Closing date: 9am on Tuesday 27 July 2021

We are looking for two new colleagues with excellent customer service and administration skills to join our Cold to Cosy Homes Cumbria team, helping households to save energy and money, and enjoy a warmer home. Thanks to new funding, we are expanding the service to reach even more people. 

Application & Interview Process

Please apply by completing the application form below. We do not accept CVs. Guidance for submitting your application is included in the form.

Application Form – Project Support Officer

Candidates shortlisted for interview will be informed by 29 Jul 2021.

Interviews will be held via Zoom on 3 Aug 2021.

Job description

If you prefer to download the job description and person specification, please use the link below:

Job Description – Project Support Officer

BENEFITS: CAfS offers an excellent working environment, with benefits ranging from flexible working to a pension contribution. Find out more about the benefits of working at CAfS >

THE EMPLOYER: Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS).

LOCATION: Contractually based at our office, Eden Rural Foyer, Old London Road, Penrith, CA11 8ET, however, homeworking can be agreed.

REPORTS TO:  Project Manager – Cold to Cosy Homes.

HOURS: Part time, minimum of 22.5 hours per week up to a maximum of 26.25 hours per week. Please state your preferred number of hours per week in your application. There is potential to extend to further hours subject to funding and role holder availability. As an employer, we support work-life balance and hours can be worked flexibly across 5 weekdays.

START/END DATE: Start ASAP. Fixed term contract to 31 May 2022 (with potential for extension subject to funding).

SALARY RANGE: £18,500 to £22,000 FTE (equivalent to £11,100 to £13,200 for a 22.5 hour week, or £12,950 to £15,400 for a 26.25 hour week).

LEGAL RIGHT TO WORK: You must have a legal right to work in the UK as CAfS is not in a position to act as a sponsor.

APPLICATIONS BY: 9am on Tuesday 27 July 2021. Please apply using the application form. CVs will not be considered.

INTERVIEWS: Online (Zoom) interviews arranged for 3 Aug 2021. (Applicants will be informed by 29 July 2021 if they are invited for interview.)

If you are selected for interview, you will also be asked to complete customer service focused and computer tasks as part of the interview process.

NUMBER OF POSTS RECRUITING: Two.

ABOUT CAFS:

Our vision is a zero-carbon Cumbria and we strive to bring about a better way of life, in balance with our environment.

Our mission is to empower and enable people, communities and businesses to live and work more sustainably by sharing our knowledge, practice, skills, networks and practical experience. We manage and deliver events, advice, training and practical projects across the county as well as providing specialist consultancy services to enable individuals, communities, businesses and local authorities to drive a shift towards a zero-carbon Cumbria.

Now in our 23rd year, CAfS is an award-winning charity with a team of more than 20 highly skilled staff, working with a pool of specialist contractors and volunteers to deliver around 20 low-carbon projects each year.

CAfS showcases low-carbon living, energy-efficiency improvements, renewable technology and reduced use of fossil fuels, both on a domestic scale and in the community and is the first point of reference in the county for information on sustainability. CAfS is a dynamic, pro-active and responsive organisation delivering projects that drive real change towards a low carbon future.

BACKGROUND TO COLD TO COSY HOMES

Our Cold to Cosy Homes service is expanding due to additional funding to deliver free home energy advice services across all districts of Cumbria. Service includes:
• Telephone enquiries, scheduled telephone and in-home energy advice provided by CAfS employees and a team of contractors.
• Events and training for householders and volunteers.
• Installation of energy measures by professional installers.
Our paid for services are also expanding with increasing range of services being offered to householders for energy audits and advice.

MAIN PURPOSE OF ROLE:
The role includes a range of administrative duties to support the Cold to Cosy Homes team to deliver home energy advice and paid services and to provide excellent customer service to our clients, including vulnerable customers.

MAIN TASKS:

1. To provide the first point of contact for clients by telephone, email and online application forms.

2. Handling enquiries and requests, ensuring accurate input of client details onto the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.

3. Processing client referrals by inputting information onto the CRM system or other external databases.

4. Booking and amending energy advice calls/visits via the CRM system and Outlook calendars of team member’s and contractors and providing confirmation to the client.

5. Assisting in the coordination of draughtproofing installation visits, including telephoning clients to arrange, referring to contractors and updates of installation records.

6. To provide support to events. To include administering bookings on our website and CRM, managing sign-ins, preparing and packing event kit, setting up rooms and attending where required.

7. To provide support for the ongoing implementation of GDPR requirements and the CRM system.

8. To undertake additional administration tasks as directed by the relevant staff member, including but not limited to: ordering equipment and stationary, meeting administration, providing client data for update reports

9. Undertake relevant training to ensure continued personal development relevant to the area of work.

10. Perform other duties that may be required from time to time.

The working times are flexible but must include core office hours of 10am-3pm. There may also be occasional need to work evenings/weekends for event or meeting support.

This job description is not exhaustive but is provided to assist the postholder to know what the main duties are. It may be amended from time to time without change to the grade of the post and in discussion with the postholder.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential criteria

To be able to demonstrate:

• Proven delivery of excellent customer service.
• Experience in providing administrative support in a dynamic and demanding environment.
• Excellent customer skills in telephone call handling as well as online enquiry handling.
• Experience in recording in CRM systems.
• Ability to proactively handle a wide range of tasks and prioritise these effectively.
• Willingness to learn about and provide basic advice to clients about heating their home, reducing costs and becoming more sustainable.
• Ability to use initiative and make effective decisions.
• Ability to use a comprehensive range of IT systems (Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Customer Relationship Management) and the willingness to train in additional IT skills as and when required.
• Accuracy and attention to detail, and the ability to work to tight timeframes.
• A good level of numeracy.
• Good written and proofreading skills.
• Tact, patience and diplomacy.
• Empathy with CAfS aims, values and objectives.

Desirable criteria

To be able to demonstrate:

• Experience of data gathering, manipulation and reporting e.g. customer data.
• Experience of dealing with vulnerable people.
• Experience of confidentiality and anti-discriminatory practices when dealing with people and personal data.
• Experience of working in a remote team and using Microsoft Teams or similar.
• An understanding of energy efficiency in the home.
• An understanding of the work of CAfS and the impact of climate change on the environment and economy.

If you would like more information about the role, please email: [email protected]