Hardship & Vulnerability Advisor

Avanti Finance Group; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

KiwiSaver enhancements

Parental & caregiver benefits

Gym access & wellness facilities

Fresh fruit in the office

Volunteer day programme

Job summary

Avanti Finance Group is seeking a compassionate Hardship & Vulnerability Advisor to support customers facing serious life events and financial distress. This role emphasizes empathy, balanced decision-making, and safeguarding both customer welfare and business outcomes.

You'll work within Avanti's Customer Care & Resolution team, guiding customers through challenging periods with sensitivity while delivering practical solutions and maintaining documentation for accountability.

Qualifications

• Experience in hardship, vulnerability, or financial assistance environments.
• Strong listening and communication abilities.
• Ability to balance customer needs with business outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Support customers experiencing hardship and vulnerability.
• Conduct affordability and hardship assessments.
• Provide practical, sustainable support arrangements.

Skills

Empathy

Active listening

Communication skills

Emotional intelligence

Judgement

Job description

We’re on a mission to become the best specialist lending company in New Zealand and Australia, and we’re looking for ambitious, driven people to help get us there.

We’ve got bold goals and a clear vision for the future. That means exciting opportunities for those ready to champion new ideas, challenge the status quo, and grow alongside us.

If you’re hungry to make an impact, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and love turning ideas into action – you’ll feel right at home here.

We're looking for a highly empathetic, customer focused professional to join Avanti's Customer Care & Resolution team as a Hardship & Vulnerability Advisor. You'll support customers facing some of life's most challenging circumstances, from serious illness and family hardship through to financial distress and unexpected life events.

This is a role where emotional intelligence matters just as much as commercial judgement. You'll need to listen, understand, and guide customers through difficult situations while making balanced decisions that work for both the customer and the business.

The role

Avanti Finance is growing – fast

We’re on a mission to become the best specialist lending company in New Zealand and Australia, and we’re looking for ambitious, driven people to help get us there.

We’ve got bold goals and a clear vision for the future. That means exciting opportunities for those ready to champion new ideas, challenge the status quo, and grow alongside us.

If you’re hungry to make an impact, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and love turning ideas into action – you’ll feel right at home here.

We're looking for a highly empathetic, customer focused professional to join Avanti's Customer Care & Resolution team as a Hardship & Vulnerability Advisor. You'll support customers facing some of life's most challenging circumstances, from serious illness and family hardship through to financial distress and unexpected life events.

This is a role where emotional intelligence matters just as much as commercial judgement. You'll need to listen, understand, and guide customers through difficult situations while making balanced decisions that work for both the customer and the business.

The role

As a Hardship & Vulnerability Advisor, you'll work directly with customers experiencing financial difficulty or vulnerability, helping them find practical and sustainable solutions during challenging periods in their lives.

This is not a traditional collections role. Success comes from your ability to build trust, have meaningful conversations, understand individual circumstances, and work with customers to achieve fair outcomes.

One day you may be supporting someone dealing with a serious health diagnosis. The next, you could be helping a customer navigate a relationship breakdown, loss of income, or another significant life event. Every situation is different, requiring empathy, sound judgement, and the ability to balance customer needs with responsible business outcomes.

You'll be joining a supportive team with experienced leadership and strong mentoring, giving you the tools and support needed to succeed.

What you'll do

• Support customers experiencing hardship, vulnerability, illness, trauma, or financial difficulty * Conduct affordability and hardship assessments to understand each customer's circumstances
• Develop practical and sustainable support arrangements tailored to individual situations
• Have sensitive conversations with empathy, professionalism, and respect
• Identify vulnerability indicators and respond appropriately
• Clearly explain options, obligations, and next steps to customers
• Make balanced decisions that consider both customer outcomes and business requirements
• Maintain accurate records and documentation
• Work collaboratively with internal teams to achieve positive customer outcomes

What we're looking for

We're looking for someone who genuinely cares about helping people and can remain calm, professional, and objective during difficult conversations.

Ideally, you'll bring:

• Experience within hardship and vulnerability, financial assistance, or customer support environments
• Alternatively, strong senior collections, recoveries, or customer resolutions experience
• Exceptional listening and communication skills
• High levels of emotional intelligence and empathy
• The ability to navigate challenging and emotionally charged conversations
• Strong judgement and decision making skills
• A customer focused mindset with an understanding of commercial realities
• Resilience, professionalism, and attention to detail

Most importantly, you'll be someone who can see both sides of a situation. You'll be able to advocate for customers when they need support while also understanding the responsibilities and objectives of the business.

What's in it for me?

• At Avanti Finance, you'll be supported to grow your career, develop new skills and take ownership of your professional development.
• You'll have the chance to give back to the community through initiatives such as Duffy Books in Homes and our annual volunteer day programme.
• Depending on the role and team, flexible working arrangements may be available to support your work-life balance.
• You'll have access to a range of benefits, which include enhanced KiwiSaver employer contributions (on top of your base salary), enhanced parental and secondary carer benefits , free access to a gym, pilates studio, sauna and state-of-the-art end of trip facilities,and fresh fruit in the office .

If you're looking for a place where you can realise your potential, feel supported and make a meaningful contribution, we'd love to hear from you.

Our values are the fabric of what makes Avanti, Avanti

They guide our decisions, shape how we work, set the standards we hold ourselves and each other to, and build the trust that brings us together.

Champion the Customer:We put people at the heart of every decision

Win Together:We achieve more when we work as one

Do What’s Right:We act with integrity and take responsibility

Be Curious:We keep an open mind to new possibilities

Together, these values help create a workplace where people can grow, contribute and do their best work.