Advice Team and Office Administrator

ADVICE TEAM AND OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
RECRUITMENT PACK

Registered Charity 1078794

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Who we are
Suffolk Refugee Support aims to ensure that all asylum seekers and refugees in Suffolk are enabled to live integrated, fulfilled and
contributing lives in their new communities. We provide a welcoming environment where clients can access help, advice, support and
practical services in order to be healthy and safe and begin to rebuild their lives. We work with external agencies, community and
voluntary  sector  organisations,  health  providers  and  others  to  enable  our  clients  to  access  a  range  of  support.  We  are  based  in
Ipswich, but our services operate increasingly on location with refugees and asylum seekers housed in accommodation across Suffolk.

Values
Individuals Matter - Each Client is unique and has an intrinsic value and constructive role to play in UK society
Respect - We are open, welcoming, respectful, and transparent in our dealings with one another and with others
Self Determination - We direct our efforts towards self-determination and ultimate independence for our Clients
Client Centred - We are led by the needs and interests of our Clients and design our services to work holistically
to meet these
Safe Environment - The all-round safety and security of our Clients and everyone who works for and with SRS
is of paramount importance
Keeping Informed - We keep ourselves fully informed and knowledgeable about every sphere of our work
Aims
Basic Needs - To address our Clients' fundamental needs including immigration status, housing, education, physical and mental
health, employment and personal safety
Social Well-being – To facilitate and support recreational and leisure-time activities aimed at enhancing our Clients’ social well-being
and quality of life
Independence - To support our Clients in transitioning towards independence from SRS’ services
Awareness  and  Rights  -  To  promote  awareness  and  understanding  of  our  Clients’  experience  in  the  community,  including
advocating, advising, and lobbying to encourage statutory and other bodies to meet their obligations to our Clients
Client Partnership - To develop our partnership with our Clients to achieve a co-production model of service design, evaluation, and
delivery
Governance - To uphold the effective governance and management of SRS in order to maximise its impact and ensure that its work
is informed by ‘voices of lived experience’
Staff - To maintain a workplace that values and supports Staff, enabling them to effectively carry out their roles in a healthy working
environment
Volunteers - To increase and develop Volunteers’ contribution to the work of SRS

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Our structure

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What we offer

Financial

•  Competitive salaries
•  Contributory  pension  scheme  –  up  to  6%  Employer  contribution  in  addition  to  Employee

contribution

•  Enhanced sick pay scheme after successful probation period

Development

We  believe  that  investment  in  our  staff  to  develop  their  skills  is  essential  to  providing  high  quality
support to our clients. We provide:

•  Training for role related duties
•  Generic skills training to contribute towards personal development
•  On the job training and mentoring
•  Opportunities to shadow other roles or activities within the wider team

Wellbeing

•  Hybrid working (role dependant)
•  Opportunities for social activities
•  Workplace activity sessions, for example, lunchtime walks
•  A welcoming, diverse team with lots of cooking skills and a strong sense of community!

Time off

•  25 days annual leave pro rata (plus public holidays pro rata)
•  One-week pro rata paid carer’s leave
•  One-week pro rata paid compassionate leave
•  Options for unpaid leave after successful probation period

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Job Title

Advice Team and Office Administrator

Reports to

Advice Service Manager

The opportunity

Hours

Salary

Contract

Location

28 hours a week Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with some flexibility for the Thursday

£21,224 (pro rata from £26,530 FTE for 35 hours per week) – Band 1

Permanent, subject to a 3 months’ probation review

Suffolk Refugee Support offices, 38 St Matthew’s Street, Ipswich, IP1 3EP and occasionally on location
in Suffolk

About the role
This post is responsible for ensuring that all visitors to the office are welcomed and directed to the appropriate service or staff member
and that SRS is able to run smoothly with fully functioning office spaces and resources. The post holder is also responsible for taking
minutes at meetings and performing admin tasks as required.

Main Deliverables

Reception Duties

•  To manage the drop in and appointment system for clients and advice staff, in order to enable the smooth running of the service

•  To be the first point of contact for clients coming to our office, assessing their needs (triage) and scheduling pre-booked or

drop-in appointments, and allocating the clients to the appropriate advice service colleagues.

•  To be the first point of contact for client phone calls, to make an initial assessment of their needs and advise them accordingly

on next steps (drop in, booking and appointment or signposting)

•  To take accurate messages for staff and to ensure these are passed on in a timely and secure manner

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•  To give information to clients about internal and external services which may be of benefit to them and to assist with occasional

evaluation processes

•  To manage clients’ expectations in terms of the service they will receive

•  To deal with agitated and upset clients with empathy and calmness, ensuring that safety is maintained (with the support of a

member of the management team where required)

•  To  maintain  the  security  of  the  office  –  especially  the  front  door  –  at  all  times  and  to  report  any  problems  to  a  manager

immediately

•  To sort and distribute incoming post including post held for clients

•  To support and train volunteer receptionists to carry out the above duties.

•  To maintain a tidy and organised reception, kitchen and public areas of the office

•  To facilitate the access to the office for contractors in liaison with the Facilities and IT Coordinator

Data Protection Duties

•  To carry out the administrative tasks associated with GDPR requirements: working closely with the Management Team, the
Facilities and IT Coordinator and the HR and Training Officer to record that SRS has put the correct agreements in place, that
these have been signed, and recorded according to procedure on our systems

•  To ensure that Advice Service and office documents are archived or disposed of securely in line with GDPR

•  To support the Advice Service Manager with client GDPR requirements.

Client Feedback Duties

•

 To encourage client participation in the Client Feedback survey.

Duties to support the Facilities and IT Coordinator

Working closely with the Facilities and IT Coordinator To maintain a safe and orderly office working environment for staff, volunteers,
visitors and clients:

•  To monitor stationery and other supplies and notify the Facilities and IT Coordinator when they need to order more

•  To ensure equipment is ordered and maintained as necessary, and report any faults to the Facilities and IT Coordinator

•  To ensure that waste materials are disposed of appropriately from the office (including all recycling).

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Other Duties

•  To  help  organise  and  to  attend  meetings,  including  distributing  papers  and  taking  minutes  for  them  as  requested  by  the

Management Team and/or Trustee subcommittees.

•  To assist in the overall planning of services for SRS’ clients

•  To assist with all staff admin duties where needed – including filing, sorting, photocopying

•  To assist the Management Team in other administrative tasks as required.

Publicity

•  To be involved occasionally in the delivery of SRS’s publicity via events, talks and meetings.

Other requirements
To deliver services effectively, a degree of flexibility is needed, and you may be required to perform work not specifically referred to
above.  Such duties, however, will fall within the scope of the job, at the appropriate skills and responsibility level.  This job description
will therefore be subject to periodic review with the post-holder to ensure it accurately reflects the duties of the job.

Please note that an Enhanced DBS Check is required for this post. The decision to request a DBS disclosure is made in accordance
with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The check will be paid for by Suffolk Refugee Support.

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What we are looking for

Person Specification

Experience and knowledge

Essential

Desirable

Understanding  of  the  experiences  of  refugees  and  people
seeking asylum in the UK and commitment to upholding their
rights and entitlements

Experience of working with people seeking asylum

Experience  of  working  and  communicating  with  people  who
don’t speak English as a first language

Experience of working with volunteers

Knowledge of Health and Safety regulations, Data Protection
regulations and procedures within small offices

Experience of working within a multicultural team.

Skills

Essential

Proficiency in working with Microsoft Office packages and using a CRM database. Diligent and timely approach to admin work.

Ability to multitask in a busy environment and to remain calm under pressure

Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail

Excellent time management skills

Ability to take the initiative to improve the office environment and work systems

Excellent spoken and written communication skills showing attention to spelling and grammar

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Attributes

Essential

Ability to provide a sympathetic first point of contact for highly vulnerable people, making them feel welcome and at ease

Friendly, helpful and positive attitude

Commitment to inclusive practices and equal opportunities

Commitment to Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults

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Equal Opportunities Statement
Suffolk Refugee Support (SRS) is committed to equal opportunities and to supporting diversity both in the provision of services and
as an employer. These commitments are set out in the Equality and Diversity policy and are integral to the provision of SRS’s services
and to the work done by its staff, trustees, and volunteers, who are expected to promote equality in the workplace and to deliver
services with sensitivity.

In essence, this means that no service user, job applicant, employee, volunteer, trustee, or member will be treated less favourably on
the grounds of the following protected characteristics: age, disability (physical or mental impairment), gender reassignment, marital
or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race (colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religious beliefs, sex and sexual
orientation. In addition, SRS is committed to ensuring that no service user, job applicant, employee, volunteer, trustee, or member
will be treated less favourably on the grounds of membership of a particular social group, political opinion, caring responsibilities, HIV
status and employment status.

SRS  recognises  that  refugees  and  asylum  seekers  are  a  particularly  vulnerable  group  of  people  and  may  experience  additional
prejudice and  discrimination.  As a result,  SRS  is committed  to  supporting refugees and asylum  seekers  to take their  full  place in
society, including being involved in SRS’s governance structures.

Equality and Diversity and you
You will be required to support individuals, families, children, women, and young people from very diverse backgrounds and engage
them equally irrespective of political, religious or other affiliations.

We expect our team members to act professionally at all times and uphold the values, ambitions and aims of Suffolk Refugee Support.

We are committed to making every reasonable adjustment to the workplace or working arrangements to accommodate people with
disabilities.

Please be aware that our offices are accessed via a steep staircase.  We will endeavour to accommodate staff with mobility issues
as far as possible.

You will have received an Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form as part of this recruitment pack.  Please complete and return to
Marianne Walker at HR@suffolkrefugee.org.uk

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How to apply

Please complete the Application Form, the Equal Monitoring Form and attach your CV (which should cover your education history,
employment history and any relevant training) and send the three documents to Marianne Walker at HR@suffolkrefugee.org.uk

If you require a larger print form or a paper form, please contact Marianne Walker at HR@suffolkrefugee.org.uk

Alternatively, you can send the documents by post to Suffolk Refugee Support, 38 St Matthews Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 3EP.

Deadline for submission: no later than 12 noon on 16th April 2026

Interview date: 23rd April 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early and interview at an earlier date if we receive sufficient
applications  for  the  role.  Therefore,  if  you  are  interested,  please  submit  your  application  as  early  as
possible.

How we choose who we invite to an interview

Shortlisting  is  completed  by  a  panel  of  Suffolk  Refugee  Support  staff  member  who  will  review  and  independently  score  your
anonymised CV and the responses you have given to the questions asked in the application form’s Why are you the right person
for this job section.

They then meet as a group to discuss their scores and decide which candidates’ answers have ranked highest for them.

Registered Charity 1078794

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