Senior Complaints Officer

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

Senior Complaints Officer

£35,895 - £40,613

Full-time, permanent contract (with the potential for flexible working)

Worcester

Here in Defra, we deal with a vast range of issues that have a profound impact on people’s lives. We are responsible for the environment, our countryside and rural economy, as well as the food and farming sectors. We also provide protection against a wide range of natural threats and hazards.

To support this work, Defra are currently establishing the new Office for Environmental Protection, a public body with the principal objective of contributing to environmental protection and improving the natural environment.

 Initially, the Interim OEP will be set up as a division within Defra to provide independent oversight of the government’s environmental progress on a non statutory basis. The OEP will then be legally established and gain its full powers through the Environment Bill in late 2021.

Join as a Senior Complaints Officer, and you’ll help to ensure adherence to environmental laws by assessing complaints made about suspected breaches made by public authorities.

In the Interim OEP you will oversee the receipt and validation of complaints to the Interim OEP by the team, ensuring they ar eassessed appropriately, escalated if needed and that any incorrectly submitted complaints are correctly signposted to the appropriate place.

Once the OEP is legally established you’ll be joining the OEP Complaints and Enforcement team, which determines which complaints of suspected environmental breaches warrant our investigation. If any breaches have occurred, we then develop solutions and remedies. As a Senior Complaints Officer – you’ll have an important part to play in building our fledgling complaints function into a fully operational and high performing service.

On a day-to-day level, we’ll be looking to you to take the lead when it comes to assessing and prioritising complaints, as well as carrying out investigations into the most complex cases. We’ll need you to make recommendations to managers around remedies, serving information and decision notices and drafting investigation reports. You’ll also lead by example as you make sure the members of the public who make complaints receive excellent service, including timely updates and guidance on what to expect.

This role calls for experience of managing customer relations, of providing a quality service and of delivering public facing or operational services – ideally, you’ll bring experience in case or complaints handling. You’ll certainly be skilled in using analysis to evaluate a range of evidence and reach decisions. If you have good working knowledge of UK environmental law and regulations, that would be ideal.

A skilled negotiator and communicator, you’ll be able to influence senior stakeholders to reach agreements with public authorities in order to remedy breaches of environmental law. You’ll also relish the opportunity to make a real impact on our environment now, and for years to come.

Successful candidates will initially be employed by Defra in the Interim OEP until the OEP is legally established. Once the OEP is legally established, we intend that the successful candidate’s employment will be transferred over to the OEP on their existing T&Cs and they will become public servants.

The OEP will be a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra. This means it will operate independently from Defra and will not be part of the UK Civil Service. 

If you have any questions, please email us at mailto: OEP.Recruitment@defra.gov.uk

Defra values equality and diversity in employment. We are committed to being an organisation in which fairness and equality of opportunity is central to the approach in business and working relationships, and where the organisational culture reflects and supports these values. In Defra you have the right to a working environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation regardless of race, ethnic or national origin, age, religion, sex, gender identity, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, working hours, trade union membership or trade union activity.

Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview.

Closing date: 21st April 2021