Support Officer

**Recently named Charity of the Year by Just Giving Awards 2022, **we’re committed to moving further, faster to accelerate change for everyone affected by a brain tumour. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under 40 in the UK than any other cancer. We know that a cure can’t wait.

The way people are accessing support is evolving and we need to ensure that we are developing support services that reflect the complex needs of a brain tumour diagnosis using a range of platforms, from a traditional phone line service to innovative, engaging and instant solutions.

Supporting a wide range of people - from those who are looking for general information about treatment or care, to those who need more detailed support from the point of diagnosis—you will be passionate about improving the lives of those affected by a brain tumour. You will be comfortable providing emotional and practical support and information across different channels, capable of breaking down complex, scientific information in an accessible and personalised way and passionate about developing pioneering resources to support our community in smarter ways.

Our aim is to help more people, more quickly, whilst continuing to tailor our support and communications to meet the needs of different individuals and helping to empower them along the way.

**Location**:While contracted to our office in Fleet, Hampshire, our team supports a blend of office and home working provided you have adequate broadband and IT capability, with an average of 2-3 days in the office each week.

**Working hours**: This role is 37.5 hours per week, with some out of hours working.

**Annual Salary**: £29,050 (dependent on level)

If you have a background in science, psychology, health care or social work and are keen to develop your knowledge and understanding further we’d love to hear from you As an exceptional communicator with the ability to engage with a wide range of people through different channels - and importantly, have experience of doing so through digital platforms—you’ll have the opportunity to use your skills and experience to make a meaningful difference to our wonderful community.

You’ll be valued for your great problem solving skills, you’ll have an eye for identifying where improvements to our support offer can be made and a desire to develop in this role as much as you develop the services around you.

A high degree of empathy is a must and resilience is key - as you’ll be regularly providing emotional support in often difficult and sensitive situations. But you’ll also need an enquiring mind and will enjoy carrying out robust, technical research.
- Provide high quality information which reflects the most up to date research, clinical information and treatments in a way people can understand. Conducting the research yourself and adapting your communication to suit the person you are supporting is key
- Offer coaching guidance to empower individuals, helping them to achieve the appropriate next steps
- Lead on aspects of cross team projects and develop new resources that meet our community’s needs, while collaborating with other teams and external partners
- Identify gaps in knowledge across the Support Team and identify possible training areas
- Working with our community to develop information for our website and other age-appropriate resources, for example, writing initial drafts and reviewing information
- Where necessary, assist our digital support team in the day to day management of our online peer support platforms, for example our Facebook groups for people affected by a brain tumour diagnosis
- Work in conjunction with the Volunteer Development Manager to recruit, train and grow our volunteer programme who assist in delivering support services
- Update and maintain accurate contact information on the CRM database, producing data reports as required to evidence the impact and reach of our support services
- Identify, manage and escalate safeguarding concerns in line with The Charity guidelines
- Review day to day tasks across the Support Team

**Experience**:

- Background experience in a supporter, help line, health care, science or psychology related role
- Experience of working and supporting vulnerable adults, patients and carers
- Project management experience
- Experience of working with patient and carer organisations

**Knowledge, Skills & Abilities**:

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt communication styles for difference audiences
- Proven listening and emotional support skills and a strong ability to empathise
- Solutions focused with a positive ‘can do’ attitude
- Knowledge of health, the human brain, cancer or brain tumours
- Ability to prioritise and work under pressure with good time management
- Ability to work flexibly and creatively to respond to the emerging needs across the Support team
- Good understanding of social media platforms and how people use t