Senior support advisor

Job title: Senior Support Advisor
Reports to: Head of Support
NABS team: Support Team – Wellbeing Services and Culture Change
Direct reports: None
Employment type: Permanent contract; 18.5 hours per week; 1 day per week in office (London)
Date to start: April 2025
Application closing: Friday 7 March 2025
First Interviews: w/c 10 March 2025
How to Apply: Send CV and cover email to Annabel McCaffrey, Head of Support

ABOUT NABS

NABS is the charity at the heart of the advertising, media and marketing community.

We are dedicated to advancing mental wellness in our community – through the good times and the tough times, we’re here to support people, both professionally and personally.

We do this by:
1. Connecting people and communities across the industry to network, learn, and drive change.
2. Developing the skills and mindsets essential for thriving in the industry.
3. Supporting individuals with assistance and guidance to maintain balance, beginning with our Advice Line. Our team offers compassionate chats, expert guidance, and tailored information to address both work and life challenges.

Our organisational values are: accessible, collaborative, empowering, heartfelt support, impartial, and valuing equality and diversity.

NABS is a registered charity: Charity registration number 1070556

JOB PURPOSE

The Senior Support Advisor is a key member of the NABS Support Team, providing confidential, impartial, and tailored guidance alongside practical and emotional support to NABS clients via the NABS Advice Line.

This role has a primary focus on mental wellness, including providing support for stress, mental ill-health, financial concerns, bereavement, and domestic abuse. Additionally, the role includes offering guidance on employee relations matters and managing applications for Support and Upskilling Grants.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Client Support

Provide compassionate, confidential, and tailored support to clients via phone, email, and occasionally online meetings.
Offer guidance on a range of mental wellness issues, including financial concerns, stress, mental ill-health, bereavement, and domestic abuse.
Support on employee relations matters and provide information and guidance in areas including redundancy, grievances, disciplinary actions, bullying and harassment, and sickness absence management.
Use coaching or counselling techniques to help clients explore their options and make informed decisions.
Offer support that acknowledges clients’ intersectionality and lived experiences.
Maintain professional boundaries, safeguarding measures, and confidentiality in line with GDPR.

Grants Management

Manage applications for Support & Upskilling Grants, including processing applications, conducting initial assessments, and presenting recommendations to the Head of Support/Director of Services for approval.
Ensure accurate allocation and distribution of approved grants within the designated budget.

Continuous Learning & Development

Stay informed about UK advertising and media industry trends and engage in CPD to deepen knowledge of and factors affecting personal and workplace mental wellness, as well as emerging themes from the Advice Line.
Engage in learning to develop cultural competence, and challenge systemic biases, including personal biases, to foster an inclusive support environment.
Contribute to internal research and process improvements to enhance service provision.

Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing

Build our clients resources and when appropriate refer them to relevant internal services (e.g., workshops, coaching, therapy) and external specialist organisations (e.g., Mind, Women’s Aid, StepChange, legal services).
Work closely with Learning & Development, Marketing, and other internal teams to develop responsive services, share insights and inform content creation.
Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including charities and service providers.
Participate in peer-to-peer supervision within the team.
Contribute to data collection and impact measurement by compiling client feedback and case insights.

Operational & Compliance Responsibilities

Ensure full and effective use of NABS’ HR system and adhere to organisational policies for fair and equitable ways of working.
Maintain accurate and confidential case records using appropriate administrative systems.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF ROLE:

This role may require travel across London and on occasion, within the UK on planned basis.

Some late evening work will be required for supporting NABS events and during busy periods, particularly in the run up to large scale events. NABS will endeavour to offer time off in lieu in accordance with its policies
This role is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service criminal record check – enhanced check with barring

External guidance:

Dependent of requirement and need, this role will be supported with external direction, through mentoring or informal guidance

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES

Essential criteria:

Excellent social skills, including a high level of compassion, strong active listening, and outstanding verbal and written communication.
Proven experience in using coaching or counselling techniques to empower clients in decision-making (formal qualifications essential).
Clear insight into factors that impact a person’s wellbeing, with solid experience in providing information and support to improve wellbeing.
Knowledge and ability to practically apply principles of advice work, including confidentiality, impartiality, safeguarding, and professional relationship boundaries.
Proven ability to deliver high-quality, client-focused support in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to keep clear, accurate, and detailed case notes and use a database effectively.
Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, Teams) and confident in using databases for case management.
Commitment to NABS’ values, including fostering an inclusive, accessible, and equitable environment.

Desirable criteria:

Experience in/knowledge of:

providing HR/employee relations guidance
using Raiser’s Edge 7/NXT database
working for a charity or working within the advertising and/or media industry
using Power BI or other data visualisation software

INCLUSIVITY AT NABS

We encourage applications from individuals from under-represented groups to apply for this role.

We believe that everyone has the right to be their true selves at work, to have opportunity, to be accepted and to be part of a community.

We know that difference brings creativity, experience, varying perspectives and that this enables us to collectively do our best work. We put people first by championing, promoting, and supporting the wellbeing of our teams and are a proud equal opportunities employer.

We are also on our own journey and are challenging our own culture and systemic behaviours and if you join our team, you will be part of an organisation that is working towards becoming more equitable and is committed to making an inclusive culture for everyone.