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role of independent assessor
I'm delighted that you’re interested in the ombudsman service and the post of
independent assessor. I thought you might like a note that goes beyond the formal job
spec and tries to give you a feel for the service and for the role supporting it.
I came new to the service when I joined as chairman in February this year. I’d never used
it and, frankly, didn’t know much about it. But, a year on, I’m enjoying the job and the
challenges tremendously. There are a lot of reasons for this. First, that what we do
genuinely matters. People can get frustrated and perplexed when they can’t resolve
complaints with their bank, insurer or building society. We sort things out – and that
doesn’t mean always in their favour, as we’re genuinely neutral – and that’s a huge relief
for them. The letters we get from people, including those who “lose”, as well as those
whose complaints we uphold, show we make a real difference to their lives.
And it’s a lot of lives. Last year, we helped nearly 1.5 million people who got in touch with
us, and handled over 220,000 formal complaints. It’s a bit of a growth industry, as we
succeed in making more people aware of what our free service can offer, and as the
sheer number of complaints and issues grows. We currently have over 1,500 individual
disputes to resolve every single day, spanning every area of financial services – from
payday loans to mortgages, spread betting and payment protection insurance (PPI).
We’ve had to grow, too, to cope with the demand: from 300 people 12 years ago, when
we were set up, to around 3,000 today.
The second big reason why I enjoy it is that I’ve quite honestly never worked in an
organisation that was so strongly values-driven and true to those values. It’s easy to
sound a bit dewy-eyed about that; but wherever I go in the service I find people who are
genuinely committed to doing the right thing for our customers and who treat knowledge
as something to be shared, rather than as a source of power. It’s an organisation with a
terrific feel to it and where people are always looking for ways to do better.
That’s where you’d come in as independent assessor. It’s really important that, if
customers feel that our handling of their complaint (as opposed to the actual outcome)
has been flawed, they should have someone independent to turn to if they’re still not
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satisfied once we’ve looked into it. The independent assessor provides that last resort,
and it’s a role that’s hugely important to us, both in demonstrating our commitment to
customer needs and in enabling us to learn when things go wrong and to do better in the
future. That means we need someone who can communicate fair and objective
assessments in a crystal-clear way to customers and who – while preserving the distance
necessary for true independence – can work closely with the service in feeding back to
us both lessons from particular cases and general trends, to help us in our quest for
constant improvement.
So what we are looking for in the independent assessor? You'll have an analytical mind
and be good at problem-solving, which will help you to deal fairly with genuine
grievances about service standards while avoiding discussions about the merits of
cases. You'll have excellent communication skills and be able to provide impartial
feedback to both the customer making the complaint and us. You'll have a flexible and
pragmatic approach to your work and be able to work under pressure.
This isn’t a job for just anyone. It’s for someone who cares about making a difference,
someone who has the skills and experience to be the ultimate level of appeal for
customers who feel dissatisfied with the service they have received, to balance the facts
and make appropriate recommendations. It’s a really rewarding job; and if that’s the way
you feel after reading this and the job specification, I hope you’ll put in for it.
Nick Montagu,
chairman
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who we are
We’re an independent, not-for-profit organisation set up to sort out disputes between
consumers and financial services businesses – fairly, reasonably and impartially.
We were set up by government in 2000 as a statutory alternative to the courts. We’re
funded by financial services. We’ve expanded significantly since 2000 and our remit now
covers nearly all financial services and products – from spread betting to pet insurance.
We employ around 3,000 people and more than 2 million customers contact us each
year. We are, quite simply, the place consumers can come if they have a dispute with
their financial service provider that they can’t resolve themselves.
like to know more?
We publish our plans for a changing world at the start of each financial year. This sets
out the challenges we predict, the priorities we agree and the key measures we set
ourselves for the year.
Our annual review looks back at the past year, with facts, figures and information about
our work and the trends in complaints.
To find out more about the types of complaints we deal with, see our regular newsletter,
ombudsman news, which includes case studies and case highlights.
our values
We believe we work best when we keep in mind what’s important to us. And we stand by
our values in all areas of our work. What matters to us is that:
we do the right thing
we treat our customers well and respect their needs
we do what we say we’ll do
we’re inquisitive and build everyone’s knowledge
diversity and fairness – at the heart of everything we do
We want to ensure we’re reaching out to the widest range of people – in how we recruit
and in the services we offer. Our service is for everyone. We aim to be accessible and to
meet all the needs of our people and customers.
So please let us know if you’d like information in a different format or language, or if
you’d like us to adapt the way we communicate with you.
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independent assessor
reports to
the board of the Financial Ombudsman Service
location
London docklands (at least 1 day a week in the office) + homeworking
salary
£112k (pro rata for 2 or 3 day week)
about the job
the final step in the complaints process
The Financial Ombudsman Service aims to be effective, efficient and to deliver the
highest standards of customer service. In order to do that, it needs to be open to
feedback, to learn from its mistakes and to reinforce good service. The organisation has
an internal service complaint process and the independent assessor is the final step.
an independent view on complaints handling
The independent assessor reports to the board and is not a member of ombudsman
service staff. The principal duty is to reach an independent view on whether the
ombudsman service provided good service in its practical handling of a complaint about
a financial services business. The independent assessor may make recommendations for
redress by the ombudsman service if the standard of service has caused avoidable
distress and inconvenience.
A complaint of poor service does not include the merits of a complaint about a financial
services business, nor whether a complaint is within the ombudsman service’s
jurisdiction.
the scope of the job
You will:
be the final arbiter of complaints about the level of service provided once the
ombudsman service has had a reasonable chance to respond to a service complaint
prepare reports on your findings, tailored to the circumstances of the complaint
where appropriate, make recommendations for redress, communicating your reasons
clearly to the complainant and the ombudsman service
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provide summary feedback to the board and to the ombudsman service executive,
highlighting areas of concern, examples of good practice and any emerging trends, to
help ensure that the ombudsman service learns from service complaints
compile an annual review for the board covering the number and nature of
complaints received and reviewed and the recommendations made for inclusion in
the financial ombudsman service directors’ report and accounts
You’ll be supported by a full time senior caseworker and a full time administrator, both of
whom will be seconded to you by the board. You’ll also be supported by the ombudsman
service’s infrastructure, though with appropriate guards to protect your independence.
about you
your experience
you’ll probably have significant experience of investigatory case-handling, perhaps
in a legal environment, or in a dispute-resolution, regulatory or public body
experience of ombudsmanry is not essential but would be an advantage, and you
should have worked in an environment which prides itself on customer service
excellence
you’ll have worked at a senior level with significant executive and board experience
you’ll have a strong educational record, in any subject, to degree level or equivalent
you’ll be IT literate and comfortable with handling and analysing data
superb analytical and problem solving skills – able to quickly get to the heart of an issue
you’ll be able to assess service complaints promptly, getting to the heart of the issue,
and demonstrating sound and robust judgement
excellent organisational skills
you'll be someone who’s extremely well organised and who understands that
deadlines matter
you’ll be able to filter eligible complaints from those not within your remit and
prioritise your time appropriately
outstanding communication skills
you’ll have experience of communicating appropriately with a wide range of
complainants, adjusting your style to meet their needs
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you’ll be skilled in preparing evidence-based written opinions to reassure the
complainant and the ombudsman service that you have examined the complaint
thoroughly and have reached a balanced conclusion
aligned with the values of the ombudsman service
your role is to help put things right where the ombudsman service has not provided a
good enough quality of service. It’s essential that your values align with those of the
ombudsman service, with a strong focus on justice
effective in an independent role
you’ll relish the challenges of independence, in a role where you won’t always be
giving the complainant or the ombudsman service the news that they want to hear
you’ll have the skills to make “independence” an asset, understanding that having
influence requires a collaborative working style and is based on respect
good with people
and finally, you need to be someone who is good at getting the best out of your own
staff in a busy and high pressure working environment