Complaints Resolution Officer

• Grade 13 - £34,934 - £37,020 per annum, inclusive of a renumeration package of £9,751 payable for 3 years.
• 25 days annual leave (exc. Bank Holidays). Annual leave rises to 28 days with more than 5 years continuous service at Somerset Council.
• Hybrid and flexible working pattern by agreement.
• Occasional office days in either Taunton or Wellington may be required.
• A fantastic opportunity for you to bring your passion and energy to the role to help us ‘put things right’ at the first opportunity and improve the service we provide to our residents.

We’re working to improve the lives of people in Somerset – and you’ll be a key part of that. Your day-to-day work will involve:

Working with our residents, colleagues and contractors to investigate a portfolio of stage 1 complaints from cradle to grave, in line with company policy.

Working to the Housing Ombudsman’s dispute resolution principles and Complaint Handling Code, you will bring a fair and impartial approach.

Prioritising your caseload and organising your time effectively, working to mandatory complaint handling deadlines.

Using your listening and communication skills to understanding our residents’ concerns and build constructive and trusting relationships,

Writing formal responses to stage 1 complaints, using your excellent written communication skills to craft clear, comprehensive and empathetic replies.

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But it will really help if you:

Have experience of managing complaints in a housing (or a similarly regulated) environment and a working knowledge of an Ombudsman Service.

Are consistently forensic and thorough in your approach, helping you to make the right choices with confidence and autonomy.

Understand some of the challenges faced by our residents, which might include a range of specialist and complex needs.

Have an exemplary standard of clear, written and verbal communication.

Have strong negotiation skills and are able to influence.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more...

For an informal chat about the role, please contact Claire Reed on 01823 217505 or at claire.reed@somerset.gov.uk

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button - we can’t wait to hear from you.

This role requires a Basic DBS via the online disclosures procedure.