Working for Equal Lives

We're a user-led Disability Rights organisation. We think there should be 'Nothing About us, Without us'.

At Equal Lives, over 75% of our Board of Trustees identify as Disabled, as do over 60% of our employees.

Current Vacancies

Independent Living Adviser / HR Adviser

Are you passionate about helping Disabled people live independently? Do you enjoy solving problems, building relationships and providing practical advice that makes a real difference?

At Equal Lives, we're looking for an Independent Living Adviser to join our Suffolk Independent Living Service. This rewarding role supports people who use Direct Payments and personal budgets to arrange and manage their own care and support, giving them greater choice, control and independence.

You'll provide information, advice and guidance on a range of topics including Direct Payments, support planning, recruiting and employing Personal Assistants, and managing support arrangements. You'll work closely with individuals, families, professionals and community organisations to help people achieve positive outcomes and live independently.

We're looking for someone who:

Is passionate about equality, empowerment and the Social Model of Disability.
Has excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
Can manage a varied workload and respond to enquiries in a professional and person-centred way.
Has experience or knowledge of HR, recruitment, employment practices or supporting people to employ staff.
Is confident using IT systems, including Microsoft Office applications.
Can work independently whilst contributing positively to a wider team.
Has a full, clean driving licence and is willing to travel across Suffolk.
Knowledge of Direct Payments, personal budgets or independent living services would be beneficial, but training will be provided on our specific services.

Why work for Equal Lives?

Equal Lives is a user-led disability rights organisation working across Norfolk and Suffolk. We are passionate about removing disabling barriers, promoting independent living and ensuring Disabled people have choice, control and equal opportunities.

This is an opportunity to build meaningful relationships, support people to take control of their lives, and be part of a team committed to making a lasting difference in our communities.

Salary: £25,877.80 rising to £26,357.15 per annum after 6 month probation period (please note, an advert was published with the incorrect salary details, stating a lower salary. This is the correct salary for the role. Apoligies for any confusion)

Contract Type: Permanent, Full time

Hours and working pattern: 08:30 to 16:30, Monday to Friday

Location: Office based during probation with possibility of hybrid working after this.
Office location: IP City Centre, Bath Street, Ipswich, IP2 8SD

Some travel is required for visiting service users in their homes or other locations, so a full and clean driving license is required

Key Dates

Closing date: 2nd September 2026 (midday)
Shortlisting: 3rd September 2026

Interviews: 16th September 2026 at IP City Centre, Ipswich

Independent Living Adviser

Job Description

Want to be the first to hear about future vacancies?

To apply for a vacancy, you should:

Review the person specification and job description. Are you suited to the role? How do you meet the criteria? Read our Recruitment Pack and use our application form to tell us about your skills and experience. You'll hear from us soon after the deadline.

If you want to submit your response as an audio file, please ensure all questions are answered clearly, including the equality monitoring and rehab of offenders. You can email your file to hr@equallives.org.uk

Recruitment Pack

Application Form

Interested in Volunteering?

Head over to our Volunteer For Us page!

We welcome applications from anyone who feels they have the relevant skills and experience, however we do operate a guaranteed interview scheme for people identify as Disabled or a care leaver, who meets the minimum criteria for interview.

We're a Real Living Wage accredited employer.
All employees receive free training and a company pension.
We offer 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays.

Working for Equal Lives, you'll know you're actively breaking down barriers for Disabled people living in East Anglia and contributing to real change in your local area.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

As a disability rights organisation, we welcome the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for its assistive and editing applications. AI that polishes human-generated content is a useful tool, and can remove access barriers, especially for those with cognitive differences. This is a nuanced topic, explored in this excellent blog by one of our Trustees, Katie Robinson.

As AI-use has become increasingly common, we are receiving blogs and job applications that go beyond AI’s assistive purposes. In these submissions, content is being generated directly by AI. If we suspect that your submission has been generated by AI this could lead to a rejection.