29803 - Customer Service Advisor

£18,884 - £20,420
13
12 Months
East Midlands
Nottingham
NOTTINGHAM OPG NOTTINGHAM, NG2 1AR
AO
E
Permanent
Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working
Operational Delivery

The Office of the Public Guardian protects people in England and Wales who may not have the mental capacity to make certain decisions for themselves regarding their health of finances.

Power of Attorney Services (POAS) processes incoming power of attorney applications on behalf of the Public Guardian, within agreed targets and performance indicators. POAS comes under the Operations directorate of the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG).

OPG is a fantastic place to work offering a range of development opportunities, health and wellbeing initiatives and diversity and inclusion promotion. We signed up to the ‘Time to Change’ pledge which supports mental health in the workplace, as well as recently receiving a health and wellbeing charter accreditation as we are committed to developing a supportive and inclusive environment that reflects the diverse community we serve.

We are currently going through a period of organisational change, with an ambitious plan over the next few years to embed smarter working in our offices which may include home working in the future.

Our Nottingham office is located just south of the city with the possibility of onsite parking and bus stops outside the office. We are also within walking distance to tram lines that provide direct routes to Nottingham Train station.

Job Description

The Customer Service Advisor role is Contact Centre based, with the main duties of answering customer queries relating to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the services that OPG provide. These include powers of attorney and the supervision of court appointed deputies. Advisors also play an important role in coaching and guiding our customers who are supporting vulnerable adults that have started to lose or have lost mental capacity. Therefore, it’s important that Advisors have the ability to show empathy and understanding towards our customers.

Customer Service Advisors receive regular management support, and all members of the team work together to achieve our targets. The work mainly involves communicating with our customers verbally by telephone, but also in writing, and completing the related administrative work following each interaction with a customer. This includes updating our case management system, communicating and collaborating with colleagues across the business, among other tasks.

Responsibilities may include any of the following, but not limited to:

  • Supporting and contributing to the aims, objectives and performance of the Power of Attorney Services (PoAS) department to ensure delivery targets, as set out in the Business Plan, are met.

Comprehensive training will be provided, enabling you to:

  • Make and answer telephone calls, in a contact centre environment, with internal and external customers, answering external customer queries and escalating to other teams where appropriate.
  • Be clear, honest and transparent in your communication, making decisions that involve the relevant people at the right time. Provide high-quality customer service in line with Departmental behaviours, responding to written correspondence via post or email, ensuring that all information for customers is accurate, timely, clear and easy to understand.
  • Inputting and updating data on our IT systems, collating, analysing and formatting data and information.
  • Work in accordance with standard operating procedures, providing constructive feedback where improvements and efficiencies can be made, contributing to the development of smarter working across the department with the customer experience at the heart of everything we do.
  • Participate in and contribute to team meetings, developing working relationships across POAS and the wider organisation where needed. Act as a role model for staff, demonstrating behaviours within the MoJ Leadership statement and the organisation’s values. Be a flexible and supportive team member with good time management skills in order to prioritise work.
  • Take responsibility for your own learning and development with the support and guidance of your line manager.
  • Develop a knowledge of HR policies which you will be expected to abide by.

The post holder is required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post. There may also be a requirement to work in different departments during the course of your employment, dependent on business needs.

Skills & Qualifications

• Experience in using MS word/excel and Outlook.
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Ability to make informed decisions based on evidence.
• Good telephone manner (ability to converse politely and articulately with customers on the telephone is an essential skill of the post).

Essential criteria:

  • Proficiency in written and oral communication as telephony work will be required.

Desirable criteria:

  • Call centre experience, which will be assessed at the interview stage of the recruitment process.
  • Experience dealing with customers.
  • Experience of using Microsoft computer packages, i.e. Word, Excel, Outlook.
  • Experience of working in an operational delivery area or administration role.
  • Experience of working in a compliance environment.

Application process

Applicants are asked to provide a CV (maximum 2 sides of A4) together with a Statement of Suitability (500 words maximum), providing specific examples of how they meet the Essential and Desirable Criteria together with the behaviour of Managing a Quality Service, as outlined in the Job Description.

Managing a Quality Service (250 words max)

Interview Process:

If you are successful at sift, you will be invited to an interview which will follow the Success Profiles process. At interview candidates should expect Behaviour-based questions relating to Managing a Quality Service (Level 1) and Delivering at Pace (Level 1) together with 4 Strength-based questions and Experience questions relating to Customer Service.

Delivering at Pace

  • Always work with focus and pace to get the job done on time and to a high standard.
  • Follow the relevant policies, procedures and rules that apply to the job.
  • Keep focussed on delivery and take responsibility for the quality of work produced.
  • Keep a consistent level of personal performance.

Hours of Work

37 hours per week Monday to Friday (Part time staff will be considered but successful candidates will need to be available 9am -5pm, Monday to Friday for the first eight weeks during initial training)

The successful candidates will be based in Nottingham but may have the opportunity to visit our office in Birmingham.

The job holder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.

Working Arrangements & Further Information

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices.

Benefits

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Annual Leave

Generous allowances for paid holiday starting at 25 days per year, and rising as your service increases. There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Pension

The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Training

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

Support

  • A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
  • Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits,retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
  • For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers
  • Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
  • Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

Networks

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity.

There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Potential interview dates for w/c 22/11/2019

23/10/2019, 23:55 hours.

If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@sscl.gse.gov.uk Please quote the job reference - 29803.
Please note the successful applicant will need to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Security Check for this post.

To apply for roles in MOJ you will need to confirm your employment history for at least 3 years prior to the date of application so that pre-employment checks (BPSS) can be undertaken. If you have spent significant time abroad (a total of 6 months in the past 3 years) you would be required to give a reasonable account of the reasons why. 

For some roles you will be required to successfully complete National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorism (CTC), Security Clearance (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV) level as a condition of appointment. To meet CTC/SC/DV requirements you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3/5/10 years prior to the date of application (The level of checks that are required are stated in the advert).

If you do not meet the above requirements, you may still be considered if, for example:

  • You've been serving overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of HM Government
  • You were studying abroad
  • You were living overseas with parents

In such cases you will need to be able to provide referee cover for the period(s) of residence overseas. The duration of overseas residence and the country of abode will also be taken into account.

Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.

if you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance

We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.


Application form stage assessments

Experience
Statement of Suitability - 500 word limit

Interview stage assessments

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.
Behaviours
Managing a Quality Service
Delivering at Pace
Strengths may also be assessed at interview but these are not shared in advance.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

· UK nationals

· nationals of the Republic of Ireland

· nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK

· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

· individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020

· Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

This Vacancy is closed to applications.