Hours: Full-time (34.5 hours per week over 5 days)
Location: Hybrid working (40% working from the office in Leeds)
At Epilepsy Action we are inclusive, ambitious, supportive, and committed to creating a world without limits for people with epilepsy.
As we achieve the goals in our 2024 – 2030 strategy we are excited to welcome you to our passionate, supportive and committed team.
We understand the importance of a work life balance, and that’s why we have a number of ways to support our people to achieve this. By operating a flexible and supportive approach, we empower people to work in a way that suits them that also meets the need of the charity.
If you are interested in building a career you can be proud of in an inclusive and ambitious organisation we might have the role for you!
About the role
Be the first voice of support. Be the difference.
Do you love signposting people to enable them to access services and get the right support at the right time? Do you thrive in a fast‑paced environment where every conversation has the potential to help someone on their epilepsy journey with us? If so, this could be your perfect next step.
Our Information & Support Hub is at the centre of that mission to create a world without limits for people with epilepsy. As an Initial Contact Assessor, you will be the welcoming first point of contact for anyone reaching out for help, understanding, support or reassurance.
At Epilepsy Action we recognise the power of collaboration and teamwork, so our team members with hybrid contracts can expect to work a minimum of 40% at our office in Leeds. On average this is 2 days a week, normally on Mondays and Thursdays, for full-time employees. The expectation to collaborate face‑to‑face is driven in part by your role and the activities you need to do which may vary from time to time, so you will need to work in a flexible way to help us create a world without limits for people with epilepsy.
What you will do
Every day is different, but your purpose stays the same: help people feel supported from the very first moment they get in touch.
* Respond to emails and webforms by providing basic epilepsy information and signposting to our range of support services.
* Answer calls to our helpline encouraging people to open up about their situation so you can assess their needs and level or urgency. Using call handling skills to keep the conversation focused and on track.
* Enable people to access our range of support services by making timely referrals or signposting to external organisations for support where the primary need is not epilepsy related.
* Respond compassionately, while maintaining professional boundaries.
* Identify and respond to safeguarding concerns appropriately in line with our procedures.
* Keep accurate, confidential records, contributing to meaningful insights and real impact.
* Play a key role in promoting our services, reaching out into online communities where epilepsy is discussed to raise awareness of the support available.
* Work alongside our wider services team to help every person feel supported on their epilepsy journey with us.
This is a role where you’ll make a positive difference empowering people to access support every single day often at moments when someone needs it most.
About you?
We’re excited to meet people who bring energy, care, and curiosity to the role. You will thrive here if you are:
* A warm, confident communicator able to explain things clearly, calmly and sensitively.
* An excellent listener, skilled at putting people at ease and understanding what’s really going on.
* Empathetic, patient and non‑judgemental, especially when supporting people in distress.
* Experienced in customer‑facing or support roles, ideally across both phone and digital channels.
* Comfortable assessing needs, identifying risks and navigating next steps.
* Organised, focused and calm under pressure, even when juggling multiple enquiries.
* Digitally confident, with strong attention to detail and accurate record‑keeping.
* A team player, who also works well independently and takes initiative.
* Committed to safeguarding, confidentiality, and doing what’s right for each person.
Experience with long‑term conditions, disabilities or vulnerable groups is a bonus, but if you don’t yet know much about epilepsy, don’t worry. We’ll train you.
Why this role matters
You’ll be the person who answers the call or reads the message when someone is anxious, confused, newly diagnosed, overwhelmed, or looking for hope.
Your voice, your empathy, and your guidance will help them access our support services so they can live well with their epilepsy.
If you’re someone who loves making a real difference from the very first “hello”, we’d love to hear from you.
Being an Inclusive Organisation
We want everyone in our community regardless of their backgrounds, identities, abilities, or circumstances, to feel valued and respected to participate fully. We know that inclusivity isn’t about numbers; it’s about embracing diversity and ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard, needs are met, and contributions are acknowledged.
We recognise that each person’s experiences shape how they think and having diverse representation across the organisation is fundamental to achieving our ambitions.
Despite this we are not as diverse as we would like and we actively encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under‑represented.
We are also proud to be a Disability Confident Leader, this means we encourage applications from disabled people, and we are committed to interviewing disabled applicants who demonstrate through their application that they meet the essential criteria in the person specification. We want to support you to perform your best so if you require any reasonable adjustments please let us know.
Safer Recruitment
Epilepsy Action will ensure that all staff and volunteers who work in roles which are legally entitled to get a DBS or Access NI (Northern Ireland) check are screened appropriate to the role.
If a DBS or Access NI check reveals a conviction for a sexual offence against a child or vulnerable adult, whenever it was committed, that individual is not suitable for that role and will not be recruited. Any other convictions will be considered on an individual basis.
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