To serve the people of Scotland, Social Security Scotland needs to ensure access to our support services within local communities across Scotland. This job is an exciting opportunity to deliver a face-to-face service to support clients in Argyll & Bute.
As a Client Support Advisor, you will build a rapport and help people understand the benefits they are entitled to and how to access them through tailored one-to-one support.
Every day will be different, but one thing will always be the same – you will treat all clients with dignity, fairness and respect. To do this you will be an ambassador for Social Security Scotland and provide a visible presence across the local area.
What do we offer you?
We provide an attractive employment package. Our benefits include:
• Competitive salary package
• Access to our flexi working system with potential to accrue up to 4 additional days leave in a 4 week period
• Minimum 5 weeks annual leave (pro rata) in addition to 11.5 public and privilege holidays
• Full and comprehensive training and access to learning and development opportunities to support your personal and professional growth
• Career progression – join a developing organisation with excellent opportunities for career advancement
• Attractive Civil Service pension (employer contributions 28.97%)
• Workplace adjustments for everyone that needs them to ensure your comfort and safety in your new role
• Health and wellbeing support including 24 hour access to our Employee Assistance Programme, plus counselling support available for all
Working Requirements
You will be based in a satellite office and be expected to attend the office on a regular basis. Regular travel across the Local Authority area also applies, therefore possession of a full driving licence which enables you to drive in the UK is required.
For this role you will be covering the Mid Argyll and Kintyre area with your office being based in Oban.
Due to the nature of the role we expect the successful candidate to work on a Full Time basis. Full Time is 37 hours per week, worked within our operational hours of 7am-7pm Monday to Friday. We are happy however to consider applicants with alternative and flexible working patterns. Please contact the Resourcing Team at Recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot for more information.
About Us
Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. Our benefits help people from all walks of life in Scotland. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that is representative of the clients we serve.
• You will have excellent communication skills to listen to clients and explain the benefits they are entitled to, helping them to complete online and paper applications.
• You will have good attention to detail to support clients through the application process and any follow up actions relating to their case.
• We need you to be motivated, with the ability to travel to carry out home and outreach visits. You need to work on your own and as part of a team to do this well.
• You will need to be independent and confident managing your own workload and diary to make the most your day.
• You will provide accurate advice to our clients and personally escalate complex enquiries and complaints and signpost clients to additional support they may be entitled to.
• We need you to be our representative on the ground to engage and build trust with a wide range of stakeholders to raise awareness and promote the uptake of our benefits.
• You will work in a shared environment with other agencies, so you need to be someone who can create and maintain strong relationships with local bodies to continuously improve the quality of our service.
• You will deal with clients sensitively and appropriately and uphold our values of dignity, fairness and respect.
• We will look to you to make sure services are provided on a value for money basis.
• We will need you to abide by data protection regulations and make sure personal and sensitive information is secure at all times.
• You will be expected to keep up to date on the changes to the social security benefit systems (in Scotland and the UK as a whole). We will get you involved in relevant training on this.
No specific qualifications are required for this post.
How to apply
To apply for this post, you will need to provide the information requested below via the online application process.
In your application form, we will ask you to provide specific examples of how you meet the Essential Criteria below. You will have 300 words for each to showcase your knowledge, skills, and personal qualities. Your experience and answers here don’t need to be work related. They could be from any part of your life including education, sport, and hobbies or even from your personal or family life. Further information on what makes a good application can be found here.
1. Tell us about a time when you worked with customers or clients to deliver a positive outcome and an excellent level of customer experience.
2. Tell us about a time when you have had to adapt your communication approach in order to communicate effectively with a particular person or audience.
3. Tell us about a time when you had to be flexible and adapt to new ways of doing things, with a focus on sharing information and knowledge across a wider team.
4. Tell us about a time when you demonstrated strong organisational skills with the ability to work on your own initiative and make use of robust information from a variety of sources.
Social Security Scotland - Further_information for job applicants
Information Session
We will be running an online information session on 01/05/2024 at 12:05-13:15. Please feel free to join us using the link below to find out more about the role and working for Social Security Scotland.
Click here to join the meeting
Interview/Assessment Information
Here are details of the Competencies required for this role which you will be tested against if you are invited to attend the interview/assessment:
• Self Awareness
• Analysis and Use of Evidence
• Communications and Engagement
• Improving Performance
Reserve List
In the event that further posts are required, a reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for up to 9 months.
Recruitment Contact
To learn more about this opportunity, please contact Gillian McInnes who can be reached at
gillian.mcinnes@socialsecurity.gov.scot
Further Information
The successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 3 years unless successful in gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade.
Social Security Scotland are a Disability Confident Employer. We will consider and implement any reasonable adjustments you may require throughout the recruitment process and during the course of your employment, should you be successful in securing a post. If you feel you may require assistance with any part of our recruitment process, please contact us at Recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot.
Social Security Scotland’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the recruitment principles of the Civil Service Commissioner, which outline that selection for appointment be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition - Recruitment - Civil Service Commission (independent.gov.uk)
If you feel at any time your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you can make a complaint, by contacting Social Security Scotland at Recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot. in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commissioner.
If you experience any difficulties accessing our website or completing the online application form, please contact the Resourcing Team via recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot
If you are interested in us contacting you about further available vacancies, please sign up to our mailing list to receive job alerts.
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