Overview of the Role

We are looking for a proactive and community-focused Recruitment Officer to support our Direct Payments services in Croydon and Sutton.

This is a 30-hour-per-week role, worked within our usual office hours of 9am to 5pm with one hour unpaid lunch break. We would prefer the successful candidate to include Friday as one of their working days, but we can be flexible about how the remaining hours are arranged.

The role involves working across several locations, including Croydon Council offices, community venues in Croydon and Sutton, our Kingston office and from home. As local outreach and relationship-building are central to the role, applicants should live in Croydon or within easy travelling distance and have a good understanding of Croydon’s diverse communities.

The Recruitment Officer plays a vital role in helping disabled people, people with complex health conditions and carers recruit and retain suitable Personal Assistants (PAs). The role focuses on developing local pools of skilled, values-driven PAs, promoting Personal Assistant opportunities and supporting people throughout the recruitment process.

Working closely with Direct Payments Advisors, individual employers, local authority teams and community organisations, the Recruitment Officer will provide a responsive and person-centred recruitment service. They will support candidates through recruitment checks and onboarding and help match them with Direct Payment recipients based on their values, skills, availability and preferences.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain pools of suitable Personal Assistants across Croydon and Sutton using KCIL’s internal systems and CRM database.
• Proactively promote Personal Assistant opportunities through community outreach, digital advertising, local events and partnerships.
• Build relationships with Jobcentre Plus, colleges, employment services, voluntary and community organisations and other local partners.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to recruit PAs from Sutton and Croydon’s diverse communities, particularly in areas where it is more difficult for individual employers to find suitable support.
• Respond to enquiries from prospective PAs and guide candidates through the recruitment and onboarding process.
• Screen, shortlist and interview candidates to assess their suitability, values and readiness for the PA role.
• Support candidates to complete relevant checks, including DBS and right-to-work checks.
• Work with Direct Payments Advisors and individual employers to match suitable PAs to vacancies based on skills, availability, location and personal preferences.
• Support individual employers to advertise PA vacancies and understand the recruitment options available to them.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of PA candidates, vacancies, recruitment activity and successful matches.
• Attend job fairs, recruitment events, PA training sessions and other outreach activities across Croydon and Sutton.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues delivering PA training to identify training needs and promote relevant sessions.
• Promote good safeguarding practice and ensure candidates understand the professional boundaries and responsibilities associated with PA work.
• Monitor recruitment activity and contribute to reports on vacancies, PA availability, outreach and recruitment outcomes.