Complaints Investigating Officer

Staffordshire County Council; Stafford; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Staffordshire County Council is seeking two Complaints Investigating Officers to lead independent investigations into complex Stage 2 statutory and corporate complaints. You will gather evidence from diverse sources, review policies, and interview stakeholders to ensure fair, objective outcomes.

You will produce high-quality reports with balanced findings, maintain confidentiality, and support responses to external ombudsman inquiries.

Qualifications

• Experience of undertaking investigations, complaint investigations, case reviews or comparable fact-finding work involving complex and sensitive matters.
• Ability to gather, analyse and evaluate evidence from a range of sources to reach balanced and evidence-based conclusions.
• Excellent written communication and report-writing skills.
• Ability to manage multiple complex cases and competing priorities independently, while maintaining accurate records and required timescales.
• Exercise sound judgement, maintain impartiality, confidentiality and professional integrity, and build effective relationships with complainants and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage investigations into Stage 2 statutory and corporate complaints, developing clear investigation plans and meeting agreed timescales.
• Gather, review and analyse evidence from case records, policies and interviews.
• Produce high-quality investigation reports with clear evidence, balanced findings and reasoned conclusions and recommendations.
• Maintain regular communication with complainants and stakeholders, providing updates and ensuring high standard of customer service throughout the investigation process.
• Support responses to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and other stakeholder enquiries, ensuring information is accurate, timely and compliant with Council requirements.
• Identify opportunities for learning and service improvement arising from complaints and work collaboratively with services to promote positive change.
• Maintain accurate records and case information, ensuring confidentiality and compliance with information governance requirements.

Skills

Investigation experience

Evidence gathering & analysis

Report writing

Case management

Impartiality & integrity

Job description

Are you passionate about improving services and ensuring residents' voices are heard? We have an exciting opportunity to join Staffordshire County Council's Customer Feedback & Complaints Service in one of two newly established posts designed to strengthen our approach to complaint handling, service improvement and customer experience. These roles will play a key part in supporting services to respond effectively to customer feedback, complaints and enquiries, ensuring concerns are investigated fairly, lessons are learned, and positive outcomes are delivered for residents. Working within a supportive and experienced team, you will collaborate with colleagues across the Council, providing advice, guidance and challenge to help services achieve high standards of complaint handling and customer care.Main Responsibility As a Complaints Investigating Officer, you will undertake independent investigations into complex statutory and corporate complaints, ensuring concerns are considered fairly, objectively and in line with relevant legislation, guidance and Council procedures. You will play an important role in supporting good complaint handling, identifying learning opportunities and helping services improve outcomes for children, families and residents. You will:

• Lead and manage investigations into Stage 2 statutory and corporate complaints, developing clear investigation plans and meeting agreed timescales.
• Gather, review and analyse evidence from a range of sources, including case records, policies, documentation and interviews.
• Produce high-quality investigation reports that present evidence clearly, make balanced findings and provide reasoned conclusions and recommendations.
• Maintain regular communication with complainants and stakeholders, providing updates and ensuring a high standard of customer service throughout the investigation process.
• Support responses to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and other stakeholder enquiries, ensuring information is accurate, timely and compliant with Council requirements.
• Identify opportunities for learning and service improvement arising from complaints and work collaboratively with services to promote positive change.
• Maintain accurate records and case information, ensuring confidentiality and compliance with information governance requirements at all times.
• Recognise and escal...
  The minimum criteria that will be used to shortlist for this role will be:
• Experience of undertaking investigations, complaint investigations, case reviews or comparable fact-finding work involving complex and sensitive matters.
• The ability to gather, analyse and evaluate evidence from a range of sources to reach balanced and evidence-based conclusions.
• Excellent written communication and report-writing skills, including the ability to present complex information, findings and recommendations clearly and professionally.
• The ability to manage multiple complex cases and competing priorities independently, while maintaining accurate records, attention to detail and required timescales.
• The ability to exercise sound judgement, maintain impartiality, confidentiality and professional integrity, and build effective relationships with complainants and stakeholders.
  The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively. Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy: We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future. We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too. Our benefits: We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire