Mentor - Finance, Benefit & Debt (North West)

The Wise Group; Preston; Hybrid; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

The Wise Group is recruiting a Mentor for the North West to support people in prison and on probation. This hybrid, full-time contract role involves delivering practical help with benefits, budgeting and debt while building trusted relationships across partner organisations.

You will work across Preston and the North West, with remote-4-days patterns, ensuring high-quality support and accurate case records. Driving licence and Enhanced Level 1 vetting are required.

Qualifications

• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Experience mentoring or working in justice, financial wellbeing, housing or employability settings is valuable.
• Willingness to travel across the North West with a full UK driving licence.
• Eligibility for Enhanced Level 1 prison vetting.

Responsibilities

• Build trusted, purposeful relationships with people in prison and on probation.
• Provide practical support with benefits, budgeting, debt and financial wellbeing.
• Advocate for customers and help navigate relevant services.
• Collaborate with prison, probation and wider justice partners to support positive outcomes.
• Build confidence in the Wise Group through professional partnership working.
• Manage caseload effectively and maintain accurate records.
• Identify challenges early, use sound judgement and escalate where needed.
• Take ownership of commitments and follow through to resolution.
• Share frontline insight to improve services and partnerships across the organisation.
• Connect people with wider support through Wise Group colleagues.

Skills

Communication

Relationship-building

Independent working

Caseload management

Job description

Help people build financial stability and stronger futures beyond the justice system.

The Wise Group is looking for a Mentor to join our Finance, Benefit & Debt service, supporting people in prison and on probation across the North West of England.

Delivered on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, the service helps people tackle financial challenges that can make an already difficult transition even harder. Debt, benefits, budgeting and access to financial support can all affect someone's ability to build stability and move forward.

Using the Wise Group's Relational Mentoring approach, you'll build trusted relationships with people facing complex and interconnected challenges. You'll provide practical one-to-one support, help people understand their options, advocate on their behalf and connect them with the services and organisations that can help.

This is about more than giving financial advice. It's about understanding someone's circumstances, helping them take practical steps forward and supporting greater financial stability as they move through the justice system and back into their communities.

Partnership working is central to this role.

You'll work closely with prison and probation colleagues and other organisations supporting people through the justice system. You'll represent the Wise Group professionally, build trusted working relationships and help partners understand the value our support brings to the people and communities we collectively serve.

You’ll be someone partners can rely on - communicating clearly, following through on commitments, raising issues constructively and working together to find solutions.

You’ll also take responsibility for managing your caseload, maintaining accurate records and delivering consistently high-quality support. Your judgement, organisation and ability to work independently will be just as important as your ability to build relationships.

We want colleagues who are curious about what they see and hear. You'll share frontline insight about recurring barriers, gaps in support and opportunities to improve how the Wise Group works with customers and partners.

What you'll do

• - Build trusted, purposeful relationships with people in prison and on probation.
• - Provide practical support with benefits, budgeting, debt and financial wellbeing.
• - Advocate for customers and help them navigate relevant services and organisations.
• - Work collaboratively with prison, probation and wider justice partners to support positive outcomes.
• - Build confidence in the Wise Group through reliable, professional and consistent partnership working.
• - Manage your caseload effectively and maintain accurate, timely customer records.
• - Identify challenges early, use sound judgement and escalat*
• - Take ownership of your commitments and follow matters through to resolution.
• - Share frontline insight that helps improve our services, partnerships and understanding of customer needs.
• - Work collaboratively with colleagues across the Wise Group to connect people with wider support where appropriate.

What you'll bring

What you'll bringWe're interested in how you work with people, not simply the job titles you've held before.You'll bring strong communication and relationship-building skills, alongside the maturity and judgement to work effectively in justice environments.You'll be someone who can build trust while maintaining professional boundaries, work independently while staying connected to colleagues, and remain calm and solutions-focused when circumstances are challenging.Experience of mentoring, justice, financial wellbeing, housing, employability, community support or another relationship-based service would be valuable.Previous experience in a custodial setting would be advantageous but is not essential.You'll also need- A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for regular travel across the North West.- A home broadband connection to support flexible working.- The ability to meet the requirements of Enhanced Level 1 prison vetting.You don't need to know everything on day one. What matters is that you can build relationships, take responsibility, work constructively with partners and remain committed to helping people make progress.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Mentor - Finance, Benefit & Debt (North West)

Company: The Wise Group

Salary: from £25,664 a year

Hours: Full-time

Location: Preston

Working pattern: Hybrid - 4 days remote

Job type: Contract

About Disability Confident Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.