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role of independent assessor

I'm delighted that you’re interested in the ombudsman service and the post of

independent assessor. I thought you might like a note that goes beyond the formal job

spec and tries to give you a feel for the service and for the role supporting it.

I came new to the service when I joined as chairman in February this year. I’d never used

it and, frankly, didn’t know much about it. But, a year on, I’m enjoying the job and the

challenges tremendously. There are a lot of reasons for this. First, that what we do

genuinely matters. People can get frustrated and perplexed when they can’t resolve

complaints with their bank, insurer or building society. We sort things out – and that

doesn’t mean always in their favour, as we’re genuinely neutral – and that’s a huge relief

for them. The letters we get from people, including those who “lose”, as well as those

whose complaints we uphold, show we make a real difference to their lives.

And it’s a lot of lives. Last year, we helped nearly 1.5 million people who got in touch with

us, and handled over 220,000 formal complaints. It’s a bit of a growth industry, as we

succeed in making more people aware of what our free service can offer, and as the

sheer number of complaints and issues grows. We currently have over 1,500 individual

disputes to resolve every single day, spanning every area of financial services – from

payday loans to mortgages, spread betting and payment protection insurance (PPI).

We’ve had to grow, too, to cope with the demand: from 300 people 12 years ago, when

we were set up, to around 3,000 today.

The second big reason why I enjoy it is that I’ve quite honestly never worked in an

organisation that was so strongly values-driven and true to those values. It’s easy to

sound a bit dewy-eyed about that; but wherever I go in the service I find people who are

genuinely committed to doing the right thing for our customers and who treat knowledge

as something to be shared, rather than as a source of power. It’s an organisation with a

terrific feel to it and where people are always looking for ways to do better.

That’s where you’d come in as independent assessor. It’s really important that, if

customers feel that our handling of their complaint (as opposed to the actual outcome)

has been flawed, they should have someone independent to turn to if they’re still not

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satisfied once we’ve looked into it. The independent assessor provides that last resort,

and it’s a role that’s hugely important to us, both in demonstrating our commitment to

customer needs and in enabling us to learn when things go wrong and to do better in the

future. That means we need someone who can communicate fair and objective

assessments in a crystal-clear way to customers and who – while preserving the distance

necessary for true independence – can work closely with the service in feeding back to

us both lessons from particular cases and general trends, to help us in our quest for

constant improvement.

So what we are looking for in the independent assessor? You'll have an analytical mind

and be good at problem-solving, which will help you to deal fairly with genuine

grievances about service standards while avoiding discussions about the merits of

cases. You'll have excellent communication skills and be able to provide impartial

feedback to both the customer making the complaint and us. You'll have a flexible and

pragmatic approach to your work and be able to work under pressure.

This isn’t a job for just anyone. It’s for someone who cares about making a difference,

someone who has the skills and experience to be the ultimate level of appeal for

customers who feel dissatisfied with the service they have received, to balance the facts

and make appropriate recommendations. It’s a really rewarding job; and if that’s the way

you feel after reading this and the job specification, I hope you’ll put in for it.

Nick Montagu,

chairman

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who we are

We’re an independent, not-for-profit organisation set up to sort out disputes between

consumers and financial services businesses – fairly, reasonably and impartially.

We were set up by government in 2000 as a statutory alternative to the courts. We’re

funded by financial services. We’ve expanded significantly since 2000 and our remit now

covers nearly all financial services and products – from spread betting to pet insurance.

We employ around 3,000 people and more than 2 million customers contact us each

year. We are, quite simply, the place consumers can come if they have a dispute with

their financial service provider that they can’t resolve themselves.

like to know more?

We publish our plans for a changing world at the start of each financial year. This sets

out the challenges we predict, the priorities we agree and the key measures we set

ourselves for the year.

Our annual review looks back at the past year, with facts, figures and information about

our work and the trends in complaints.

To find out more about the types of complaints we deal with, see our regular newsletter,

ombudsman news, which includes case studies and case highlights.

our values

We believe we work best when we keep in mind what’s important to us. And we stand by

our values in all areas of our work. What matters to us is that:

we do the right thing

we treat our customers well and respect their needs

we do what we say we’ll do

we’re inquisitive and build everyone’s knowledge

diversity and fairness – at the heart of everything we do

We want to ensure we’re reaching out to the widest range of people – in how we recruit

and in the services we offer. Our service is for everyone. We aim to be accessible and to

meet all the needs of our people and customers.

So please let us know if you’d like information in a different format or language, or if

you’d like us to adapt the way we communicate with you.

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independent assessor

reports to

the board of the Financial Ombudsman Service

location

London docklands (at least 1 day a week in the office) + homeworking

salary

£112k (pro rata for 2 or 3 day week)

about the job

the final step in the complaints process

The Financial Ombudsman Service aims to be effective, efficient and to deliver the

highest standards of customer service. In order to do that, it needs to be open to

feedback, to learn from its mistakes and to reinforce good service. The organisation has

an internal service complaint process and the independent assessor is the final step.

an independent view on complaints handling

The independent assessor reports to the board and is not a member of ombudsman

service staff. The principal duty is to reach an independent view on whether the

ombudsman service provided good service in its practical handling of a complaint about

a financial services business. The independent assessor may make recommendations for

redress by the ombudsman service if the standard of service has caused avoidable

distress and inconvenience.

A complaint of poor service does not include the merits of a complaint about a financial

services business, nor whether a complaint is within the ombudsman service’s

jurisdiction.

the scope of the job

You will:

be the final arbiter of complaints about the level of service provided once the

ombudsman service has had a reasonable chance to respond to a service complaint

prepare reports on your findings, tailored to the circumstances of the complaint

where appropriate, make recommendations for redress, communicating your reasons

clearly to the complainant and the ombudsman service

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provide summary feedback to the board and to the ombudsman service executive,

highlighting areas of concern, examples of good practice and any emerging trends, to

help ensure that the ombudsman service learns from service complaints

compile an annual review for the board covering the number and nature of

complaints received and reviewed and the recommendations made for inclusion in

the financial ombudsman service directors’ report and accounts

You’ll be supported by a full time senior caseworker and a full time administrator, both of

whom will be seconded to you by the board. You’ll also be supported by the ombudsman

service’s infrastructure, though with appropriate guards to protect your independence.

about you

your experience

you’ll probably have significant experience of investigatory case-handling, perhaps

in a legal environment, or in a dispute-resolution, regulatory or public body

experience of ombudsmanry is not essential but would be an advantage, and you

should have worked in an environment which prides itself on customer service

excellence

you’ll have worked at a senior level with significant executive and board experience

you’ll have a strong educational record, in any subject, to degree level or equivalent

you’ll be IT literate and comfortable with handling and analysing data

superb analytical and problem solving skills – able to quickly get to the heart of an issue

you’ll be able to assess service complaints promptly, getting to the heart of the issue,

and demonstrating sound and robust judgement

excellent organisational skills

you'll be someone who’s extremely well organised and who understands that

deadlines matter

you’ll be able to filter eligible complaints from those not within your remit and

prioritise your time appropriately

outstanding communication skills

you’ll have experience of communicating appropriately with a wide range of

complainants, adjusting your style to meet their needs

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you’ll be skilled in preparing evidence-based written opinions to reassure the

complainant and the ombudsman service that you have examined the complaint

thoroughly and have reached a balanced conclusion

aligned with the values of the ombudsman service

your role is to help put things right where the ombudsman service has not provided a

good enough quality of service. It’s essential that your values align with those of the

ombudsman service, with a strong focus on justice

effective in an independent role

you’ll relish the challenges of independence, in a role where you won’t always be

giving the complainant or the ombudsman service the news that they want to hear

you’ll have the skills to make “independence” an asset, understanding that having

influence requires a collaborative working style and is based on respect

good with people

and finally, you need to be someone who is good at getting the best out of your own

staff in a busy and high pressure working environment