Read more

Government Recruitment Service; Rayleigh; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

Government Recruitment Service is seeking a Verification Assurance Officer to join a new team and deliver front-line fraud controls within Jobcentre and Service Centre locations in the Home Counties. The role focuses on identifying and tackling fraud early, educating claimants on their responsibilities, and working closely with colleagues to verify claims and costs.

The position requires in-person work from Jobcentre sites; hybrid or home working is not available.

Qualifications

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to conduct sensitive conversations with claimants.
• Understanding of fraud prevention principles.

Responsibilities

• Conduct interviews to verify identification, housing costs and other claim elements.
• Collaborate with Jobcentre colleagues to gather evidence for verifications.
• Lead customer education sessions to explain responsibilities and consequences of non-compliance.
• Maintain accurate management information as directed by analysts and performance teams.
• Frequent travel between sites may be required depending on business needs.

Skills

Communication skills

Interviewing

Fraud awareness

Job description

Verification Assurance Officer - Home Counties

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.

• 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 intospecialist 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: Government Recruitment Service Salary: £32,137 to £37,016 a year Hours: Full-time Location: Rayleigh 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.