Investigator

Financial Ombudsman Services; Rishton; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous pension

Life assurance

Critical illness cover

Income protection

Private medical insurance

Virtual GP

Travel insurance

Cycle to work

Dining and lifestyle memberships

Dental cover

25 days holiday

Job summary

Financial Ombudsman Service in the United Kingdom invites applications for an Investigator in pensions. You’ll join our academy, developing technical knowledge and investigative skills to reach fair, evidence-based conclusions.

You’ll work in a team, manage your caseload, and progress from the Academy to handle pension complaints with support from an Ombudsman Manager. Prior pensions experience is welcome but not essential; full training is provided.

Qualifications

• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to assess information, identify key issues and reach evidence-based conclusions.
• Experience making fair and balanced decisions, explaining your reasoning clearly.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to explain complex information clearly in both written and verbal formats.
• Experience supporting customers through challenging or sensitive situations.
• Experience working towards targets, objectives, or service standards.
• An interest in developing knowledge of pensions and retirement products.

Responsibilities

• Investigating complaints about pensions.
• Examining detailed evidence, identifying gaps or inconsistencies and asking the right questions to get to the heart of each complaint.
• Analysing the information provided, and considering how the relevant rules and regulations apply in the circumstances, reaching a fair and reasonable decision on each case.
• Managing your caseload effectively to achieve productivity, quality and timeliness targets.
• Managing relationships with consumers, financial businesses and professional representatives, including responding confidently and constructively when your thinking is challenged.
• Communicating your findings clearly, explaining what you think and why through a clear and structured written response.

Skills

Analytical skills

Decision making

Communication

Customer support

Target driven

Pensions knowledge

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: 11th January 2027

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

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. In this role, you’ll focus on pensions, where complaints can involve detailed financial information, complex calculations and decisions with a significant impact on a customer’s future.

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 get to the heart of complaints about pensions. You’ll analyse detailed and sometimes conflicting information, identify what’s missing, ask probing questions and reach fair, evidence-based conclusions. Previous pensions experience is an advantage, but it's not a requirement. We'll give you the technical training you need. What matters is that you're curious, comfortable working through complexity and able to explain your thinking clearly.

Key responsibilities

As an Investigator new to the role, your journey will start in our Academy, developing the technical knowledge and investigative skills needed to make fair and reasonable decisions. After that, you’ll work as part of a team, supported by an Ombudsman Manager / Operational People Manager, managing your own caseload and prioritising your work.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Investigating complaints about pensions
• Examining detailed evidence, identifying gaps or inconsistencies and asking the right questions to get to the heart of each complaint
• Analysing the information provided, and considering how the relevant rules and regulations apply in the circumstances, reaching a fair and reasonable decision on each case
• Managing your caseload effectively to achieve productivity, quality and timeliness targets
• Managing relationships with consumers, financial businesses and professional representatives, including responding confidently and constructively when your thinking is challenged
• Communicating with empathy and confidence, listening carefully to both sides, asking probing 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 enjoy digging into detailed information, following evidence, identifying what doesn’t add up and working through problems where the answer may not be immediately obvious. You’ll also have the confidence and people skills to explain and stand behind your decisions.

Your experience could come from financial services, legal or paralegal work, casework, complaints, claims, regulation, compliance, customer services or another role where you have analysed information and reached reasoned conclusions. Previous pensions experience is welcome but not essential, as full training is provided.

Essential Criteria

• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to assess information, identify key issues and reach evidence-based conclusions
• Experience making fair and balanced decisions, explaining your reasoning clearly
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to explain complex information clearly in both written and verbal formats
• Experience supporting customers through challenging or sensitive situations
• Experience working towards targets, objectives, or service standards
• An interest in developing knowledge of pensions and retirement products

Desirable Criteria

• Experience investigating complex issues, gathering information and identifying key facts to reach a conclusion
• Experience in casework, complaint-handling, legal, regulatory, compliance or claims environments
• Knowledge of pensions and retirement products, including how pension decisions can affect customer outcomes

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 our work culture on our website, where we also have a dedicated careers page. You may also find it useful to check our LinkedIn page and Instagram.

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 a panel Interview, with some vacancies requiring an online assessment to measure the minimum criteria.

You can find out more about our Diversity and inclusion strategy and plans on our website where you can also read our 2022 Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing report.