Welfare Benefits Officer

Salary details: £ - £

Welfare Benefits Officer  - (Advice Line and Appeals Team)

Derbyshire County Council's Welfare Rights Service helps Derbyshire residents maximise their income, access the benefits they are entitled to, and receive expert advice and representation when they need it most. In 2025/26, the service supported more than 20,000 Derbyshire residents with benefit enquiries, providing information, advice, casework, and appeal representation.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our Advice Line and Appeals Team as a Welfare Benefits Officer. This is a rewarding role within a specialist countywide service that helps residents navigate an increasingly complex benefits system and secure the financial support they need.

The Advice Line and Appeals Team provides the public-facing gateway to the Welfare Rights Service, supporting residents through telephone advice, complex casework, and appeal representation. The team manages enquiries from across Derbyshire and works closely with a range of partners to support clients facing financial difficulties and benefit-related challenges.

As a Welfare Benefits Officer, you will provide high-quality information and advice across a broad range of welfare benefits issues. You will support residents via the Advice Line to maximise their income and access wider sources of support that promote health and wellbeing.

You will undertake appeal representation, representing clients at Social Security Tribunals, advocating on their behalf and helping them achieve the best possible outcomes.

We are looking for someone with experience of providing advice together with strong communication, problem-solving, and analytical skills. You will have a good working knowledge of welfare benefits, challenging decisions, and the confidence to represent clients and present legal arguments based on facts and evidence. Experience of tribunal representation, welfare rights casework or similar advocacy work would be particularly valuable.

This role would suit someone who enjoys helping people, analysing complex situations, and making a tangible difference to residents facing financial hardship. If you are already working within welfare rights and developed your skills through advice, advocacy, or casework-based roles, this is an excellent opportunity to further develop your expertise within a supportive and experienced team.

You will have opportunities to broaden your welfare rights knowledge, contribute to service development activities, participate in training and awareness-raising work, and work collaboratively with colleagues and partner organisations across Derbyshire.

Please refer to the Job and Person Profile for full details of the knowledge, skills, and experience required. Applicants are strongly encouraged to demonstrate clearly within their personal statement how they meet each of the essential criteria.

Employees have access to a range of support, benefits and discounts including: 

• Generous Annual Leave Scheme 57 days annual leave per year (rising to 30 days after 5 years continuous service) plus 8 bank holidays (pro rata). 
• Local Government Pension Scheme: Providing financial security
• Supportive management and team
• Training and Development: Opportunities for professional qualifications and ongoing training.
• Wellbeing Support Framework: Includes OH physician services, physiotherapy, CBT, and in-house counselling.
• Employee Wellbeing Support: Fast track physiotherapy, confidential psychological support services, Employee Assistance Programme, and “Wisdom” app.
• Paid travel expenses if required to travel to other sites (Terms and conditions apply)
• Cycle to Work Scheme: Promoting a healthy lifestyle.
• Our Derbyshire Rewards: a package of benefits, cashback and discounts.

More details on the benefits of working for the council can be found on our reward and recognition page

For more information about the role or an informal chat, please email Greg.Downs@derbyshire.gov.uk

Provisional Interview Date: W/C 28 September 2026

Due to this post having access to children and/or vulnerable adults, the successful candidate will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily prevent an applicant from obtaining this post, as all cases are judged individually according to the nature of the role and information provided. Click here to see our policy on criminal background checks.

Apply now and take the first step towards a fulfilling career with us! By joining Derbyshire County Council you will have access to a range of amazing rewards and employee benefits, including our generous annual leave scheme, excellent local government pension and fantastic employee discounts. To discover more detail about the rewards and benefits available to you, click here

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Important: Derbyshire County Council holds a sponsorship licence, but this role does not offer visa sponsorship. Please apply only if you already have the right to work in the UK without sponsorship, as applications that do not meet this requirement will be rejected.

We welcome applications from individuals who share our values — being Collaborative, Innovative, Empowered and Accountable. These values describe who we are and what we stand for as a council. They help shape our culture, encourage consistent behaviour and guide how we work together to make a positive difference for both our employees and the residents we serve.