Welfare Benefits Adviser (Macmillan)

Job Title: Welfare Benefits Advisor (Macmillan)
Starting Salary: £37,035 pa - pay award pending
Hours: 37 hours per week
Location: Farnham House, Stevenage
Contract Type: Fixed Term or Secondment Opportunity until 31 May 2026
Directorate: Adult Care Services

About the team

The Macmillan Benefits Advice Service is a partnership service between Hertfordshire County Council and Macmillan Cancer Support. The postholder will be part of the wider Money Advice Unit Team which sits in Adult Care Services.

The Money Advice Unit includes both welfare rights and money advice staff, as well as admin and IT support. Although it is not a public, front-line advice service, it does provide direct benefit take-up assistance in specific circumstances, including the Macmillan Benefits Advice Service. It also provides training and information for staff partner organisations as well as an advice line and various factsheets for the MAU webpages.

This post is based in Stevenage but has a hybrid flexible working model with staff working from, office, home and outreach venues.

About the role

To deliver a specialist income maximisation service for people affected by cancer living or receiving treatment in Hertfordshire.

To undertake welfare benefits advice work including casework, advocacy, outreach, production of written and oral information, talks and training, and appeals representation as required.

• To provide high quality welfare benefits advice, support and information for cancer patients, carers and health professionals.
  
  
• To deliver services by phone, e-mail and in-person at hospital and hospice settings (or where appropriate other Health and Macmillan environments); and in exceptional circumstances undertake home visits.
  
  
• To undertake casework including benefit checks, claim form completion, advocacy, revisions, appeals and tribunal representation.
  
  
• To manage a large caseload and maintain detailed electronic case records of work whilst ensuring compliance with the Advice Quality Standard and key performance indicators.
  
  
• To provide advice, consultancy and training services to volunteers, health and social care staff and those staff from other statutory organisations who make referrals to the service e.g. community nurses, health visitors and hospital staff.
  
  
• To participate in the production of training material for staff and in the development and production of easily understood information for people living with cancer as agreed. To ensure such material is sensitive to the needs of people from minority ethnic groups and people with disabilities.
  
  
• To support Macmillan's policy, media and campaign work by providing case studies, activity data and feedback as required.
  
  
• To participate in regular meetings with other Macmillan Benefits Advisors and the wider advice community to identify common areas of need and to propose joint initiatives as appropriate. This includes awareness of the work of the MAU generally, especially the other take-up projects.

About you

• Substantial experience of welfare benefits advice work (paid or unpaid) and ability to apply technical knowledge to actual situations e.g. benefit checks and 'better off' calculations. In particular, knowledge of disability benefits and universal credit is essential.
  
  
• Ability to advocate and make effective written and oral representations to external agencies, such as DWP and HMRC and to represent at tribunals if appropriate.
  
  
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to prioritise workload; management of a large caseload whilst maintaining AQS compliance and key performance indicators.
  
  
• Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse range of people and to explain complex benefits issues to people over the phone or in person, with particular reference to understanding the issues facing people living with cancer and their carers.
  
  
• Excellent presentations skills, with the ability to develop information material and deliver information sessions to a wide variety of partners and people living with cancer.
  
  
• Ability to develop, liaise with and maintain productive working relationships with partner organisations, in particular, Macmillan professionals and staff in hospital and hospice settings.
  
  
• To support Macmillan's policy, media and campaign work by providing case studies, activity data and feedback as required.
  
  
• This post involves regular travel throughout the County, so the postholder must be fully mobile across Hertfordshire.
  
  

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is within the Community Services, level COM10 job profile. Please locate this via:

Job profiles - Community services

To hear more about this opportunity please contact deborah.kingsley@hertfordshire.gov.uk for an informal discussion about the role.

Interview Date: 3 June 2025

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Secondment
This position is open to secondments. If you work for HCC or any other Local Authority and would like to be considered as a Secondment contract, please ensure you complete the Secondment Form as part of your application. If you do not, your application will be considered as a Fixed Term Contract only.

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Driving required
You'll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.