Customer Services Officer (Band 6 / AO)

We contribute to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) strategy - Protecting people and places across England, Scotland and Wales. Our contribution is to protect people at work, members of the public, employees, employers and residents who are impacted by a work-activity and by ensuring risks are properly managed.
The team is a front-facing, high volume, fast-paced, operational, front-line team. In 2023/24 the team received 52k new workplace health and safety concerns (report a health and safety problem), and advice requests. In our efforts to continuously improve, we seek to adopt the digital approach as opportunities arise.
We are looking for motivated and dedicated customer focused people to join the team to play an important role in ensuring that HSE provides a professional response to Health and Safety Concerns, Advice requests and Building Safety enquiries within strict deadlines. We are seeking candidates who are fluent in both English and Welsh.
Part time working hours are available for this role. We can accept part time applicants who can commit to working a minimum of 22 hours Per week., You will be working on behalf of Customer Services in a contact centre, as a call handler. Your main responsibility is to answer calls in a professional manner in both English and Welsh; direct customers to the HSE website and/or complete online forms on behalf of customers, redirect customers if it is not a matter for HSE to deal with and point customers to relevant health and safety information.
The Welsh Language Act 1993 places obligations on public bodies in Wales (including HSE) to treat Welsh and English equally. This requires HSE to provide Welsh language communications and as part of this role, you will need to be able to speak and write in Welsh.
Telephone calls are varied and unpredictable in nature. Calls are received from members of the public, businesses, employees, employers, TU Reps, Local Authorities, and others. Calls range from reporting a fatal accident to dealing with a member of the public who requires advice and everything in-between. You will need to be empathic in your approach.
As a customer service officer, you will also deal with switchboard calls for named contacts within HSE and you will also undertake administrative support duties.
You will work collaboratively with internal and external customers to obtain accurate and relevant information. You will ensure that responses are professional, accurate and timely.
We invest in our people and look to develop an academy of talent. In the last four years thirty-four of our customer services family have been promoted within the civil service. If you want your civil service journey to begin in our great team, we look forward to receiving your application.
Key Responsibilities;
+ Answer monitored telephone calls in a professional manner, asking open questions to establish facts.
+ Need to show empathy and compassion.
+ Be expected to develop a good understanding of the Enforcing Authority Regulations (training will be provided) to identify if the matter is enforced by HSE or another organisation.
+ Set up companies and cases on corporate systems.
+ Monitor and respond to emails, including sending links from our website to relevant customers; and
+ Deal with post, scanning letters, and redirecting post to other parts of the organisation., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Communicating and Influencing
+ Delivering at Pace
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
+ Communicating and Influencing, Application Guidance
Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/
Sift information
The sift will take place on the week commencing 4th November 2024 where you will be assessed on the lead behaviour 'Communicating and Influencing'.
Interview Information
The interviews will take place on the week commencing 18th November 2024 where you will be assessed on the behaviours listed within the job advert along with strengths.
Upon request, the interview can be held in Welsh.
Please note the sift and interview dates could be subject to change due to panel availability.
AI Tools & Platforms
During the application process candidates are allowed to utilise AI (artificial intelligence) platforms and Tools to support them in writing their Behaviours, CVs and Personal Statements. However, all information submitted must be factually accurate. This includes presenting the ideas and experience of others, or those generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. All presented information will be assessed at the Interview Stage., It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached HSE Terms and Conditions document.
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.
HSE is proud to be a part of the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS). As a Disability Confident employer, we positively welcome applications from disabled people. We are committed to making workplace adjustments to ensure anyone can participate in the recruitment and selection process.
We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for all disabled applicants who provide evidence of meeting the minimum requirements necessary for the post.
If, during the application or interview process, you require any assistance due to a disability or a medical condition, please contact us at the email address below to discuss how we can support you. For example if you have a disability, and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk
If successful in securing your role, HSE can provide suitable workplace adjustments to support you throughout your career with HSE.
Any move to HSE from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at here
Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further;
Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
+ UK nationals
+ nationals of the Republic of Ireland
+ nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
+ individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
+ Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

We are looking for motivated and talented individuals with the commitment to learn about new areas of work and responsibility, and to build on existing customer focused skills.
Essential Skills and Criteria;
+ Experience of working in a front-line delivery role.
+ Excellent written and verbal communication skills to convey information concisely.
+ The candidate would need to have the ability to communicate in Welsh to at least level 4 on the Welsh Language Skills Assessment at Appendix A. They would need to be able to answer the telephone bilingually, pronounce Welsh words, place, and personal names correctly.
+ Proficient IT skills to allow for accurate and timely recording of information.
+ Ability to log and record information appropriately in the correct systems.
+ Excellent organisational and time management skills.
+ Analytical skills to digest and interpret information from a range of sources.
+ Ability to use your own initiative, intuition, and communication skills.
+ Ability to seek out new and improved ways of working, make suggestions to colleagues and managers and always strive to do deliver to high standards.
As per HSE’s Hybrid Working Policy, you will be required to attend the HSE Bootle office a minimum of 2 days per week. During training you will be required more often.
You will have the option to work either from the Wrexham office or home for the other three days of the week. Due to the nature of the work, start and finish times are 08:20 –17:00. Breaks are rostered for business need purposes., The Welsh Language Act 1993 places obligations on public bodies in Wales (including HSE) to treat Welsh and English equally. This requires HSE to provide Welsh language communications and as part of this role, you will need to be able to speak and write in Welsh.

Alongside your salary of £26,455, Health and Safety Executive contributes £7,664 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
+ Learning and development tailored to your role
+ An environment with flexible working options
+ A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
We invest in our people with;
+ Competitive rates of pay
+ Access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme to which HSE contribute 28.97%, far more than in the private sector.
+ Family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career
+ Carer friendly policies to help create a supportive working culture
+ 25 days annual holiday increasing to 30 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave
+ Parental leave benefits
+ As a member of HSE you will gain access to a wide range of fantastic benefits that you can take advantage of such as the Cycle to Work Scheme, E-Gift Cards and Vouchers via our partner EdenRed.