Customer Complaints Officer - Hos

12 Month Fixed Term Contract

Here at Stonewater, we are now looking for a Customer Complaints Officer - HOS to join our Customer Relations Team, which delivers our Customer Complaints service and manages our relationship with the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS).

As our Customer Complaints Officer -HOS, you will be crucial in helping us to us to improve the customer experience for all of our customers. You’ll also help us with supporting the effective management of Housing Ombudsman Service cases, investigations, complex stage one complaints and stakeholder enquiries. You’ll follow the Housing Ombudsman Service’s Complaint Handling Code, ensuring we meet deadlines for acknowledging and responding to their enquiries. You’ll also be responsible for writing formal responses to Customer Complaints and stakeholder enquiries, using your excellent written communications skills to craft comprehensive and empathetic replies in Stonewater’s tone of voice.

To be successful in this role, you will be an excellent relationship builder – both internally and externally. You will be able to understand and respond appropriately to incoming Housing Ombudsman Service enquiries to ensure we provide information and follow up on cases promptly. A passion for customer service, showing sophisticated influencing and negotiation skills. You will be responsive to changing customer needs and be compassionate, managing challenging conversations with customers.

The ideal candidate will:

• Have proven customer service experience and have a genuine passion for social housing.
• Have experience of complaint handling in social housing, including investigating and responding to complex complaints
• Demonstrate an understanding of the Housing Ombudsman Service, the Complaint Handling Code, and the Regulator’s expectations around complaint handling.
• Have excellent communication and written skills, and the ability to adapt to Stonewater’s Tone of Voice.
• Be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, managing competing priorities and deadlines.
• Have strong communication skills and demonstrate an ability to positively influence and negotiate outcomes.
• Be proficient in Microsoft Excel.
• Skills in adopting new digital solutions and innovations.
• Commitment to innovation, quality, customer service and value for money.
• Able to build partnerships, working to meet the needs of customers, handling complex multi-agency relationships.

Appointment to this role will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check, satisfactory references and possession of a valid Right to Work document.

Discover Stonewater:

Stonewater is a leading housing provider. We manage around 39,000 homes, serving 82,000 customers across our portfolio of affordable properties for general rent, shared ownership and sale, alongside specialist accommodation, with an ambitious house-building programme.

Our mission is to provide quality homes and services for people whose needs are not met by the open market. Stonewater was one of the first social housing providers in the UK to adopt the Sustainability Reporting Standard (SRS), published by Good Economy. Using the Housing Association’s Charitable Trust (HACT) Value Insight model, we calculated that we made an impact of over £28m during 2022/23. We know that life can be hugely challenging for many of our customers right now, and we are pleased to say that more than 400 customers have been supported into work, education, training and independent living. If you would like to read more please visit: Stonewater's Social Value Report

We’re looking for like-minded people to join our team of over 800 talented colleagues who embody our values of being ethical, ambitious, passionate, agile and commercial, as well as people who want to make a difference and transform people’s lives.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and working towards accreditation for becoming a Disability Confident Leader, which allows us to record and report on disability, mental health and wellbeing in the workplace to better support our colleagues. We have also achieved accreditation for being an Advanced Employer for Investing in Ethnicity Maturity Matrix. We are committed to being a Menopause Friendly employer and working towards accreditation our Menopause Friendly accreditation.

Are you ready to #DiscoverStonewater?

Stonewater reserve the right to bring the closing date forward should enough quality applications be received prior to the current closing date.