

The post is both emotionally challenging and rewarding and requires considerable knowledge of all welfare benefits, including representing people at formal tribunals and helping residents through the maze of claiming the most beneficial welfare benefits. This will be a busy post, and we expect a mix of telephone, home visits and drop-in sessions to be undertaken for people to access advice and to get the support they need at a very difficult point in their lives. The post holder will liaise with health professionals to share advice and information and to receive client referrals requiring support. The outcomes will be measured and recorded both in terms of quality and actual outcomes for people.

Training and support is provided by the council’s welfare benefits advice team. The post holder will ensure that advice is provided at the earliest possible opportunity and in the most effective way.

If you have the following skills and experience, we are very keen to hear from you:

• Experience of welfare rights work (in a paid or voluntary capacity)
• Knowledge of current benefits and relevant legislation
• Numeracy and literacy skills
• Ability to represent clients in various formal settings
• Skilled in communicating with a range of people on a range of issues
• Positive about change and implementing improvements
• Excellent customer focus

You will be employed directly by Kirklees Council who have a rolling funding arrangement with Macmillan. In the longer term, this may mean a change in role, but the post is a substantive one within the council.

Ferhat Bano is the manager for this role, please contact them on 01484 221000 for an informal discussion, or if you need any more information.

This job is subject to a DBS check at the appropriate level, please refer to the Job Description/Profile. A conviction may not exclude candidates from appointment but will be considered as part of the recruitment process.

We know there’s a wealth of talent among people who have a disability and we encourage applications from people with all differing abilities. So, if you need any support completing an application form, or any other format for the application or Job Description please contact the Recruitment Team for help by email:or phone: [phone] and ask for ‘Recruitment’.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults and children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We encourage you to read our

Closing date

01 November 2026, 11:55 PM