Investigator

Financial Ombudsman Service; eMakhazeni (Belfast); Hybrid; ZAR 641,000 - 783,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous pension

Life assurance

Private medical insurance

Holiday entitlement 25 days

Employee Assistance Program

Diversity and inclusion

Job summary

Financial Ombudsman Service in Belfast is recruiting an Investigator to handle complaints across pensions, investments and insurance. The role starts 30th November 2026 and the current hybrid policy requires four days per fortnight in the office.

The salary is £32,577 per annum for full-time and £26,061.60 per annum for part-time, with London induction covered by the employer. The investigator will train in our academy for up to six months, then work within a team under an Ombudsman Manager to

Qualifications

• Expertise making fair and balanced decisions with clear thinking.
• Excellent communication skills and clear written English.
• Experience providing excellent customer service in challenging situations.
• Problem solving and finding constructive solutions.
• Strong administrative skills and ability to prioritise workload.
• History of meeting targets or service level agreements.

Responsibilities

• Investigating complaints about pensions, investments or insurance products.
• Managing your caseload to reach targets.
• Managing relationships with customers – both consumers and financial businesses.
• Examining evidence to get to the heart of each complaint.
• Weighing up all sides of a story and applying relevant rules and regulations.
• Communicating with empathy and clear, structured written responses.
• Participating in academy training during the initial period.

Skills

Fair decisions

Clear communication

Customer service

Problem solving

Administrative skills

Target achievement

Education

Qualifications in pensions/investments/insurance

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!

Investigator, Pensions, Investments and Insurance - Belfast

Make a positive difference to financial services

Contract: Permanent

All applicants must live and work in Northern Ireland.

Working hours: full time (35 hours pw) and part time (28 hours pw)

Salary: £32,577 pa (full time), £26,061.60 pa (part time)

Reporting to: Ombudsman Manager

Start date: 30th November 2026

Our current hybrid policy requires four days per fortnight in the office.

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. A customer might be having trouble with their bank account, struggling with payday loans, think an insurance pay out isn’t fair, or be worried about their mortgage.

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 play a key role in pensions, investments and insurance products. Each case and each customer are different. No two days are ever the same and sometimes the work is demanding, but it’s a job that makes a real difference and you’ll be rewarded with generous benefits as well as job satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

As an Investigator new to the role, you’ll spend up to six months in our academy getting the training you need to make fair and reasonable decisions with certainty. After that, you’ll work as part of a team, supported by an Ombudsman Manager, overseeing your own caseload and prioritising your work.

• Investigating complaints about pensions, investments or insurance products
• Managing your caseload effectively to reach targets
• Managing relationships with our customers – both consumers and financial businesses
• Examining evidence to get to the heart of each complaint
• Weighing up all sides of a story and assessing the relevant rules and regulations to make fair and reasonable decisions
• Communicating with empathy – listening carefully to both sides, asking the right 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 have an analytical, problem-solving mind and good people skills.

You may have experience in customer services, sales or retail, in a legal/paralegal role, or have worked in casework, claims or investigative work for another public agency.

Essential Criteria

• Expertise making fair and balanced decisions, where you must articulate your thinking clearly
• Excellent communication skills, including a talent for listening and explaining things in clear language as well as good written English
• Experience providing excellent customer service with people who may be angry or upset
• Problem solving and finding constructive solutions
• Strong administrative skills and the ability to prioritise your workload
• History of working to meet targets or service level agreements

Desirable Criteria

• Demonstrable ability to investigate, asking the right questions to get to the hear of the issue
• Knowledge of financial products
• Relevant qualifications within pensions, investments and insurance
• Experience in decision making or investigative roles for example, legal, paralegal, casework or claims

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.

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

If you’d like to speak to us about any reasonable adjustments you need, please email [e-mail] and let us know your preferred method of contact.

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.