Buyer Experience Ombudsman - Irvine, CA

Auction.com; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Colonial Group is seeking a seasoned Buyer Suspension Policy specialist to manage inbound buyer support, interpret suspension rules, and oversee the end-to-end case file process. You will draft recommendations for leadership and coordinate with Legal, Compliance, and Asset Management as needed.

The role emphasizes precise policy application, expert communication, and proactive escalation for complex buyer scenarios, influencing policy updates and process improvements.

Qualifications

• Experience interpreting suspension policies and applying rules to cases.
• Strong written communication for case documentation and recommendations.
• Ability to train and calibrate teams on policy and SOPs.

Responsibilities

• Own suspension and appeal intake from the suspensions inbox, record in Salesforce from open to close.
• Verify requests against explicit suspension rules and gather required records; contact buyer by phone then email.
• Document complete case file with request, materials, applicable rules, and recommended decision and scope.
• Escalate to Decision Authority with a written recommendation; awaiting final confirmation.
• Handle appeals by maintaining original case file, buyer's appeal, and changes; return to Decision Authority.

Skills

Policy interpretation

Inbound buyer support

Case management

Job description

This role sits at the intersection of buyer support, policy interpretation, and distressed real estate auction execution. The ideal candidate brings deep inbound support experience, a track record of working the cases nobody else can, and the judgment and writing ability to build a case file and a recommendation that leadership can act on without rework. The seat carries no direct reports and influences the team through policy expertise, training, and calibration.

Responsibilities

• Own suspension and appeal intake through the suspensions inbox, confirm receipt to the requestor, and work the Salesforce Case as the system of record from open to close.
• Check each request against the explicit suspension rules in the policy, gather the additional records needed, and contact the buyer by phone first and email second where more information is required.
• Document the complete case file on the Case: the request, the supporting materials, a summary of which rules apply and how, the recommended decision, and the recommended suspension scope.
• Escalate the prepared case file to the Decision Authority with a clear written recommendation. This role does not render the final decision. The Decision Authority confirms or adjusts the recommendation, and does so most often as a straightforward confirmation when the case file is complete and the rules are cleanly applied.
• Work appeals on the same Case, documenting the original case file, the buyer's appeal and any new materials, and a summary of what has changed, then return it to the same Decision Authority for a final decision.
• Communicate suspension and appeal outcomes internally and to the buyer using the applicable notices, update the Case, and close it.
• Implement approved suspensions, managing account-wide and property-specific scopes directly and submitting Tech Tickets to Product for seller-specific suspensions until that becomes self-service.
• Handle the manual review triggered when an account reaches the maximum REO bid deposit tier, and recommend whether to attempt rehabilitation at tier or move to suspension.
• Serve as the recognized subject matter expert on the Buyer Suspension Policy and the Suspension and Appeal SOP, and act as a named policy contributor at each review cycle.
• Take initial escalation of the most difficult buyer situations across registration, deposits, bidding eligibility, account, and payment matters, resolving them directly where they fall inside your authority and preparing a recommendation where they do not.
• Act as the primary Buyer Experience contact for Legal, Compliance, and Asset Management on contested buyer matters.
• De-escalate the most difficult buyers, protecting the buyer relationship through the process wherever the facts allow.
• Train and calibrate the Buyer Experience team on the suspension policy, the appeal process, and escalation handling, working from the training materials maintained by the Sr. Buyer Experience Specialist.
• Read escalation and suspension trends and recommend upstream policy and process fixes to the Senior Director, Call Center.
• Absorb policy changes quickly and push them into the team, working with the Sr. Buyer Experience Specialist so the knowledge base reflects current policy.
• Keep the Buyer Experience Supervisor current on escalation volume, aging, and outcomes. The Supervisor remains accountable for overall escalation resolution across the team.