Senior Support Advisor

A Senior Support Advisor helps people across the advertising and media industry feel heard, supported and able to find a way forward when they are facing employee relations, wellbeing or wider life challenges. Through trusted, high-quality guidance they help people understand their options and get the support they need at the right time.

Senior Support Advisors:

• Enable people to better understand their options and make informed decisions around employee relations, wellbeing and wider life challenges.
• Connect people with practical, emotional and specialist support across NABS and beyond.
• Make thoughtful, well-informed decisions around grant-giving and wider client support.
• Contribute to a responsive, knowledgeable and compassionate Support Team, working closely with colleagues across Services and other teams to deliver the best possible offer for our community.

What you’ll be responsible for:

• Providing calm, informed support.
• Providing compassionate, confidential and independent support to build trusted relationships that help people feel listened to, taken seriously and better able to understand what is happening.
• Offering clear, practical guidance on a broad range of employee relations matters including redundancy, grievance, disciplinary processes, bullying and harassment - alongside related wellbeing and life challenges, to help people understand their position, options and next steps in and out of work.
• Using coaching skills, professional judgement and clear boundaries so people can explore their options, make informed decisions and identify practical next steps safely and confidently.
• Communicating effectively by phone, email, online and in person, respecting people's preferred style of sharing and receiving information.
• Connecting people to the right help - either NABS' offer of workshops, coaching, therapy and grants or trusted external organisations.
• Strengthening the support network available to people in the industry by building and maintaining relationships with relevant partners and service providers.
• Managing grants and support responsibly.
• Managing Support and Upskilling Grant applications from assessment through to recommendation and distribution to ensure funding decisions are in line with NABS' policies, processes and financial guidelines.
• Working within agreed grant budgets and processes and exercising sound judgement to ensure NABS resources are used responsibly, fairly and where they can have the greatest impact.
• Maintaining clear, accurate and confidential case records and systems to ensure safe service delivery, effective follow-up and good governance.
• Working closely with colleagues across NABS and sharing ideas, insight and expertise to help us achieve more together.
• Keeping the bigger picture in mind, contributing to shared organisational priorities as well as their own area of responsibility.
• Bringing NABS' Cultural Contract to life through the way they work, communicate and build relationships.
• Helping ensure our work is delivered responsibly with appropriate attention to quality, safeguarding, finances, risk management, data handling and governance.

Additional requirements of the role:

• This role will involve planned travel across London and, on occasion, elsewhere in the UK.
• From time to time you'll be asked to work at NABS events or other key activities outside of normal working hours including some evenings and weekends.
• This role is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check including a check of the barred lists.

Essential criteria:

• Strong experience in an HR Generalist, employee relations and people advisory role, providing compassionate, confidential and independent support to people facing work, wellbeing or life challenges.
• Strong experience of applying employment law and HR best practice to offer clear, impartial guidance on employee relations matters, including redundancy, grievance, disciplinary processes, bullying and harassment.
• Proven coaching skills, creating space for people to explore options, make informed decisions and identify practical next steps.
• Good understanding of the factors that can affect wellbeing including pressure, stress, mental ill health, bereavement, financial concerns, work relationships and domestic abuse.
• Ability to apply advice-work principles in practice including confidentiality, objectivity, safeguarding and clear professional boundaries.
• Experience of managing sensitive information, maintaining accurate case records and using administrative systems in line with data protection requirements.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of adapting tone and approach for different people and situations.
• A collaborative mindset, sharing knowledge and insight to support a consistent, high-quality service.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office and digital tools as an integral part of service delivery, collaboration and reporting.

Desirable criteria:

• Experience of working within the charity sector, advice services or other people-focused support environments.
• Experience of supporting people within the advertising, media or communications industry.
• Evidence of continued professional development or life-long learning in areas such as HR, employee relations, employment law, coaching, wellbeing or advice-related practice, including relevant CIPD study or qualifications.
• Familiarity with using Raiser’s Edge 7/NXT or another case management, CRM or database system.
• Knowledge of specialist support organisations and referral pathways that may be helpful for people facing work, wellbeing, financial or life challenges.

Diversity, equity and inclusion at NABS:

We encourage applications from individuals from under-represented groups to apply for this role. We believe everyone should feel able to be themselves at work, have access to opportunity and feel accepted as part of a community. We know that difference brings creativity, experience, varying perspectives and that this enables us to collectively do our best work. We put people first by championing, promoting and supporting the wellbeing of our teams and are a proud equal opportunities employer. We are also on our own journey and are challenging our own culture and systemic behaviours and if you join our team, you will be part of an organisation that is working towards equitability and is committed to making an inclusive culture for everyone.