Complaints Officer

Job Title: Complaints Officer

Hours: 16

Salary: £28,142 - £32,062 pro rata (£12,169 - £13,863 per annum)

Contract: Fixed Term Until March 2027

Location: Hereford

Closing date: 15/10/2026

Herefordshire Council is seeking a motivated and customer-focused Complaints Officer to join our Governance and Law Team within the Corporate Services Directorate. In this rewarding role, you will act as a key point of contact for members of the public accessing council services, ensuring complaints, comments, compliments and information requests are handled professionally, fairly and efficiently. You will play an important role in maintaining public confidence in the council by ensuring enquiries are managed effectively, legislative requirements are met and opportunities for service improvement are identified and acted upon.

As a Complaints Officer, You Will Manage And Monitor Complaints, Customer Feedback And Information Requests Across The Council. You Will Work Closely With Service Managers, Elected Members, Customers And Partner Organisations To Ensure Concerns Are Responded To Appropriately And Within Required Timescales. Your Responsibilities Will Include:

• Acting as a single point of contact for complaints, compliments, comments and information requests.
• Recording, monitoring and reporting on customer feedback through the council's CRM system.
• Investigating complaints and acting as Investigating Officer where appropriate.
• Supporting the development and implementation of policies, procedures and systems relating to complaints and access to information.
• Liaising with managers, councillors, MPs and service areas to ensure timely and effective responses.
• Analysing complaint and performance data to identify trends and opportunities for service improvement.
• Producing monitoring and management information reports.
• Promoting awareness of complaints, information governance and customer feedback procedures.
• Supporting training and guidance for managers and staff.
• Ensuring compliance with relevant legislation including Freedom of Information, Data Protection and Equality legislation.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues, customers, advocacy services and partner organisations to resolve issues and improve outcomes.

• Experienced in handling complaints, information requests or customer enquiries within a public sector or similarly regulated environment.
• Skilled in building and maintaining positive relationships with customers, colleagues, elected members and external partners.
• Confident in managing competing priorities, organising caseloads and working independently.
• An excellent communicator with strong interpersonal, negotiation and mediation skills.
• Experienced in analysing information, identifying trends and producing performance reports.
• Comfortable working with customer relationship management (CRM) systems and Microsoft Office applications.
• Able to exercise sound judgement, solve problems and make balanced decisions in challenging situations.
• Committed to delivering high-quality customer service and continuous improvement.
• Sensitive to the needs of diverse communities and committed to equality, fairness and inclusion.
• Educated to A-Level standard or equivalent, with evidence of ongoing professional development. Complaints handling or mediation training would be advantageous

A competitive salary, holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:

• Salary range of £28,142 - £32,062 pro rata £12,169 - £13,863 per annum.
• Enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Career progression: clear pathways to progress
• Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days…