Discretionary Grants and Awards Officer

COVENTRY CITY COUNCIL; Coventry; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Coventry City Council is seeking a Discretionary Grants and Awards Officer to join the Resident Services team on a fixed term full time for 12 months and permanent full time available.

Are you passionate about helping people through difficult times? At Coventry City Council, we’re looking for a dedicated and empathetic officer to administer discretionary grants and awards that provide vital financial assistance when it is needed most.

Qualifications

• Care about delivering an excellent service to every internal and external customer.
• Excellent communication skills, confident in face to face, telephone and written activity.
• Ability to support a diverse customer base.
• Ability to deliver in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to respond to change positively.
• To Be Flexible to the needs of the service.
• An understanding of the range of services provided by the Council.

Responsibilities

• Assess and process applications for discretionary grants and awards.
• Support vulnerable residents with complex circumstances.
• Provide guidance on welfare benefits, grants and budgeting.
• Conduct telephone interviews and reviews where required.
• Work closely with internal teams, support agencies and partner organisations.
• Monitor expenditure to ensure payments remain within budget allocations.
• Help develop and improve services, procedures and customer experiences.

Skills

Customer service orientation

Excellent communication

Diversity support

Adaptability

Fast-paced work

Flexibility

Knowledge of council services

Job description

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

Customer Services is one of the largest departments in Coventry City Council and are the front face of the organisation. We are usually the first port of call for customer enquiries across the council. Our fast-paced telephone teams deal with thousands of calls and emails a week, we have a dynamic Customer Service Centre with around 2500 visitors a week approaching us for a wide range of enquiries from paying their council tax to seeking help to access services and dedicated support teams who process bookings, timesheets and general administration work for the whole organisation.

You may be based in one of several locations, we have a Customer Service Centre right in the heart of the city; Friargate – a large purpose built office by the train station along with several reception points across the city.

Joining Customer Services is a really good stepping stone into a long term career with the Council, depending on the role you are offered you will learn about other parts of the organisation

We want every single customer to have a positive experience when approaching the council and would welcome you being part of the team.

What is the job role?

Discretionary Grants and Awards Officer - Fixed Term Full Time for 12 months and Permanent Full Time available

Are you passionate about helping people through difficult times? Do you have experience in benefits, welfare support or customer-facing services and enjoy making a real difference in your community?

At Coventry City Council, we're looking for a dedicated and empathetic Discretionary Grants and Awards Officer to join our Resident Services team. This is a rewarding opportunity to support some of Coventry's most vulnerable residents by administering discretionary grants and awards that provide vital financial assistance when it is needed most.

As a Discretionary Awards Officer, you will play a key role in ensuring residents receive the financial support they are entitled to through a range of discretionary schemes. You'll assess applications, calculate entitlements, make award decisions, and provide advice and guidance to customers and their representatives.

Duties will include:

• Assess and process applications for discretionary grants and awards
• Support vulnerable residents with complex circumstances
• Provide guidance on welfare benefits, grants and budgeting
• Conduct telephone interviews and reviews where required
• Work closely with internal teams, support agencies and partner organisations
• Monitor expenditure to ensure payments remain within budget allocations
• Help develop and improve services, procedures and customer experiences

Assessments will consist of an interview and scenario-based activity.

If you would like to find out more about the role or have any questions, please call Bobby Iannetta on 0245381779 or Jennie Lawton on 02476971424 during office hours. can we change to Bobby Iannetta

Closing date for applications is Friday 13th November at midnight with assessments to take place on week commencing 23rd November

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

All candidates must have the Right to Work in the UK. We are currently not offering sponsorship for this role.

Who are we looking for?

• Care about delivering an excellent service to every internal and external customer
• Excellent communication skills, confident in face to face, telephone and written activity
• Ability to support a diverse customer base
• Ability to deliver in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to respond to change positively
• To Be Flexible to the needs of the service
• An understanding of the range of services provided by the Council

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'.

We recognise that you might use AI tools to help with your application. While these tools can be useful, please make sure that all information you provide about your experience, skills, and qualifications is accurate. What matters most to us is hearing about your experience and the achievements that truly reflect you!

About Coventry

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - One Friargate, Station Square, Coventry