Resident Financial Support Officer - Part Time (18 Hours Per Week) - Fixed Term (31st March 2029)

Provide vital financial assistance to residents when they need it most As a Financial Support Officer, you’ll be a trusted point of support for residents facing acute hardship, assessing requests for support with care, competence and fairness to deliver timely support to help people in crisis. What you’ll be doing Your day will involve connecting directly with residents experiencing financial hardship or vulnerability, offering sensitive, practical support by telephone, email, written correspondence and in person. You’ll gather, verify and evaluate complex personal and financial information, reviewing income, expenditure and housing costs alongside Council systems and DWP records to establish a complete and accurate understanding of each household’s circumstances. Taking ownership of your caseload, you’ll assess applications across schemes including Home Start Essentials, Crisis Payments, and Local Support Payments for Westminster City Council.. You’ll use your professional judgement and discretion within Council policy to determine eligibility and award values, balancing urgent resident needs with the responsible management of public funds. When communicating outcomes, you’ll explain decisions clearly, respectfully and with empathy—especially in challenging situations where an award cannot be made—while proactively connecting residents with debt advice, welfare services and local community resources to support their ongoing financial resilience. You’ll also work closely with colleagues in a self-managing team, taking shared responsibility for daily phone and inbox cover, maintaining thorough, auditable case records and supporting peer reviews and quality assurance. As our Resident Financial Support Service continues to develop, your frontline insights will help improve processes, shape emerging support schemes and strengthen the overall experience for residents seeking assistance. For further details, please review the Job Description and Person Specification  [https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/pdf/jds/Financial%20Support%20Officer%20JD.pdf] What you’ll bring You’ll bring proven experience from a customer-facing, administrative or advisory role—ideally within welfare support, benefits or related public services—where accuracy and empathy are paramount. You understand the vital importance of treating residents fairly, respectfully and with sensitivity, especially when they are facing vulnerability or crisis, and you possess the resilience needed to manage difficult conversations with calm professionalism. You have the analytical ability to assess complex evidence, spot missing details and make objective, well-reasoned decisions aligned with scheme criteria and policy. With strong attention to detail, you take accountability for your choices and communicate outcomes in a clear, accessible and thoughtful way so residents understand the reasons behind each decision. Organised and adaptable, you thrive in a busy, fast-paced environment where you can prioritise your workload effectively while contributing to shared operational delivery. You enjoy working collaboratively within a self-managing team, take pride in keeping precise, auditable records and reflect Council values of putting communities first, acting with integrity and working together. Why join us At RBKC, we’re all in – investing in our people, our communities and our future. You’ll join an experienced, collaborative and supportive team where your contributions directly shape how we deliver and expand resident support across both Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster. We offer a competitive Grade E salary alongside hybrid working arrangements that balance three days in the borough with the flexibility of working from home. We are committed to your ongoing professional development, offering comprehensive training programmes, peer support and clear career progression pathways through our learning hub to help you broaden your expertise across local welfare initiatives. In addition, you’ll enjoy a generous annual leave allowance, membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme and access to a wide range of staff wellbeing initiatives designed to help you thrive both inside and outside work. About us Kensington and Chelsea is home to diverse communities, thriving businesses and unique local places. Everything we do is focused on supporting our residents, strengthening our approach and creating a fairer borough. As a competent and caring Council, we take pride in our work every day, ensuring our services are delivered with care and competence. We listen to our residents, act with integrity and work together to build a borough that is greener, safer and fairer for all. In this role, bringing the ‘we’re all in’ mindset means stepping forward with compassion and dedication to tackle complex financial crisis challenges head-on. Managing finite scheme funds and having difficult conversations is not always plain sailing, but your calm, empathetic and thoughtful approach will ensure residents feel heard, respected and supported. When you commit fully, the daily responsibility of interpreting policy and delivering discretionary support becomes a rewarding opportunity for personal and professional growth, making a tangible difference to our community when it matters most. Position and Interview Details There are two roles, one full time (36 hours) and one 0.5 (18 hours), job shares will be considered and the successful applicants will need to undertake a standard DBS check. Interviews will take place 25th November 20 26. Working Style: You’ll be based in the Borough for three days a week, playing a key role in serving the local community. Whether you’re collaborating with colleagues in the office or focusing on casework from home, you’ll be part of a dedicated team making a real difference to residents’ lives. Ready to join us? We’re all in – are you? If you share our values and have the skills to contribute, we’d love to hear from you. Please apply online explaining how you meet the requirements set out in the person specification and job description. We reserve the right to extend or close this vacancy early without warning subject to the volume of suitable applicants. We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community. We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible. We are committed to fair, transparent and consistent pay practices. New hires start at the minimum of the advertised salary range.  Employees receive annual salary increases until they reach the top of the pay scale. In addition, employees will receive any agreed cost of living pay rises.