Operational People Manager

Financial Ombudsman Service; Belfast City District; Hybrid; GBP 53,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday entitlement

Generous pension

Family friendly policies

Private medical insurance

Virtual GP

Critical illness cover

Life assurance cover

Technology scheme

Cycle to work scheme

Will-writing service

Job summary

Financial Ombudsman Service in Belfast seeks an experienced Operational People Manager to lead a team of 15+ casework Investigators, delivering fair and timely outcomes. You’ll coach, manage performance, and use data to drive improvements in service quality.

The role is permanent, 35 hours/week, with a hybrid policy requiring in-office presence at least four days every two weeks. Salary is £59,297 with a strong benefits package.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of the financial services industry.
• Experience in handling customer service complaints.
• Familiarity with performance management systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of 15+ Investigators with performance targets.
• Review performance with coaching and feedback to drive improvements.
• Use data to identify trends and intervene to improve outcomes for customers.
• Ensure investigations are thorough, fair, and timely in communication.

Skills

Knowledge of financial services

Customer service complaints

Performance management systems

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Looking for a new challenge? Take a look at our current vacancies. If you see a vacancy that is right for you, we encourage you to apply! Are you a natural leader with a passion for people? If you’re an experienced people manager who can motivate teams, drive performance and support colleagues through change, this could be a great opportunity to make a real impact. We’re looking for Operational People Managers to lead teams of casework Investigators and help them deliver fair, timely and high-quality outcomes for our customers. Join a team where Purpose drives everything we do, Ambition fuels our growth, Trust builds our foundation, and Respect shapes our culture. We're not just hiring — we're inviting you to build the future with us. If you're curious, driven, and ready to leave your mark, this is your invitation to make your next move.

Contract: Permanent

Working hours: 35 hours per week is full time. Where possible, we are open to considering part‑time/flexible working patterns. Please let us know in your application your desired working pattern.

Salary: £59,297

Location: Belfast

Reporting to: Ombudsman Leader

By joining our team, you'll enjoy the best of both worlds – hybrid working and the collaboration of a great office environment. Our permanent hybrid policy sees us all working at least four days across a fortnight in the office. As well as extensive opportunities for personal and career development.

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. This is a non-technical leadership role focused on people management, performance improvement, coaching and team engagement. You’ll manage a team of Investigators, creating the right environment for people to perform at their best, build resilience and continuously improve the service we provide.

What You’ll Do: Lead and manage a team of 15+ Investigators, supporting both individual and team performance against agreed expectations. Review performance regularly, using clear feedback, coaching and support to help people perform at their best. Identify performance gaps and take timely action through formal and informal improvement approaches, in line with our policies and procedures. Use casework data and management information to spot trends, understand performance dips and intervene where needed. Make sure casework investigations are thorough, fair, impartial and clearly communicated to customers in a timely way. Manage service complaints promptly and professionally, helping to resolve issues and improve customer experience. Create a positive, motivating environment where Investigators can develop new skills, share knowledge and contribute to continuous improvement. Use coaching techniques to support team members’ development, confidence and wellbeing. Work with Senior Investigators and colleagues across the Directorate to share technical guidance, solutions, coaching and mentoring. Identify training needs and work with HR and relevant colleagues to support appropriate learning interventions. Help Investigators build empathy and resilience so they can look after their wellbeing and handle complaints effectively. Set realistic, stretching goals with team members, track progress and support accountability for delivery. Align team objectives with our mission to deliver fair, timely and impartial resolutions. Work closely with casework leaders to support clear communication between the organisation and your team. Promote open communication, collaboration and flexibility, including supporting the movement of Investigators across product groups when needed. Recognise and appreciate team members’ contributions, building morale and engagement in line with our values.

• Minimum Criteria: Directly line managed a team of 15 plus professionals in a similar‑scale role, including setting objectives, reviewing performance and supporting delivery against agreed targets. Used performance data, management information or reporting to identify trends, address underperformance and demonstrate improvements in service or team outcomes. Held regular performance or development conversations, giving constructive feedback and agreeing clear actions to support individual improvement. Led or supported change while maintaining team engagement and helping colleagues adapt in a fast‑paced or changing environment. Promoted diversity, equity and inclusion through inclusive leadership, fair decision‑making and positive working relationships with colleagues and customers. Delivered or overseen high‑quality customer service, including clear written or verbal communication and timely resolution of customer issues or complaints. Confidently used Microsoft Office tools, data and reports to monitor activity, track progress and support effective decision‑making.
• We would also like you to have the following skills:
  • Knowledge of the financial services industry.
  • Experience in handling customer service complaints.
  • Familiarity with performance management systems.

Why You’ll Love Working With Us: We are a values led organisation. Our values define our culture, influence our decisions, and underpin our vision and strategy. They set out how we play our PART through Purpose, Ambition, Respect and Trust. You can learn more about our values here: https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/who-we-are/aims-values

Flexibility: Work your way — hybrid, or in‑office

Wellbeing: Health plan, gym memberships, mental health support

Growth: We invest in your future with courses, mentorship, promotions

Culture: Diverse. Inclusive. Collaborative. Fun.

We also offer an attractive, competitive salary and flexible benefits to suit our people. Here’s a list of some of the many benefits and perks you can get for working with us:

• 25 days holiday entitlement, with the option to buy extra or sell days
• Generous pension
• Various Family Friendly Policies, including enhanced maternity pay, carers and dependants leave
• Employer provided benefits such as Private medical insurance, virtual GP, Critical illness cover, Life assurance cover, to name a few
• Choice of voluntary benefits including Technology scheme, Cycle to work scheme, Will‑writing service amongst others

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team. We view diversity as fundamental to our success and welcome applications from underrepresented groups across all communities. Please click on the link below to find out more https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/who-we-are/aims-values/diversity-inclusion 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.

Who we are… With fairness at the heart of everything we do, we embrace difference and treat everyone as equals. We’re a diverse organisation, but something we all share is our values. They’re central to the way we work – and work together. We’re an independent, not-for-profit organisation that sorts out disputes between financial businesses and their customers. We do this by making decisions that are fair – and feel fair to both sides. The Financial Ombudsman Service is an equal opportunities employer. All applicants will be treated in a fair and equal manner and in accordance with the law, regardless of gender, marital status, race, religion, colour, age, disability or sexual orientation. We’re committed to being a great place to work – attracting and developing people from the widest possible range of backgrounds. We want everyone to perform at their best and feel able to be themselves. We understand that if we’re diverse and inclusive, we’ll better understand different perspectives, which is fundamental to our job resolving financial complaints. You can read more about Diversity and Inclusion . We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. Disabled applicants who fulfil the minimum criteria for the role will be progressed to the next stage of the process. Do let us know of any reasonable adjustments you need. You will need to demonstrate that me