Welfare Benefits Advisor

Your Role & What You'll Be Doing

To provide high quality Welfare Benefits Advice and related services to the business’ Clients and ensure standards and value to the client is consistently met whilst minimising financial risk / exposure to the client and the firm. Provide and improve value to the client through maximisation of their entitlement to statutory funding and services.

This will include all stages of the Welfare Benefits process to include, but not limited to supporting clients with :

• Better off calculations
• Advising clients on benefit eligibility and criteria
• Assisting clients with benefit applications
• Benefit reviews
• Medical assessments
• Appeals
• Drafting mandatory reconsiderations
• Liaising with DWP and challenging where appropriate
• Tribunal Support (where appropriate)

There will also be the need to promote IM and IM’s services together with supporting relevant Business Development opportunities that may arise. You will need to be a proactive and independent worker comfortable working in an environment where we are establishing new processes and ways of working. You will need to be able to think on your feet and use your initiative to raise ideas and suggestions.

• Ensuring a first class service is provided to clients, case handlers and other appropriate stakeholders through the provision of Welfare Benefits Advice across all service lines and geographically on a national basis
• Providing a fully accessible and holistic specialist welfare advice service.
• Ensuring clients are on the correct benefits according to current circumstances and eligibility.
• Assisting with benefits applications, reviews and conduct appeals if appropriate and requested to do so by client and case handler
• Maintaining knowledge of welfare policy, services and advocacy services. This includes identification, attendance and dissemination of appropriate internal and external training
• Supporting, where appropriate, the development insight of the IM Benefits Advice Service across the business to all appropriate service lines by way of undertaking internal training to case handlers
• Ensuring all work carried out meets or exceeds SLAs / client commitments, and ensure quality advice is provided and compliance with the firm’s policies and procedures
• Continuing to develop personal and professional development including attending training as required
• Maintaining working relationships across all departments to provide a first class harmonised and integrated client service
• Liaising with Team Leaders across the business and all other relevant personnel to ensure services required are supported and delivered consistently and that any issues are brought to their attention
• Travelling where appropriate to meet clients’ needs

• A minimum of two years’ experience of giving in-depth specialist advice of welfare benefits including supporting clients in making Welfare Benefits Applications, arranging and supporting clients at assessment, representation at welfare benefit appeals and mandatory reconsiderations
• Experience of providing a generalist Welfare Benefits Advice Service to ensure clients’ needs are met
• Working across all the full social demographic range
• Ability to make pragmatic recommendations and explaining the risks / impact to business management
• Ability to take a wide view in evaluating service standards and processes
• Ability to communicate to a wide range of employees and stakeholders
• Research and analysis skills
• excellent communication skills with a focus on collaborative working within a team
• Professional presentation and manner, with strong attention to detail
• Able to work independently and as part of team in a sometimes-pressurised environment
• Good organisational skills & ability to prioritise
• Willingness to travel during the course of employment
• Someone with excellent IT skills as several case management systems are used in our practice
• Someone who is experienced in handling a large case load, and organising own cases under pressure
• Excellent whilst working under pressure

• Some knowledge of dealing with child maintenance services
• Some knowledge of dealing with personal injury law and cases and how benefits can be impacted
• Some…