Job Summary
Narthex is a destitution charity with a clear mission: to stop helping people in poverty and start helping them out of poverty. We place advice and guidance at the heart of our work, adopting a holistic approach to support people facing poverty and its complex challenges.
Through our Food Bank Network, Food Hub, Food Pantries, Telephone Referral Service, Financial Inclusion team, and Community Engagement initiatives, we deliver poverty reduction that leads to:
● Increased physical and mental health well-being
● Increased awareness of support services and statutory agencies
● Empowerment of vulnerable people to make positive choices and build confidence
● Reduction in debt through affordable payment plans
● Improved access to financial services and budgeting skills
● Prevention of homelessness and reduction in the threat of eviction
● Reduction in loneliness and isolation
● Improved job skills, access to employment, and sustained employment
We have reversed the traditional operating model, moving from a food bank network supported by advice services to advice and guidance services as our core activity, with food banks providing short-term crisis intervention support.
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
This is a newly created post, funded through the Birmingham City Council Crisis and Resilience Fund and match-funded by Energy Redress and The National Lottery Community Fund. It sits at the heart of Narthex's Integrated Advice Pilot, a one-year programme testing whether the advice model Narthex has developed within its own satellite network can be replicated across partner food provision organisations.
The post-holder will work across five to eight partner organisations of different types, including food banks, pantries, Warm Welcome spaces and community providers. The role combines specialist Tier 3 advice to complex cases with training, supervision and development work to build advice capacity among partner volunteers, Digital Navigators and community connectors at Tier 1.
This post is funded for the period September 2026 to August 2027. Continuation beyond this date is not guaranteed and will depend on the outcome of an independent evaluation by MEL Research and a decision by the funders to approve further investment. There is no expectation of permanent employment or automatic renewal arising from this post.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
· Providing specialist one to one advice to clients
· Maintaining accurate case records in accordance with GDPR
· Training and development of volunteers
· Supervision and support to volunteers
· Building and maintaining working relationships with partner organisations
· Collecting data and maintaining records
· Monitoring and reporting outcomes
The ideal candidate will have:
· Experience of providing specialist welfare benefits and/or debt advice to vulnerable adults
· Experience of working with people experiencing poverty, financial crisis, housing difficulty or complex need
· Experience of delivering training, workshops or group learning to adult participants
· Experience of providing supervision, mentoring or professional support to volunteers or less experienced colleagues
· Experience of working in partnership with external organisations across service boundaries
· A strong knowledge of the benefits system
· Knowledge of debt advice practice, including creditor negotiation, debt solutions and financial statements
· Ability to develop training materials and written guidance for non-specialist audiences
· Excellent written and verbal communication skills across a range of contexts and audiences
· Ability to manage a complex workload independently, prioritising across casework, training and supervision
· Proficiency in Microsoft Office and case management or data recording systems
· Understanding of GDPR and client confidentiality obligations in an advice setting
Personal Qualities:
● Commitment to Narthex's mission of helping people out of poverty
● Self-motivated with the ability to work independently
● Strong attention to detail
● Ability to build positive relationships with diverse stakeholders
● Flexible and adaptable approach
DESIRABLE
Experience:
● Experience working with bilingual or multilingual communities
● Experience of contributing to funding or evaluation reporting
● Familiarity with the food bank or voluntary food aid sector
Pay: £27,616.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company pension
Work Location: In person
