Equal Access Loan - Programme Lead
Job Type: Full time (40 hours a week)
Salary: c.£32,000 per annum
Location: Brixton with some national travel.
At the end of 2018 there were 126,720 people whose refugee status had been granted and 45,244 people with pending asylum cases. Once asylum is granted, refugees have 28 days until existing government support is withdrawn. People with skilled professions, including lawyers, beauticians, plumbers and accountants, require requalification to practice in the UK, this involves undertaking exams and/or further training. This process is prohibitively expensive for those working in survival jobs or facing unemployment. Consequently, the UK labour market has a very high level of over-qualification and under-employment among refugees. The irony is the UK is lacking in skilled professionals across several key sectors and yet in a world driven by capital, refugees have no access to loans or traditional lines of credit.
In September 2017 RefuAid launched the first (and only) nationwide loan scheme for refugees. The loan scheme provides support to those who have be granted refugee status and have full rights to work. We offer interest-free loans of up to £10,000, for internationally trained refugees to pay for UK accreditation, requalification or training, enabling them to return to employment in their prior professional fields. Loans are assessed on a character-basis, harnessing the power of human relationships to provide lifelines to individuals who have no alternative access to credit. Repayment plans are worked out on an individual basis with the applicant. As of yet we have not yet received a default on the loan programme.
The Loan and Employment Lead will be responsible for managing RefuAid’s Equal Access Loan programme, including (but not limited to) loan applications and administration, client casework and managing relationships with relevant organisations and professional bodies as well as managing budgets.
Equal Access Loan Officers will report directly into this role, meaning that people management is a key requirement.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Managing all aspects of the Equal Access Loan programme.
Line management of all loan caseworkers, including overseeing performance, monitoring and evaluating output.
Interviewing and assessing Equal Access Loan applications.
Working closely with the placement programme lead to ensure the right candidates are put forward for job/placement opportunities.
Being a point of approval for loan applications and repayment schedules made by Equal Access Loan Officers.
Overseeing loan administration and accuracy with Street UK.
Managing and developing relationships with professional bodies and key employment contacts.
Working closely with all other RefuAid teams to ensure appropriate clients are being referred to the loan programme.
Supporting clients with CV editing and pre- interview training to ensure best possible chances of employment.
Recording, tracking and reporting on the output of the programme to the Director of Operations and Co-Founders, including (but not limited to) number of clients being loaned to, repayments and defaults, professionals and professional pathways.
Ensure implementation of policies within the loan team.
Consistent casework for own clients.
To create and maintain a culture of collaboration and communication to further the team and RefuAid’s objectives.
Working with the Co-Founders and Director of Operations to formulate strategies to improve overall and individual performance, where necessary.
Supporting recruitment for the loan team, alongside the Director of Operations and Co-Founders.
Managing the on-boarding and training of all new members of the loan team.
Directly working with refugees and offering programme guidance & educational/careers advice.
Liaising with partner organisations, both non-profit and maintaining partnerships.
Participate in any necessary meetings.
Any other reasonable activity as needed for RefuAid.
SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND ATTRIBUTES:
Ability to manage a small team and ensure smooth running of internal operations.
Excellent ability to collate, analyse and interpret data for the purpose of performance management.
Experience within social finance.Excellent administrative and time management skills.
Excellent communication skills on telephone, in writing and in person • Commitment to, understanding and sensitive communication of our work and values.
A high standard of spoken and written English.
Excellent numeracy.
Meticulous; high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
Excellent IT skills; specifically, Microsoft Office, CRM systems and any additional software programs would be an advantage.
Interest in the importance of long-term solutions in refugee-hosting communities.
Enthusiastic and positive attitude; flexible and adaptable.
Collaborative team-player who will get involved in whatever needs to be done to achieve the aims of RefuAid.
This role will report directly to RefuAid’s Director of Operations.
Committed to reflection and learning, including sharing failures and uncertainties.
We are committed to providing equality and fairness for all and not to discriminate on grounds of gender, marital status, race, ethnic origin, colour, nationality, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, mental health, religion or age. We encourage and celebrate the different qualities that our colleagues, and others we work with, bring to our work. And we believe that seeing things from a wide range of different perspectives helps us to resolve problems, adapt our approaches and develop as an organisation. We want to bring greater diversity to our team and we are keen to receive applications from people who believe they would do this.