Role: Deputy Head of Complaints

Business: Office of Public Guardian (OPG)

Location: National (Hybrid working with some attendance at office sites: OPG Sites or at nearest MoJ Hub) 

Grade:  Senior Executive Officer (SEO) 

Salary: National: £42,914, London: £49,325  

Contract Type: Permanent

Minimum Hours: 30 hours per week

Organisational Overview

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) protects people in England and Wales who may not have the mental capacity to make certain decisions for themselves, such as about their health and finance. We are an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), set up in 2007 following the introduction of the Mental Capacity Act of 2005.

OPG is responsible for registering lasting powers of attorney (LPA) and enduring powers of attorney (EPA) and supervising deputies who are appointed by the Court of Protection.

OPG is a fantastic place to work offering a range of development opportunities. The OPG is a disability confident employer and is committed to developing a supportive and inclusive environment that reflects the diverse community we serve.

OPG is currently delivering an ambitious transformation programme. This will change the way we provide services and help us meet the growing needs of our users, partners and our stakeholders. It will make sure our users experience a better level of support and will help us to respond to the changing needs of society. Transformation will ensure we can better support adults at risk and create high-quality services that are accessible and affordable.

Team Overview

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is establishing a centralised complaints function to bring together complaints handling and official correspondence across the organisation. This function will provide a consistent and coordinated approach to managing Tier 1 and Tier 2 complaints, MP and Ministerial correspondence, Parliamentary Questions and engagement with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).

The Deputy Head of Complaints will support the Head of Complaints in the delivery of this function, ensuring complaints and correspondence are handled fairly, consistently and within agreed timeframes. The role will provide day-to-day operational leadership for the complaints team and help ensure the service meets the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Complaint Standards.

The role will also support the use of complaints insight to identify themes and learning that can help improve services and customer experience across OPG.

Working closely with colleagues across OPG, and the Ministry of Justice, the Deputy Head will help ensure that complaints and correspondence are managed to a high standard and that learning is used to support continuous improvement.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Support the Head of Complaints in delivering a centralised complaints and correspondence function for OPG.

• Provide day-to-day operational leadership for the complaints team, managing workflow, priorities and performance.

• Ensure complaints and correspondence are handled fairly, empathetically and in line with agreed service standards and deadlines.

• Support the handling of complex or sensitive complaints and correspondence where required.

• Coordinate MP and Ministerial correspondence, ensuring high-quality responses are delivered on time.

• Draft or review complaints reports and correspondence for senior leaders and ministers.

• Monitor complaints performance and quality, supporting reporting on trends, outcomes and learning.

• Use insights from complaints to highlight themes and support service improvements across OPG.

• Support engagement with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), including coordinating responses to investigations.

• Support the management of complaints processes, redress arrangements, systems and data to ensure effective governance and reporting.

Agreed Expectations

The successful candidate will be expected to work from their base location on a weekly basis in line with current Civil Service requirements, outside of any reasonable adjustments.

There will be occasional travel required to Birmingham and Nottingham offices.

Skills & Qualifications

Essential Skills

• Experience of managing complaints, correspondence or casework operations and supporting the delivery of high-quality outcomes for customers. (Lead criteria)

• Experience of leading or supervising a team, managing workflow, setting priorities and ensuring performance standards and KPIs are met.

• Ability to manage competing operational priorities and deliver work to tight deadlines across a high-volume workload.

• Experience of handling complex or sensitive complaints, correspondence or casework, using sound judgement to reach fair and balanced outcomes.

• Experience of monitoring performance and quality, identifying issues and taking action to improve processes or outcomes.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear and accurate correspondence, briefings and reports.

• Ability to build productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including those at senior level

Desirable Skills

The below criteria are desirable only. These will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates.

• Experience of analysing complaints, casework or customer feedback to identify trends and support service improvement.

• Experience of developing team capability, supporting learning and embedding consistent processes and standards.

Application process 

This recruitment will follow the Civil Service Success Profile process. Candidates will be expected to complete the following as part of the application:

• A CV and detailing your career history. CV’s will be assessed against the essential and desirable skills above.

• Statement of Suitability of no more than 1000 words, to demonstrate your experience against the essential and desirable skills required for this role.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted on the lead criteria:

• Experience of managing complaints, correspondence or casework operations and supporting the delivery of high-quality outcomes for customers. (Lead criteria)

Interview Process

If you are successful at sift, you will be invited to an interview which will use the Civil Service Success Profiles. At interview, candidates should expect questions on:

• Strengths relevant to the role

• The following Behaviours at SEO Level:

  • Managing a Quality Service

  • Leadership

  • Delivering at Pace

  • Making Effective Decisions

All interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Reasonable Adjustments

At OPG we consider all applications on the basis of merit and want you to feel able to demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any reasonable adjustments for any aspect of the selection process, do not hesitate to get in contact with us.

As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. If you are applying for a role within OPG and would like to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the selection process.

For further information on benefits of working for OPG, such as our Flexible Working Policy and a FAQ, please check the candidate information pack attached to this advert.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, we may offer you an alternative role at the same or lower grade should one be available.