Investigator (Cardiff)

Financial Ombudsman; Cardiff; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 45,000

Job description

Looking for a new challenge?

Take a look at our current vacancies. If you see a vacancy that is right for you, we encourage you to apply!

Make a positive difference to financial services

Contract: up to 4 years fixed-term contract

Working hours: full time (35 hours pw) and part time (28 hours pw)

Reporting to: Ombudsman Manager

Our current hybrid policy requires one day per week in the office

As part of your induction, you’ll need to spend your first week in our London office. We will cover your expenses for your time in London.

The Financial Ombudsman Service is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that plays a vital role in UK financial services. Every day we help resolve disputes between consumers, or small businesses, and their financial service providers.

The complaints we deal with vary. A customer might be having trouble with their bank account, struggling with payday loans, think an insurance pay out isn’t fair, or be worried about their mortgage.

If we believe a customer hasn’t been treated fairly, we’ll ask the business to put things right. If we think the business isn’t at fault, we’ll explain why. The decisions we make have a huge impact: they can be life-changing for individuals, and they provide insights which are useful for financial businesses.

By joining us as an Investigator, you’ll play a key role in Fraud & Scams products. Each case and each customer is different. No two days are ever the same and sometimes the work is demanding, but it’s a job that makes a real difference and you’ll be rewarded with generous benefits as well as job satisfaction.

Key responsibilities

1. Investigating complaints about Fraud & Scams products
2. Managing your caseload effectively to reach targets
3. Managing relationships with our customers – both consumers and financial businesses
4. Examining evidence to get to the heart of each complaint
5. Weighing up all sides of a story and assessing the relevant rules and regulations to make fair and reasonable decisions
6. Communicating with empathy – listening carefully to both sides, asking the right questions and using sound judgement
7. Communicating your findings clearly, explaining what you think and why through a clear and structured written response

Person specification

1. You’ll be a self-starter who can prioritise tasks and work well independently.
2. You’ll have great people skills and an analytical, problem-solving mind.
3. You may have experience in customer services, sales or retail, in a legal/paralegal role, or have worked in casework, claims or investigative work for another public agency.
4. Demonstrable experience working in Fraud & Scams related products
5. Expertise making fair and balanced decisions, where you must articulate your thinking clearly
6. Excellent communication skills, including a talent for listening and explaining things in clear language as well as good written English
7. Experience providing excellent customer service with people who may be angry or upset
8. Problem solving and finding constructive solutions
9. Strong administrative skills and the ability to prioritise your workload
10. History of working to meet targets or service level agreements
11. Knowledge of financial products
12. Relevant qualifications within Fraud & Scams
13. Experience in decision making or investigative roles for example, legal, paralegal, casework or claims

Why the Financial Ombudsman Service?

We’re a UK-wide service, with strong values and a diverse workforce, where you can be your authentic self. We’re committed to being a great place to work and to recruiting people from all backgrounds. So, as well as a competitive salary, we offer a great package of benefits, including:

1. Core benefits including generous pension, life assurance, critical illness cover, income protection, personal accident cover, private medical insurance, virtual GP
2. Optional benefits including travel insurance, technology scheme, cycle to work scheme, dining and lifestyle memberships, dental cover and access to discounted national gym memberships.
3. Holiday entitlement of 25 days, with the option to buy or sell extra days
4. Discounts on your everyday shopping, from groceries and petrol to household goods and gift vouchers
5. An Employee Assistance Program offering professional support with legal, health and money issues
6. Opportunities for personal and career development

Go to the website and upload your CV, which should highlight relevant skills and experience and explain any gaps in your working life. Use the supporting statement box to demonstrate how you meet the minimum criteria. If you get through the initial screening round successfully, we’ll invite you to an online assessment. Please bear in mind that we may close the application window for this role earlier than the date specified if there’s a large number of applications.

Talent Pool

Please note that positions are limited and will be filled on the highest scores at interview. Once all vacancies have been allocated; qualifying candidates may be placed in a Talent Pool for future opportunities should they chose to be put on this list. Being part of the Talent Pool does not guarantee a position but ensures you will be considered should further openings arise.

Proud to be an inclusive employer

Reflecting the communities, we serve helps us provide the best service to our customers. Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our success, so we welcome applications from women and other under-represented groups. As part of our commitment to the Race at Work Charter, we welcome applications from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority candidates.

We’re proud to be a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader. This means that we will put disabled candidates through to the next stage of the recruitment process as long as they meet the minimum criteria for a role. (Exceptions may apply if we have so many applications, we can’t interview all the candidates who qualify under the scheme.)

Who we are…

With fairness at the heart of everything we do, we embrace difference and treat everyone as equals. We’re a diverse organisation, but something we all share is our values. They’re central to the way we work – and work together.

We’re an independent, not-for-profit organisation that sorts out disputes between financial businesses and their customers. We do this by making decisions that are fair – and feel fair to both sides.

The Financial Ombudsman Service is an equal opportunities employer. All applicants will be treated in a fair and equal manner and in accordance with the law, regardless of gender, marital status, race, religion, colour, age, disability or sexual orientation.

We’re committed to being a great place to work – attracting and developing people from the widest possible range of backgrounds. We want everyone to perform at their best and feel able to be themselves. We understand that if we’re diverse and inclusive, we’ll better understand different perspectives, which is fundamental to our job resolving financial complaints.