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Government Recruitment Service; Billingham; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Disability Confident

Job summary

Government Recruitment Service is seeking a Verification Assurance Officer (North East) based in Billingham. The role focuses on preventing fraud in the welfare system by hands-on verification and interviews with claimants at Jobcentre locations.

The VAO will work with Jobcentre colleagues to strengthen fraud controls, educate customers, and ensure compliance. Travel between sites may be required; hybrid/home working is not considered.

Responsibilities

• Interview claimants and verify evidence on identification, housing costs, children and childcare costs elements of Universal Credit.
• Conduct initial and further evidence interviews within Jobcentre and Service Centre teams.
• Lead review meetings to gather evidence for claims with Enhanced Review Team involvement.
• Provide feedback on fraud trends at office meetings and work with risk and intelligence teams.
• Run customer education sessions with Jobcentre colleagues to explain responsibilities and consequences of non-compliance.
• Maintain accurate Management Information (MI) for analysts and performance teams.

Job description

Verification Assurance Officer - North East

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a new and dynamic team which will introduce a Verification Assurance Officer (VAO) job role within selected Jobcentre and Service Centres.

The role will enable the VAO and Jobcentre colleagues to work together to identify and tackle fraud on the frontline, responding to potential fraud quickly and effectively at the outset. The aim is to prevent fraud entering the welfare system, reduce customer debt and to meet Fraud, Error and Debt strategy and strategic objectives.

As a VAO you will help improve the verification processes by strengthening our fraud controls on the front line. You will support the prevention of intentional fraud entering the welfare system, while actively increasing customer engagement and knowledge, educating them on their responsibilities.

As a great communicator you will also be responsible for raising Jobcentre colleagues' awareness of fraud and by providing practical support, making it clear that everyone has a responsibility to tackle fraud when they suspect it.

Due to the nature of the work, you will be required to carry out this role fully from a Jobcentre location. The critical part of the role will be interviewing claimants and collaborating with Jobcentre colleagues face to face, so hybrid and home working cannot be considered.

Key tasks

• Work closely with Jobcentre and Service Centre colleagues conducting initial evidence interviews, further evidence interviews and verification activities by integrating within those teams in the sites.
• Conduct robust interviews where a colleague has a suspicion on the validity of documents produced for verification of Identification, housing costs, children and childcare costs elements of Universal Credit.
• Conduct review meetings with customers in scenarios where the Enhanced Review Team (ERT) and the customer have agreed to bring in evidence relating to their claim to a Jobcentre.
• Provide regular feedback at office meetings on trends, patterns of fraud, and how to detect them. Feed information into specialist risk and intelligence teams within DWP.
• Lead customer education sessions jointly with Jobcentre colleagues to provide clarity on customer responsibilities and the consequences of non-compliance.
• Collate and maintain accurate Management Information (MI) as directed by analysts and performance teams.

Frequent travel between sites may be required depending on business needs.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Company Details

Company: Government Recruitment Service

Salary: £32,137 to £32,137 a year

Hours: Full-time

Location: Billingham

Job type: Permanent

Posting date: 21 Oct 2026

Closing date: 3 Nov 2026

About Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.