Location: Carlisle Salary: £32,061 -£32,597 per annum Hours: 37 hours per week Contract: Temporary (12 Months)

About this opportunity

Cumberland Council is looking for a dedicated Welfare Advice Officer to provide confidential, high-quality welfare and benefits advice to residents across the Carlisle locality. You’ll work closely with vulnerable individuals—including the elderly, disabled, and housebound—offering support through face-to-face appointments, home visits, and tribunal representation.

We’re seeking someone with strong communication skills, a good understanding of the welfare benefits system, and experience working in advisory roles. You’ll be part of a supportive team committed to preventing hardship and homelessness, with opportunities for training and development. If you’re empathetic, organised, and ready to contribute to inclusive services that promote wellbeing and prosperity, we’d love to hear from you.

Who we’re looking for

We’re looking for individuals who embody our organisation's core values: ambitious, collaborative, compassionate, empowering, and innovative. We believe in the power of these values to drive positive change, deliver excellent public services and shape a better future for our communities.

We’re also about potential over perfection and we can help you grow in the role and thrive in your career.

Be sure to take a look at the post specification (below) for the essential criteria for this role.

Contact

For more information about the role or to arrange an informal chat prior to your application, please contact Karen Shields by email at [email protected]

DBS Checks

This role requires a DBS check. The level of check for this role is:

Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s/Adults Barred List check.

Please note this role involves working in regulated activity with adults and/or Children. It is an offence for people who are barred from working in regulated activity to apply for roles that require them to work unsupervised with adults and/or Children.

Guaranteed Interviews

We offer a guaranteed interview to the following applicants as long as your application can demonstrate you meet the essential criteria for the role.

• Those who consider themselves disabled as defined by the Equality Act 2010
• Those in care or who have left care and are aged 24 and under
• Armed forces veterans whose last long term substantive employer was the armed forces

If you meet one or more of the criteria above, and wish to be considered for this scheme, select 'yes' to the appropriate question during your application. Find out more.

Diversity, Inclusion & AdjustmentsWe’re dedicated to enhancing the diversity of our workforce and we encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds. That’s why we’re a proud Disability Confident Employer and also an Age Friendly Employer – to provide opportunities for everyone to thrive.

If you need any reasonable adjustments to participate in the recruitment process, please let either the hiring manager or our Resourcing Team know by emailing [email protected]. While adjustments aren’t always guaranteed, we’ll always listen and we’ll try our best to accommodate your needs.

Application and Interview information

Easily apply by submitting your CV and answering a few short questions

• Closing date: 13th November 2025
• Interview date: TBC

Please note this role may close early subject to demand. If you’re interested in applying, you should apply well before the advised closing date. We cannot accept applications once the role has closed.

Please read the supporting information:

• Post Specification

Please also refer to our Careers site to find out more:

• Our Staff Benefits
• Candidate Support
• About Cumberland Council