Complaints Officer

IRIS Recruitment; Manchester; On-site; GBP 28,179 - 34,441; Full time

Job summary

Irwell Valley Homes in Manchester is seeking a Complaints Officer to manage Stage 1 complaints, ensuring timely resolution and adherence to policy and regulatory standards. You will work closely with managers to investigate concerns, produce fair responses, and escalate where needed to Stage 2, driving learning and service improvements across the organisation.

The role requires strong communication, attention to detail, and the ability to handle sensitive situations with empathy.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code and housing regulation.
• Experience of complaint handling, investigations and resolving cases.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with empathy and clarity.
• Ability to manage a varied caseload, meet deadlines and maintain records.
• IT literacy and familiarity with housing/customer management systems.

Responsibilities

• Manage Stage 1 complaints through to resolution within set timescales.
• Collaborate with managers on complex cases and agree sustainable resolutions.
• Produce clear, concise complaint responses referencing policy and guidance.
• Engage with customers who remain dissatisfied after Stage 1 to seek resolution.
• Escalate to Stage 2 when required and allocate cases to senior staff.
• Record learning from complaints in the system and support service improvements.

Skills

Knowledge of complaint handling

Experience of complaint handling

Strong written and verbal comms

IT literate

Microsoft Office 365

Tools

Microsoft Office 365

Job description

Complaints Officer

Manchester, Greater Manchester

£31,310.03 per annum

Permanent, Full Time - 35 hours per week (agile working arrangements in place)

Closing date: 14th August 2026

Interview date: 18th August 2026

Interview location: Oaklands House, Suite 2, Second Floor, Oaklands House, 34 Washway Road, Sale, M33 6FS

Our organisation is all about people – the people who live in our homes, the communities we serve, and those we work with. So, it’s no surprise that we recruit for attitude and behaviour which are central to us building relationships and delivering great experiences for these people. We employ colleagues who are passionate about making a difference who will take responsibility to get things done.

As a not-for-profit housing association, providing affordable homes and services to more than 20,000 people across Greater Manchester. We have a strong social purpose and make it our mission to enable people to live well in their home and community.

This role will help us to do this by managing complaints through to resolution, ensuring Irwell Valley Homes complies with the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code, regulatory standards, internal policies and compensation procedures.

You’ll provide clear, fair, and empathetic support to customers, keeping them informed throughout the complaints process and ensuring each case is investigated impartially and resolved appropriately. Working collaboratively with managers and teams, you’ll identify service failures, agree actions to put things right and support learning and improvement from complaints.

In this role, you will be responsible for

• Managing Stage 1 complaints through to resolution within required timescales.
• Work with managers on complex cases, challenge decisions where appropriate and agree sustainable resolutions.
• Produce clear, concise and well-reasoned complaint responses, referencing policy, law and good practice where relevant.
• Engage with customers who remain dissatisfied after Stage 1 and seek to resolve concerns where possible.
• Escalate complaints to Stage 2 where required, allocating cases to Heads of Service or senior managers.
• Record learning from complaints in the HIVE and support managers to implement service improvements.

We need people who are

• Knowledge of complaint handling, the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code, housing regulation and compensation procedures.
• Experience of complaint handling, investigations and managing cases through to resolution.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, empathetic and professional responses.
• Ability to manage a varied caseload, meet deadlines, maintain accurate records and provide a clear audit trail.
• Resilience, empathy and confidence in managing challenging conversations fairly and professionally.
• IT literate, including Microsoft Office 365 and housing/customer management systems

Everyone's welcome here. Our culture is inclusive, and we are committed to increasing diversity. We enable everyone to be themselves at work, so that they feel at home with us. And we trust and support people to do their best, in a role that is fulfilling and rewarding because we know that this helps us to deliver better outcomes for our customers and our colleagues.

If you want to be part of our team and help us make a difference, we'd love to hear from you.