THE ROLE
Working at Citizens Advice Plymouth gives you a chance every day to change someone’s future and make a positive impact. Often our advisers are the first people that someone has opened up to about their debt situation and your ability to listen empathetically, analyse issues, and provide tailored advice will be key to empowering clients to overcome their challenges.
Our telephone debt advisers work across our Utilities projects, supporting clients with debt and energy advice, or on our Money and Pension Service (MaPS) National Debt Hub project. All roles require telephone communication with clients, but some also require webchat work.
On some projects you will advise clients through pre‑booked telephone appointments and for others you will advise clients through a national in‑bound telephone and webchat service. There’s no ‘average’ appointment or call – advice is tailored, and each client is treated equitably. Each project has its own targets to meet around number of clients supported, to make sure we are helping as many people as possible. You will have individual targets and will enjoy working in this way.
Debt advice is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), so there are legal and regulatory rules that you will need to follow. As part of this, you’ll receive a lot of feedback on the quality of your work through our quality assurance (QAA) process to make sure our clients are getting the best possible advice.
It can be a challenging role, but you will be fully trained and supported, working as a part of a friendly, approachable and supportive team in a rewarding environment to provide the best possible service to people across England, Wales, and Scotland.
Work base – Full‑time (37 hours per week) in the office during your initial probation period (6 months) then after probation, a hybrid work pattern with a mixture of office and home working. Our office is at Cobourg House in Mayflower Street, Plymouth.
The start date for this role is: Tuesday 23rd June 2026.
Full training will be provided. During your initial classroom and on‑the‑job training, you will be based full‑time at our city centre office at Cobourg House. Please note that no annual leave will be approved for the first 5 weeks of your employment, as you must be able to attend all the training to progress in the role.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR IN YOU
We’re looking for people who really care about the work that we do for our clients and want to support them to find a solution for their debt circumstances. You will need to have a ‘client‑first’ and ‘can‑do’ attitude and will work to get the best outcome for them, whoever they are, and whatever the reason they’ve got into debt.
You will enjoy working with a diverse range of people and be open‑minded and non‑judgemental. You will take an empathetic and compassionate approach to clients to understand the problems they’re facing and find solutions while also managing professional boundaries and being able to separate your own experiences from those of your clients.
You will need to be emotionally intelligent and resilient and able to handle conversations about a wide range of potentially upsetting topics, including mental health issues, difficult life situations, domestic or financial abuse, and suicide, as these issues can be common when people are in debt and you may be the first person the client has ever told about these things.
People who thrive in this role are determined, perseverant and able to adapt to change and competing priorities quickly and calmly – working with people means sometimes things don’t go the way you thought, clients don’t answer their appointments or cases are more complex than you expected, but you will be someone who works hard to do your best for as many clients as possible and enjoys using your initiative to adapt if things don’t go as planned.
You will have good professional telephone skills and be able to demonstrate active listening and control a call effectively. You’ll be skilled at adapting your communication style to the client’s needs, including accessibility needs and communication preferences. You’ll need to be able to use a computer confidently and competently, being able to type notes or research advice while on the phone to clients at the same time, write up accurate notes of the call quickly and efficiently, as well as keep client management systems up to date. You will need to have excellent organisation and time management skills and be able to work at a fast pace.
We’re looking for people who are receptive to feedback and see it as a chance to continuously improve. You’ll need to act on this feedback as part our regulated debt advice requirements and put it into practice straight away.
As an organisation we are open, honest and act with integrity and we expect the same from all our staff and volunteers. We treat everyone with dignity and respect, no matter who they are. You will understand the importance of confidentiality and data protection and will uphold the aims, principles and values of Citizens Advice Plymouth and proactively support and champion the charity in all areas of our work.
We value diversity, promote equity and challenge discrimination. We encourage and welcome applications from suitably skilled candidates from all backgrounds.
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