January 2015

Dear Applicant

Information Manager

Thank you for your interest in working for Gingerbread. We are working to reach more of the UK’s 2 million single parents, making sure they know we’re here and are using our support services. We’re also campaigning on a national scale to improve the lives of single parents and their children and ensure their voices are heard.

How to Apply

Please read the job description for the role. The person specification sets out the skills and experience we are looking for. To apply please complete the application form. The application form includes a personal statement section for you to set out how you meet the person specification for the role. Email your completed application form to , stating your name and the post you are applying for in the subject line.

Key Information

The closing date for applications is Friday 20 February

As the role will involve contact with vulnerable adults and children, the offer will be subject to a satisfactory criminal records check.

Interviews are scheduled for Friday 27 February. To keep our administration costs to a minimum, we will only be contacting candidates who we have shortlisted for interview. If you have not heard from us by the interview date, I’m afraid your application was not successful.

Equality and Diversity

We want to recruit people from a range of backgrounds. To help us monitor the effectiveness of our recruitment, please complete a Diversity and Equality Questionnaire on Survey Monkey. This data is completely anonymous, is stored confidentially by our HR Manager, and will not be seen by the selection panel.

If you have further queries or would like to discuss the role, please contact me on 020 7428 5448 or .

Yours sincerely,

Rose Stone

Head of Advice and Information

Gingerbread

Job Description and Person Specification

Job title

/
Information Manager

Reporting to

Responsible for /

Head of Advice and Information

Information Assistant

Hours

/ 35 hours per week
Overall Purpose of Role

The Information Manager has overall responsibility for producing Gingerbread’s portfolio of high quality information, across a range of channels for single parents and professionals who work with single parents.

  • To develop and manage the portfolio of Gingerbread’s online, public facing, advice and information products and to identify and deliver new products.
  • To ensure all information products produced are of high quality, accurate, safe and kept up to date according to agreed schedules.
  • To line manage an information assistant
  • To maintain a knowledge base of the areas of advice and information that single parents need.
  • To identify information needs of single parents, understanding the needs of different audiences and providing direction in meeting those needs.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

  1. Creating and managing online information and advice
  1. To be responsible for creating and maintaining an agreed portfolio of publicfacing information.
  1. To develop, maintain and manage administrative systems to support the efficient production of information.
  1. To lead on writing, researching, and editing web based online advice and information, web tools and factsheets.
  1. To ensure Gingerbread’s online advice and information and printed factsheets are kept up to date according to agreed schedules, and leading on updating these using the content management system.
  1. To work closely with both internal colleagues and external professionals where necessary to develop information and advice resources and co-ordinate the production process.
  1. To ensure contract targets are met for the review and production of information products.
  1. Overall management of online advice sessions, working closely with the advice team to help coordinate their delivery, and be responsible for managing archived sessions.
  1. Planning and strategy
  1. With the Head of Advice and Information, to work to identify the information needs of single parents and gaps in current service provision.
  1. To work with the Head of Advice and Information to review the information remit and develop operational plans in line with organisational strategy and Gingerbread policy.
  1. To regularly review and plan the portfolio of resources on offer.
  1. Cross-team working and support
  1. To provide support in fact checking and producing content for external media and other communications.
  1. To provide copy for e newsletters about relevant advice and information resources
  1. To contribute to the ongoing development of Gingerbread’s website and digital services as safe and reliable sources of information
  1. To assist the Policy Team in identifying and progressing policy issues arising from the work of the organisation, and contributing to consultations as necessary.
  1. Promotion of resources
  1. To work closely with the Communications Team, and other teams where appropriate, to support the promotion of information resources both internally and at external events.
  1. Monitoring, evaluation, user engagement and quality standards
  1. To monitor the uptake of the existing information, including monitoring digital metrics, and use this to inform and plan content.
  1. To ensure single parents are involved in the content production process, working with other colleagues where appropriate.
  1. To provide reports on information activities as required for internal and external reporting, and fundraising activities.
  1. To monitor and develop the implementation of quality standards, editorial processes, policies and guidelines.

5. Maintaining own knowledge and expertise

  1. To maintain own knowledge base on advice issues in order to write and fact check information and provide support to other teams in these areas.
  1. To keep abreast of the latest policy, legislation and guidance relevant to the information remit, attending external meetings as appropriate.
  1. To maintain a knowledge and understanding of single parents’ perspectives on issues via user engagement, and discussions with colleagues.
  1. Managing people
  1. To motivate and manage the performance and workload of the Information Assistant, and lead on recruitment of this post if needed.
  1. To work with and support volunteers working within the Advice and Information Team.

7. Corporate Responsibilities

  1. To champion and promote equal opportunities and diversity both with the Advice and Information Team and the wider organisation.
  1. To maintain awareness and ensure compliance with corporate policies including health and safety, safeguarding and data protection.
  1. To actively contribute to organisational cohesion, encouraging cross-team working and problem solving approaches.
  1. To take personal responsibility for keeping up to date with the work of the charity and issues affecting single parent families.
  1. To take a flexible approach to work and duties and carry out other duties as directed by the Head of Advice and Information

Person Specification

Essential

Experience

  1. Solid experience of communicating complex information in an easy to understand way.
  1. Evidence of designing and writing engaging and accessible content for an online audience.
  1. Demonstrable experience of researching, interpretingand communicating complex information such as government legislation for a range of audiences and communication channels
  1. Experience of managing or supervising others

Knowledge

  1. A thorough knowledge of welfare benefits and tax credits and an understanding of the potential impact on single parent families of welfare reforms.
  1. An understanding of and empathy for the issues and barriers faced by single parent families.
  1. Ability to demonstrate an understanding of equal opportunities in service delivery.

Skills

  1. Strong writing, editing and proof reading skills
  1. Excellent IT skills including use of content management systems
  1. Excellent time management and project planning skills and ability to work effectively under pressure and without close supervision.
  1. Ability to work well with internal and external stakeholders

Desirable

  1. Knowledge of other advice areas including child maintenance, family law, housing, debt and employment.
  1. Understanding of good practice in production processes and quality standards for information resources.
  1. Experience of producing and managing information materials in different media for a variety of audiences; including use of metrics to monitor uptake and inform planning.

Gingerbread Advice and Information Service

Our History: Gingerbread has a long history of providing advice and information to single parents of which we are very proud.

The future: The need for information continues to grow and is set to become increasingly important as the raft of changes in government policy continues to significantly impact on single parents. A recent online survey showed that we reach approximate 1 in 6 single parents through our website and that the need for advice and information was the main reason single parents came to the website.

Our team: We currently have a team of seven full-time and part-time Advice Workers. They are responsible for delivering advice to single parents through the helpline and online advice. The Advice Development Manager ensures the advice team’s knowledge is up to date and relevant by leading on a programme of advice development activities and by providing day to day support for advisors. The Information Manager, supported by the information assistant is responsible for developing and updating the portfolio of single parent information on the website and in print and the Head of Advice and Information leads the team. Advice and information sits within the directorate that includes policy, research, campaigns and communications.

Information: The provision of information and advice to single parents is at the heart of what Gingerbread does. In the current economic climate our ability to offer expert, independent and reliable information and advice is more important than ever, as is the delivery of a fully integrated multi-channel information offer so that single parents can access our services when and how they need to in order to make informed choices for themselves and their families.

Through a range of products Gingerbread provides single parents with the information they need. Our factsheets and website news section comprehensively cover issues relating to financial wellbeing, family wellbeing and social and personal wellbeing. Interactive tools and infographics bring information to life and our email packages deliver relevant information directly to the email box of single parents. All direct services within Gingerbread use the information produced by the team and rely on this being accurate, up to date and accessible, so internal communications are vitally important. A close working relationship with the communications and policy teams ensure that the information we produce is promoted to single parents as comprehensively as possible and that the implications of new legislation and guidance is translated into accurate information for our audiences.

Advice: The Single Parent Helpline provides advice and information to single parents. It is staffed by a team of trained advisors who advise on a wide range of topics including welfare benefits, child support, family law, housing, employment and education. The service is currently open for 31 hours per week, operates a freephone number and uses an interpreting service and text relay service. We are members of advice UK and The Helplines Partnership and hold The Helplines Partnership quality Mark. Online advice is a new and exciting area of our advice work delivered monthly by the advisors and overseen by the Information Manager.

Information Manager – Terms and Conditions

This information gives you an overview of the terms and conditions for the post, but is not part of any future contract of employment.

Salary: The salary for this post is £34,197 per annum FTE. A review of salaries occurs each year.

Hours of Work: This post is full time 35 hours per week. Staff may work flexitime in accordance with our flexitime policy between 8.30am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Location: This post is based at 520 Highgate Studios, 53-79 Highgate Road, London NW5 1TL.

Contract: This post is offered on a permanent contract.

Pension: Gingerbread contributes 5% of salary to a workplace pension scheme, subject to an employee contribution.

Annual leave: Full time staff are entitled to 28 days leave per year, rising to 29 days after 5 years’ service, and all public holidays, pro-rata for part time staff. In addition, our offices are closed between Christmas and New Year.

Work life balance policies: Gingerbread understands the need for staff to balance personal commitments and family life with work. We are proud of our range of policies to support staff. These include dependent care leave, flexitime, enhanced maternity and paternity provisions, working at home, flexible working and sabbatical leave.

Probationary Period: The first 6 months of your employment will be a probationary period.

References: All appointments are subject to receipt of satisfactory references. This post is subject to a DBS check. Convictions will not necessarily bar you from working with us, and a copy of our policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is available on request.