COMPLAINTS ADMINISTRATOR
LONDON
Temporary up to 31 January 2015 dependant upon business
need
The following pages are intended to give candidates some general information.
Issued by:
Human Resources April 2014
Please return your completed application by Midday Wednesday 14 May 2014 to:
Human Resources
CCWater
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square,
Birmingham,
B2 4AJ
Interview date – TBC
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The Consumer Council for Water (CCWater)
The Consumer Council for Water was set up in October 2005 to represent water and
sewerage customers in England and Wales and provide a strong representative voice. It
is a non-departmental public body reporting to the Department of Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government.
We maintain a strong local presence with a series of nine offices across England and
Wales, and through these remain up to date on issues relevant to particular geographical
areas. We also ensure close contact with both domestic and business customers and with
the individual companies providing water and sewerage services. In addition there is a
committee of Local Consumer Advocates for Wales, and four teams in England.
The Consumer Council for Water supports consumers with complaints that the water
companies have not handled satisfactorily. We have addressed over 90,000 consumer
complaints about water and sewerage companies to date. The organisation costs each
water customer an average of 21p per year. Notable successes include £135 million
gained from water companies in reduced prices and extra investments and over £13
million in compensation and rebates for customers.
For further details on CCWater, please visit the website at www.ccwater.org.uk
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MAKING APPLICATIONS
Thank you for expressing an interest in the vacancy.
If you decide to submit an application it is important that you fully complete the
application form (CVs cannot be considered on their own).
When completing the section on ‘suitability for post’ please ensure that you describe
fully where and how your experience, skills and abilities meet each of the criteria listed,
and the further information contained in the job description/person specification.
To ensure that we treat all applicants fairly, we do not make any assumptions about
you. We only look at what you tell us on the application form. Remember you will be
selected for interview based entirely on the content of your application form, so read
the job description/person specification very carefully and match your information to it.
This is crucial in enabling us to shortlist.
Please ensure that your application form is returned to the address shown on the
application form by the closing date.
Application
Your completed application form should reach Consumer Council for Water, Victoria
Square House, Victoria Square, Birmingham B2 4AJ no later than Midday Wednesday 14
May 2014. Applications will not be accepted after this time, unless there are
exceptional circumstances.
As well as completing the application form, we ask that you also return a completed
equal opportunities form. Section two of this relates to the Guaranteed Interview
Scheme. For further information on this please refer to page 10 of this document.
Selection
Selection will be by interview.
After the closing date, all applications will be considered carefully and those candidates
who appear, from the information provided, to be the best suited for the post will be
invited to interview. It is important, therefore, that your application form gives a full
but concise description of the nature, extent and level of responsibilities you have held.
The Selection Panel will recommend the candidate considered most suitable for
appointment.
If you are successful, pre-employment enquiries will be carried out, to ensure that you
are qualified for appointment. When the enquiries are completed satisfactorily, a formal
offer of appointment will be made. You will be expected to take up post as soon as
possible. We inform everyone who applies of the outcome of their application.
Interview date – TBC
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TITLE: Complaints Administrator
CCWATER JOB DESCRIPTION
Reports To:
Division:
Location:
Consumer Relations Manager
Consumer Relations
London
Job Purpose Statement
To undertake with the administration and investigation of customer complaints and
support the office in its policy work, meetings and day to day business such as
responding to customer enquiries.
Organisational Information
Consumer Relations Manager
Assistant
Managers (3)
Complaints Administrator (2)
(+ vacancy)
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To undertake with the administration and investigation of customer complaints and
support the office in its policy work, meetings and day to day business such as
responding to customer enquiries.
Key Duties and Accountabilities
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Complaints and Enquiries
 Manage personal complaint caseload.
 Record new complaints using complaint database.
 Maintain complaint records (physical record and database).
 Decide method of progression for complaints and take appropriate action.
 Draft letters to companies and customers as required.
 Action straightforward cases from receipt to closure including complaint
investigation.
 Seek advice or assistance from colleagues where required, particularly in
relation to complex cases.
 Keep up to date with complaint and customer service issues to help in dealing
with customers over the phone.
 Act as first point of contact for telephone enquiries.
 Deal with telephone and written enquiries.
 Highlight record and discuss policy issues arising from complaint enquiries
 Provide policy input and support to Committee Sub Group/Panels.
 Assist with policy development issues.
 Handling sensitive data in an appropriate way.
2 Administration
Office Support
 Initial point of contact for phone calls and visitors.
 Check answer-phone and return or pass on messages.
 Photocopying relevant to own duties and workload.
 Dispatch information to customers in response to enquiries.
 Assist with management and development of filing system.
Meetings
 Assist with preparation for meetings, audits etc.
 Assist with administrative support for meetings, taking minutes etc.
Accommodation
 Assist with general operation and management of office.
Financial
 Assist with administration relating to the financial management of the office
and committee.
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3 Committee Support
Local Consumer Advocates Liaison (LCA’s)
 Respond to requests and queries from LCA’s as appropriate.
 Assist with the preparation and dispatch of correspondence to LCA’s.
Management of Resources
i)
Financial resources
None
ii)
Human resources
None
iii) Equipment (range of plant and/or equipment for which the jobholder is
responsible)
IT Equipment
Contacts and Communication (indicate significant others, both internal and external,
giving reason for the contact)
Water Customers – Respond to complaints and enquiries
Water Companies – Liaise with company staff to resolve customer complaints and
progress policy issues.
In addition to the duties described in this description the jobholder may be required to carry
out other duties as may be reasonably required.
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CCWATER PERSON SPEC
Attributes and
Qualities Required
Essential Criteria
Personal Impact
A confident manner when
dealing with the public
Attainments
Standard of general
education.
Professional/technical
education.
Specialised training.
Work experience.
5 GCSEs or equivalent at
grades A-C including English
Language and Mathematics.
Recent relevant experience
of working in an office based
complaints environment,
dealing with complaints &
enquiries i.e written and by
telephone on a day-to-day
basis.
Desirable Criteria
Tested
Application
Test Interview
I
Experience of applying
rules or regulations or
technical procedures in a
work environment.
Some previous experience
in the water/utility sector.
A, I
Must be IT literate.
Special Skills
Oral communication.
Written communication.
Numerical.
Interpersonal.
Administrative.
Problem solving.
Other special
aptitudes/skills.
Attitudes/Disposition
Management/leadership
.
Reliability.
Decision making.
Problem solving.
Flexibility.
Team working.
Other Criteria
Good confident telephone
manner. Ability to
articulate technical detail.
Good numerical skills.
Experience of writing in
clear and appropriate
language in various formats
i.e. memos, faxes, and
letters.
A, I
Ability to work
independently as well as
part of a team.
Prepared to meet with
members of the public face
to face.
A, I
Ability to remain calm and
focused when under
pressure.
N/A
N/A
Mobility.
Out of hours work.
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PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYMENT
Complaints Administrator
You are invited to apply for the above post which is available in the Consumer Council
for Water London and South East located at 1st Floor (East Wing), Fleetbank House, 2-6
Salisbury Square, London, EC4Y 8JX.
Qualifications and Experience
Please refer to the person specification for more details.
Nationality and Immigration Control
This post is open to nationals of states within the British Commonwealth and the
European Economic area and certain members of their families.
There must be no employment restriction or time limit on your permitted stay in the UK.
Conditions of Service
The starting salary for this post is £14,800 pa, plus £2,700 London Weighting Allowance
and is paid monthly in arrears by credit transfer.
This post is temporary up to 31 January 2015 dependant upon business need.
Hours of work
You will normally be required to work a 5-day week of 36 hours excluding lunch breaks.
The department operates a system of flexible working hours (FWH), which is worked by
most employees, but may vary slightly.
There are a number of terms associated with FWH. These are detailed below:
Bandwidth – 07.00 hours to 19.00 hours
-
the times between which the office is open for work
Flexible Lunch break
The times within which you take your lunch break. This can vary in length and timing an
the minimum break allowed is thirty minutes.
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Annual Leave
Your annual leave allowance will be 25 days plus 10½ days' public and privilege holidays.
Induction
All new employees will have an induction training programme specifically prepared for
them by Human Resources and their line manager.
Stocks or shares
Because of the nature of the information you will come into contact with and the need
to be wholly independent of the water industry, you will be precluded from dealing in
stocks or shares of any privatised water company or of any existing statutory water
company. Your spouse or partner or any dependent children are also precluded from
dealing in stocks and shares in these types of company.
Pension
As soon as you start your new job, you are eligible to join the Civil Service pension
arrangements. We offer you a choice of two types of pension.

Nuvos: This is an occupational scheme that currently has a 3.5% member
contribution rate. As your employer we meet the rest of the cost of the scheme.

Partnership: This is a stakeholder pension with a contribution from us. How much
we pay is based on your age. We pay this regardless of whether you choose to
contribute anything. You do not have to contribute but, if you do, we will also
match your contributions up to 3% of your pensionable earnings. The contributions
are in addition to the age-related contribution mentioned above.
Immigration Control
If you would like further information on Nationality, Immigration Control, or the
Principal Civil Service, please write to Consumer Council for Water, Victoria Square
House, Victoria Square, Birmingham B2 4AJ or telephone 0121 345 1053.
Expenses
Travelling costs will be refunded at the rate of a standard rail fare for the journey or
motor mileage rates as follows:
Cars: 25p per mile (the exact mileage will need to be noted, as we will ask you to
record it on the expense form)
Please note that proof of purchase will be required for all public transport expenses.
Expenses for travel into the UK cannot be refunded. Overnight accommodation expenses
will be considered.
All travel expense claims must have prior written approval from the HR Manager.
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Data Protection
Your application will only be used to inform the selection process, unless you are
successful, in which case it will form the basis of your personal record with us and will
be stored in manual and electronic files. Any data about you will be held in completely
secure conditions, with restricted access. Information in statistical form on present and
former employees is given to appropriate outside bodies.
Data that you provide on the Equal Opportunities Monitoring form will be included in a
general database, for statistical monitoring purposes only enabling us to monitor the
effectiveness of our policy on equal opportunities in employment. Individuals will not
be identified by name.
We shall consider that, by signing and submitting the enclosed forms, you are giving your
consent to the processing of your data in the ways described above.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS)
We are committed to the employment of disabled people. We guarantee an interview to
anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. To
be eligible for the guaranteed interview scheme you must have a disability or long term
health condition. The disability could be physical, sensory or mental and must be
expected to last for at least 12 months. You do not have to be registered as a disabled
person to apply under the scheme.
Equal Opportunities and Diversity
We aim to be an Equal Opportunities Employer, intending to make sure that there is
equality of opportunity and fair treatment for all, regardless of gender, race, disability,
sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, age, pregnancy and
maternity, and marriage and civil partnership.
We have undertaken a programme of diversity training for all staff to help understand
the concept of diversity and how it compliments equal opportunities. It also provides an
understanding of the implications of the legislation, for working with colleagues and
customers.
All applications receive equal treatment regardless of sex, race, age, disability, religion,
marital status or sexual orientation. Selection for a post will be based on merit.
We would like to assure you that the information you provide on the equal opportunities
monitoring form will be treated in the strictest confidence and only used to help us
monitor appropriate equal opportunities policies. This information plays no part in our
selection process.
Complaints Procedure
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CCWater's recruitment processes observe the principles outlined in the Civil Service
Commissioners' Recruitment Principles which can be found at
www.civilservicecommissioners.org.uk.
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Principles and
you wish to make a complaint, you should contact Karen Cropp, Human Resources
Manager, Consumer Council for Water, 1st floor Victoria Square House, Victoria
Square, BIRMINGHAM, B2 4AJ.
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