Advice Line Team Leader

Age UK is hiring a Team Leader to join our National Advice Line!

We are still in a cost-of-living crisis and too many older people in the UK are in desperate need of advice and support. As a Team Leader, you will be playing an important role in this vital service; managing a team of Contact Centre advisors dedicated to providing a high-quality service to those in later life. You will be responsible for the delivery of a professional Information and Advice Line service supporting older people, via telephone, email, webchat and letter. Ensuring the team's development, motivation and performance is in line with the Charity's objectives, you will provide effective and swift response to requests for help and support from advisors on shift.

If you are passionate about developing a team, providing an excellent customer service, and want to make a measurable difference to the lives of older people, this may be the role for you.

This role offers hybrid working between home and our offices in either Ashburton or Blackpool. A robust home broadband connection is essential. The team work from the office at least 1 day a week, although this can be more if you prefer. You will need to live within an easily commutable distance of the office either by car or public transport, we suggest up to an hour's commute. During the probation and training period you may be required to come into the office 2-3 days a week. We are currently trialling fortnightly office attendance, but this could be subject to change in future.

The Advice Line is open from 8am to 7pm, 365 days of the year and you will be required to work a variety of shifts including some weekends and bank holidays. Full time contracts are for 35 hours per week.

Must haves:

The below competencies will be assessed at the indicated stage of the recruitment process:

Application = A, Interview = I, Test = T, Presentation = P

Experience

Experience with computer-based systems including Microsoft. A, I, T

Skills and knowledge

Excellent time-management, planning and organisational skills. I

Ability to deliver high quality training, clearly and concisely. I

Highly accurate and having attention to detail. A, I, T

Excellent literacy and numeracy skills. A, T

Ability to handle confidential, sensitive information and personal details professionally and in line with current legislation. I

Excellent communication skills. A, I, T

Personal attributes

Commitment to providing a high-quality customer service and equal opportunities. A, I

Ability to support, supervise and lead staff. I

Great to haves:

The below competencies will be assessed at the indicated stage of the recruitment process:

Application = A, Interview = I, Test = T, Presentation = P

Experience

Previous experience of working in a Contact Centre type environment. A, I

Previous experience of supervising and leading staff. A, I

Skills and knowledge

Knowledge of issues affecting older people e.g. the health system, social care. A, I

Personal attributes

Ability to work under pressure. I

What we offer in return:

Competitive salary, 26 days annual leave + bank holidays + annual leave purchase scheme

Excellent pension scheme, life assurance, health cashback plan and EAP

Car Benefit Scheme, Cycle to Work Scheme and Season Ticket Loan

Techscheme - buy any tech from Apple or Currys, up to £1000, and spread the cost over 12 months, interest free

Blue Light Card Scheme

You Did It Awards recognition awards from £100-250.

Additional Information

Supporting statements and anonymisation
Candidates are expected to provide a supporting statement that explains how they meet the competencies annotated with an 'A' in the job description, to assess suitability for the position. Age UK acknowledges and accepts that AI may be used to support the application; we do expect candidates to personalise experience, knowledge and skills and failure to do so, may result in your application being rejected.

Please submit a Word version of your CV as it will be anonymised by our recruitment system when you apply for a role. Our system is unable to anonymise supporting statements and heavily formatted CVs. Please could you remove any personal information including your name before you upload to support our inclusive recruitment process. All equalities monitoring information is also anonymised and not shared with the hiring panel. Your name and address will only be known to us if invited for interview.

Equal opportunities & Disability Confident Scheme
Age UK is an Equal Opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates, regardless of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital/civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity. Age UK is a Disability Confident Scheme employer. Due to high numbers of applications received, Age UK reserves the right to limit the overall number of interviews offered, and therefore, it may not always be practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people that meet the minimum criteria for the job.

Reasonable adjustments
Disabled job seekers can access reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. All requests for reasonable adjustments are considered on a case-by-case basis, in collaboration with the disabled job seeker to best meet their needs, by contacting the Recruitment Team. Disability disclosures will be kept confidential and only shared on a need-to-know basis to support the implementation of adjustments. Disclosures will not be used to inform hiring decisions.

Age UK is committed to safeguarding adults at risk, and children, from abuse and neglect. We expect everyone who works with us to share this commitment.

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert at any time.

Age UK politely requests no contact from recruitment agencies or media sales. We do not accept speculative CVs from recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.