Investigator

Financial Ombudsman Services; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous pension

Life assurance

Critical illness cover

Income protection

Private medical insurance

Holiday entitlement 25 days

Job summary

The Financial Ombudsman Service is seeking an Investigator based in the Belfast area. The role begins with up to six months in our academy to train you to make fair and reasonable decisions, followed by working as part of a team under an Ombudsman Manager, handling your own caseload.

You will investigate complaints about insurance products, manage relationships with customers and businesses, and communicate findings clearly.

Qualifications

• Expertise making fair and balanced decisions, articulate thinking clearly.
• Excellent communication skills, including listening and clear written English.
• Experience providing excellent customer service with challenging customers.
• Problem solving and finding constructive solutions.
• Strong administrative skills and ability to prioritise workload.
• History of meeting targets or service level agreements.

Responsibilities

• Investigating complaints about insurance products.
• Managing your caseload effectively to reach targets.
• Managing relationships with customers – both consumers and financial businesses.
• Examining evidence to get to the heart of each complaint.
• Weighing up all sides of a story and applying the relevant rules.
• Communicating with empathy and using sound judgement.
• Clearly explaining findings and reasoning in a structured written response.

Skills

Analytical mindset

Excellent communication

Problem solving

Customer service experience

Education

Relevant qualifications within Insurance

Job description

Contract:

Permanent

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

Salary: £32,577 pa (full time), £26, pa (part time)

Reporting to: Ombudsman Manager

Start date: 8th February 2027

Join the ‘Becoming an Investigator’ recruitment network and be one of the first to hear about upcoming opportunities in your area

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.

About us

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 insurance products. Each case and each customer are 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

As an Investigator new to the role, you’ll spend up to six months in our academy getting the training you need to make fair and reasonable decisions with certainty. After that, you’ll work as part of a team, supported by an Ombudsman Manager / Operational People Manager, overseeing your own caseload and prioritising your work.

You’ll be responsible for:

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

Person specification

• You’ll be a self-starter who can prioritise tasks and work well independently.
• You’ll have an analytical, problem-solving mind and good people skills.
• 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.

Essential Criteria

• Expertise making fair and balanced decisions, where you must articulate your thinking clearly
• Excellent communication skills, including a talent for listening and explaining things in clear language as well as good written English
• Experience providing excellent customer service with people who may be angry or upset
• Problem solving and finding constructive solutions
• Strong administrative skills and the ability to prioritise your workload
• History of working to meet targets or service level agreements

Desirable Criteria

• Demonstrable ability to investigate, asking the right questions to get to the hear of the issue
• Knowledge of financial products
• Relevant qualifications within Insurance
• 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:

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

Find out more about on our website, where we also have a dedicated careers page. You may also find it useful to check our and .

Authenticity of applications

We value authentic, personal applications. If we determine that your CV or supporting statement was generated using AI tools, your application may be withdrawn from consideration.

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 are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader and, under the scheme, will progress a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria to interview. Interviews may be conducted via video, telephone, or an panel Interview, with some vacancies requiring an online assessment to measure the minimum criteria.

You can find out more about our on our website where you can also .