Applicant Contact Advisor (Fixed Term Appointment)  

We are currently recruiting for our applicant contact team to help us deliver a sensitive, fair and efficient service.   

As an Applicant Contact Adviser you will make a real difference to those who have been victims of violent crime.  Your role will involve direct contact with applicants through telephone, email and other forms of contact, ensuring excellent standards of communication, empathy and professionalism at all times.   

The Role  

This is a varied role in a complex environment.  Successful candidates will be resilient and committed to delivering excellent customer service, with strong communication, administrative and ICT skills.   

You will respond to applicant enquiries providing advice and guidance on applying for compensation, assisting with the application process and providing updates on the progress of applications.    

The role will also involve reviewing and responding to applicant complaints in a timely and empathetic manner using a trauma-informed approach.   

Full training and ongoing support and development is provided and will help equip you with the knowledge, skills and resilience required for the role.   

 The organisation 

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is an Executive Agency of Ministry of Justice. We receive over 40,000 applications a year for compensation, from people who have lost loved ones or have been injured as a result of violent crime. We know financial compensation can never fully redress what they have experienced. Nevertheless, what we do is an important part of providing justice for victims and we take pride that the compensation we pay helps people move forward with their lives.  

Some of the material you will access may include upsetting personal accounts of harm inflicted by others. This could include sexual assault and violence against children which is distressing. We recognise the personal impact this may have over a prolonged period and we provide resilience training, to promote wellbeing.  

We employ around 350 people and are based in Glasgow city centre, with excellent transport links. We are a small, engaged, productive workforce with a real sense of corporate community. We want to keep improving our services and the way we work to best serve the public, meet new challenges, deliver value for money and ensure CICA is a great place to work.  

These positions are based at Buchanan Wharf, 10 Clyde Place, Glasgow, G5 8AQ. We currently operate a hybrid working business model, where a typical employee works 50% of their week in the office and the remainder at home. 

These positions are being offered on a fixed term appointment basis ending 31 March 2027, but with the potential to become permanent.

Key Responsibilities  

The role will involve responding to applicant enquiries providing clear, practical advice and guidance to applicants and representatives.  A key focus of the role is the effective triage and management of complaints, ensuring issues are handled consistently and efficiently in line with policies and guidance. 

Given the nature of the service we provide, all interactions should be handled in a sensitive, trauma-informed way, recognising that applicants have experienced distressing or life-altering events. 

Day to day responsibilities may include:  

• Responding to enquiries via telephone, live chat, and email, keeping applicants informed of the progress of their claims 

• Acting as the first point of contact for applicant and representative concerns and formal complaints, triaging cases and appropriate routes for resolution 

• Engaging with applicants in a trauma-informed way, showing empathy, patience, and awareness of the impact of traumatic experiences, and adapting communication accordingly 

• Supporting applicants to access digital services and, where needed, completing applications over the phone 

• Identifying patterns or recurring issues in complaints and feedback, and escalating insights to support service improvements 

• Keeping accurate and up-to-date records of all enquiries, complaints, and decisions in relevant systems 

• Working with internal teams and external stakeholders to progress cases and resolve issues efficiently 

• Recording and reporting activity data, including enquiries and complaints, to support performance monitoring and continuous improvement. 

 Essential Criteria 

• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with a wide range of people, demonstrating empathy and professionalism  

• Abilit to plan and organise your time, to manage workload effectively and deliver a quality service to customers in a fast paced environment 

• Experience of assessing a range of information and guidance, to support accurate decision making. 

The following criteria are not essential, however candidates who can offer this experience should provide relevant evidence in their application. 

 Desirable Criteria 

• Experience of working in a customer contact environment, handling enquiries, concerns, or complaints. 

Selection Process   

The vacancy process involves 2 stages using Civil Service Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. 

Stage 1 

For the first stage of the vacancy filling process, you will be asked to provide:

• A personal statement (maximum 250 words) demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria and, where applicable, the desirable criteria for the role.

• A behaviour statement (maximum 250 words) addressing the following lead behaviour: Communicating and Influencing.

Stage 2 

If selected to interview, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed against the following behaviours: 

• Communicating and Influencing 

• Managing a Quality Service 

• Working Together

During the panel interview, you will be asked behaviour based questions and Strengths based questions. 

Interviews are expected to take place in July 2026 

We will be conducting all interviews in person, at our office - Buchanan Wharf, 10 Clyde Place, Glasgow, G5 8AQ. 

Apply and Further Information 

Following the closing date, the job advert will no longer be available. You may wish to save a copy for your records. 

A reserve list will be created and will be valid for 12 months. If further vacancies arise for these or similar roles at Administrative Officer Grade, candidates may be appointed from the reserve list in order of merit.  

We offer flexible working 7am - 7pm, Monday to Friday. These roles are offered on a full-time (37 hours per week) or part-time working pattern; however, we would ask that applicants make themselves available on a full-time, fixed hours basis (9am to 5pm) for the initial training period which takes up to 10 weeks. This is to ensure the best training and consolidation experience for new colleagues.  

 For queries about the roles, please email the Corporate Support Services Team corporate.support@cica.gov.uk