Description
The London Borough of Waltham Forest is seeking a Housing Complaints and Enquiries Officer to provide a comprehensive and effective customer-focused service by managing and resolving Stage 1 complaints, particularly Housing Disrepair cases.
The successful candidate will be responsible for:
- Investigating and responding to Stage 1 complaints and resolving them within the required timescale
- Liaising with complainants to define the subject and scope of complaints and expected resolution
- Carrying out investigations with an open mind and ensuring that all issues raised by the complainant are addressed with reference to any relevant policies, legislation, and good practice
- Holding contractors and colleagues to account to ensure that complaints are responded to and resolved in a timely way and with the resident's needs fully addressed
- Keeping the complainant updated on progress with their complaint, clearly communicating the timescale for response, and agreeing any extensions to timescales
- Coordinating responses to Councillor and MP Enquiries, Subject Access, and Freedom of Information requests
- Providing appropriate assistance to customers who are vulnerable and who may have specific needs
- Organising and maintaining records and documents using the appropriate council process/system
- Database maintenance – accessing and updating relevant databases and generating reports for management information
The ideal candidate will have:
- Demonstrable experience of customer complaint handling in a similar environment (desirable)
- Experience of holding unscripted telephone conversations to gather the required information
- Ability to build relationships, influence, and engage successfully with residents, colleagues, and partners
- Ability to work both autonomously and collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders
- Demonstrable negotiation and persuasion skills in a wide range of settings
- Excellent time management skills to manage a complex caseload, prioritise, set deadlines, and cope with conflicting and changing demands
- Ability to use housing, legal, and regulatory knowledge to resolve issues
- Experience of information gathering and analysis skills to understand whether policy and process have been followed correctly
- An understanding of the responsibilities of social housing landlords (desirable)
- Excellent written communication skills with the ability to write formal complaint responses about complex issues in plain English
- The ability to work as part of a team and demonstrate why this is important
- Experience in the use of Microsoft Office applications and case management systems
The salary for this role is £42,492 - £45,123 per year.