We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.
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.
Power of Attorney Services (POAS) processes incoming power of attorney applications on behalf of the Public Guardian, within agreed targets and performance indicators. POAS comes under the Operations directorate of the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG.)
OPG is a fantastic place to work offering a range of development opportunities. The OPG has signed up to the ‘Time to Change’ pledge which supports mental health in the workplace, as well as recently receiving a health and wellbeing charter accreditation as we are committed to developing a supportive and inclusive environment that reflects the diverse community we serve.
OPG is currently going through an extensive period of organisational change. This will be delivered by our transformation programme – “OPG 2025”. The ambitious plan is about changing the way we provide services. It will 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.
Overall, it will help us to respond to the changing needs of society. This is so we can better support adults at risk and create high-quality services that are accessible and affordable.
OPG is aiming to have a Digital Power of Attorney in place that meets our customer and stakeholder needs. We aim to have a multiskilled, flexible workforce, working within office/home-based locations to meet civil service environment.
Job Description, Duties and Responsibilities
The advertised role is for a Senior Contact Centre Advisor in our contact centre within POAS, based in Nottingham.
Successful applicants will be allocated to roles at the time of recruitment. All staff from Administrative Officer (AA, Band F) to Higher Executive Officer (HEO, Band C) are mobile grades within the Civil Service and movement within POAS and OPG will be dependent on business needs.
Successful candidates will be based in Nottingham but may, on occasion, be required to travel to our other site in Birmingham. You will: -
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You will provide a referral point for more complex calls and escalations and you will take personal ownership of all contact, ensuring successful resolution.
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You will oversee workflow into the Contact Centre Safeguarding Inbox, Voicemail inbox and SVA line to ensure all contact is responded to within agreed tolerances.
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You will collaborate effectively with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure appropriate measures are put in place to safeguard vulnerable customers.
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You will carry out risk assessments, signposting and acceptance of cases for investigations in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
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You will communicate clearly and effectively using questioning and active listening to fully understand and provide a ‘right first time’ resolution to customer queries / calls.
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You will lead on the development and implementation of appropriate safeguarding learning and development across Nottingham POAS, ensuring that appropriate training is in place for each role type and that there is an effective assurance process in place
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You will collaborate with line managers to carry out quality control on calls and feedback the results to colleagues to enable improvements.
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You will identify areas for improvement to the customer experience and set up necessary corrective action, including group training and development sessions, taking an active role in promoting consistency.
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You will review, develop and improve local guidance and processes. Make suggestions for best practice in all areas of work covered by the team.
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You will identify trends in errors, delays and duplication of effort and work to reduce the number of calls from providers through education.
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You will lead on focussed data-capture initiatives to shape process improvements and better the customer experience.
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You will work with your team to produce a monthly analysis of call trends, themes and Management Information (MI) to be shared with the wider business.
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You will take a leading role in meetings and champion collaborative working with a variety of teams.
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You will triage possible fraudulently created LPAs and escalating these cases to the appropriate team.
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You will raise concerns with local authorities providing accurate information to enable them to take necessary action.
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You will be available to staff as a source of expert support, providing advice and mentoring when required.
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Any other ad-hoc responsibilities commensurate with the EO grade.
Essential Skills & Experience
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Must have experience working in a contact centre environment.
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Ability to handle challenging calls and callers whilst maintaining the expected standards.
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Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, dealing with both external and internal stakeholders
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Excellent customer service skills including handling complex situations and dealing with uncertainty.
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Ability to interpret and apply guidance and regulations.
Desirable Knowledge, Experience, and skills
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Ability to work with minimal supervision and as part of a team.
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Knowledge of Continuous Improvement techniques.
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Knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act.
Application Process
Applicants will be asked to provide a 750-word personal statement demonstrating the essential and desirable criteria detailed above. When completing your personal statement, please read and understand the Essential and Desirable Skills and Experience thoroughly (found in the section above), as this is what your written evidence will be assessed against.
Candidates who meet the minimum pass mark at sift will be invited to attend a virtual interview (held via MS Teams).
Immediately following your interview invite, you will receive an email containing a case study scenario. Please read through this scenario carefully as at interview you will be asked questions relating to it.
You will also be asked strength-based questions at interview, alongside questions relating to the following Success Profiles behaviours –
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Managing a Quality Service (Level 2)
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Making Effective Decisions (Level 2)
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.