Complaints Officer - Internal Only

Barnet Council; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

31 days annual leave

LGPS pension scheme

Flexible working policy

Lifestyle discounts

Payroll benefits

Training and development opportunities

Well-being programs

Job summary

Barnet Council is seeking a proactive complaints professional to work across the council, building relationships with services and stakeholders. You will advise on sensitive cases, support ombudsman responses, and help develop innovative customer care approaches.

You will use digital tools to improve outcomes and contribute to wide-ranging improvements for residents. The role is hybrid, with three in-office days per week (Mon and Wed fixed).

Qualifications

• Knowledge of local government complaints processes.
• Experience with case management systems and reporting tools.
• Ability to work across services and stakeholders.
• Wamiliarity with AI adjustments in recruitment is not required.

Responsibilities

• Advise on sensitive and high-profile cases.
• Support responses to ombudsman investigations.
• Develop innovative approaches to customer care and complaints management.
• Use digital tools to improve performance and outcomes.
• Contribute to strategic improvements affecting residents.

Skills

Exceptional communicator

Customer care

Complex cases handling

Organised with priorities

Analytical minded

Independent yet collaborative

Driven by continuous improvement

Tools

Case management systems

Reporting tools

Microsoft 365

Job description

Job Description

Important Information for Current Barnet Council Employees: Where possible, employees who have access to Oracle are encouraged to apply via the Opportunity Marketplace (Internal Career Site). This helps to ensure applications are correctly identified as internal and avoids potential delays during the recruitment process.

This position is open to internal candidates employed by LBB. Any applications received from external candidates outside of the above will not be considered and will be automatically rejected.

About Barnet Council

Barnet is a borough with much to be proud of. Our excellent schools, vibrant town centres, vast green spaces and diverse communities all help make it a great place to live and work. As a council we want to build on these strengths as we move into the future. We are growing and developing as an organisation to meet the challenges facing our borough and we are committed to working with partner organisations and residents to make Barnet even better. As an organisation, our staff are committed to Our Values: Learning to Improve, Caring, Inclusive, Collaborative – which drive everything we do.

Are you passionate about excellent customer service? Do you enjoy solving complex problems, influencing positive change, and turning feedback into meaningful improvements?

Why This Role Matters

Every complaint tells a story. Behind each case is an opportunity to improve services, strengthen trust, and deliver better outcomes for residents.

This is far more than a traditional complaints role.

You’ll be:

• Working across the whole council, building relationships with a wide range of services and stakeholders.
• Advising on sensitive and high-profile cases.
• Supporting responses to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
• Helping develop innovative approaches to customer care and complaints management.
• Using modern digital tools and systems to improve performance and outcomes.
• Contributing directly to strategic improvements that affect thousands of residents.

This is a hybrid role with 3 days required in office, Monday and Wednesday are set days.

Who We're Looking For

• An exceptional communicator with strong customer care skills.
• Confident managing complex cases and challenging situations.
• Experienced in complaints handling, investigation, and resolution.
• Highly organised and able to manage competing priorities.
• Analytical, curious, and motivated by continuous improvement.
• Comfortable working independently while collaborating effectively with colleagues at all levels.
• Passionate about making services fairer, more responsive, and resident focused.

Knowledge of local government complaints processes and experience of using case management systems, reporting tools, and Microsoft 365 applications will help you thrive in this role.

What We Offer

• 31 days annual leave, plus public and bank holidays
• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme , which provides a valuable guaranteed income in your retirement together with security for your dependents
• A comprehensive Flexible Working Policy which supports work-life balance by empowering staff and management to make decisions around when, where, and how work is done
• A vast range of lifestyle discounts from major retailers, supermarkets, energy suppliers and more
• Broad range of payroll benefits including cycle to work, eye care vouchers, travel and gym membership
• Excellent training and development opportunities
• Employee well- being training programs including confidential employee assistance

System notice: Some dates shown on our online application system (such as “Apply Before”) appear in US date format (MM/DD/YYYY) due to Oracle system settings.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be a useful tool to support your application as a reasonable adjustment, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn, escalated to counter Fraud for further investigation and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Barnet Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Barnet operates stringent safer recruitment procedures, this may include AI Detection Screening, Biometric ID/Right to Work Checks, Qualification and Registration Checks, Up to 6 years of Employment Data and Insights to Accelerate Screening (Konfir), Up to 5 years of Employment History References, DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) Checks, Credit Checks and Social Media, Sanctions and Occupational Health Screening.

To deliver Barnet Council’s commitment to equality of opportunity in the provision of services, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. As such we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Barnet Council embraces all forms of flexible working (including part-time, compressed hours, and hybrid working) and is committed to offering employees a healthy work-life balance. Candidates are encouraged to talk about relevant requirements and preferences at interview. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking.

Barnet Council is a Disability Confident Committed Employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply

All posts with the council are subject to a probationary period of six months, during which time you will be required to demonstrate to the council satisfaction your suitability for the position in which you will be employed.

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient number of applications are received.

Should you not hear from us within four working weeks of the closing date for this post, then regretfully in this instance, you have not been shortlisted.