Benefits Service Manager

South West Community Chaplaincy; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

SEL Mind is seeking a Benefits Service Manager to lead welfare benefits support for clients across Bromley, Lewisham, Greenwich and Southwark. You will oversee casework quality, guide volunteers filling forms, and shape service development with a focus on accountability and impact.

Applicants should bring substantial welfare benefits experience, strategic vision, and team leadership. An Enhanced DBS check will be required and the role may involve coordinating with local partners as the service

Qualifications

• Significant experience working within welfare benefits.
• Ability to develop and shape a service strategically.
• Experience managing a team to deliver support.
• Commitment to safeguarding and DBS checks.

Responsibilities

• Ensure the quality of support delivered by the team and volunteers.
• Develop and extend the Benefits Service to meet client needs.
• Collaborate with cross‑agency partners across London boroughs.
• Lead on safeguarding, governance, and service improvement.

Skills

Welfare benefits experience

Strategic thinking

Team management

Independent working

Initiative

Job description

The Benefits Service within SEL Mind is a well-established offer of support to clients who need to access welfare benefits they are entitled to receive.

The service currently provides casework support for people who need to challenge benefits decisions across the four boroughs of Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich and Southwark. There is also a cross-area team of volunteers who assist with form filling and all aspects of the assessment process. You will take responsibility for the quality of support the team deliver to ensure it is robust and accountable. We hope to be able to extend our offer of support in the future so it will be important you have an interest in developing the service.

We are looking for a Benefits Service Manager with significant experience of working within welfare benefits. You will have a good understanding of the needs of people with mental health problems and the links with welfare issues. Ideally you will have knowledge of the Advice Quality Standard and will support us to attain this quality mark.

Applicants should have previous experience of thinking strategically to develop a service and of managing a team to deliver the support. An ability to work independently but collaboratively, to be proactive and show initiative is essential for this role.

Successful applicants will be expected to undergo an Enhanced Level Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Closing date: Sunday 1st November (11:59pm)

Likely interview date: Wednesday 11th November

We encourage early applications as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications.

About Us

SEL Mind supports people with mental health problems and dementia in the boroughs of Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. We are proud of our diverse workforce and know that our organisation is made stronger by the variety of backgrounds, experience, and ideas within it. We promote a culture of inclusion and representation, and are working hard to build a workforce that even better reflects the communities we support.

SEL Mind is somewhere that you can be your authentic self without fear of discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, neurodivergence, gender, age, lived experience of mental health problems or anything else that’s part of who you are.

Read more about staff benefits and why staff love working here on our website.