Customer Care Officer; part time

Customer Care Officer (part time)

Final date to receive applications: 22 September 2026

Department: Fundraising, Comms & Engagement

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Burford

Reporting To: Customer Care Supervisor

Compensation: £23,917 / year

Contract: Permanent, part time, 21 hours per week

Salary: £14,350 per annum (FTE £23,917)

Location: Hybrid working, 2 days at Burford, OX18 4PF

Working pattern: Monday 9.00am to 2.00pm, Tuesday to Friday 9.00am to 1.00pm. We can offer some flexibility around these hours, for example 10.00am to 2.00pm, while ensuring service needs are met.

Closing date: Tuesday 22 September 2026

Interview date: Tuesday 29 September & Friday 2 October 2026

Join Blue Cross as a Customer Care Officer and play a pivotal role in providing essential support and information to our supporters, clients, and the public.

As the compassionate first point of contact, you'll offer a listening ear, expert advice, and signposting services, ensuring that every interaction leaves a positive impact on those seeking assistance. This is a hybrid role with 2 days a week in our Burford office.

In this role, you’ll provide advice, reassurance, and assistance to those in need of our services, with a particular emphasis on complaint management. Whether by phone, email, or other channels, you will ensure their concerns are addressed with empathy and professionalism.

Key responsibilities include:

• Handling complaints from service users with empathy, professionalism, and attention to detail.
• Documenting and investigating complaints and supporting timely resolutions.
• Responding in writing to enquiries and feedback across letters, email, and social media.
• Resolving enquiries and requests promptly, escalating complex issues where needed.
• Staying up to date with Blue Cross initiatives and campaigns to provide accurate information.
• Acting as a brand ambassador, promoting our mission and values in every interaction.
• Processing telephone donations accurately and compliantly.
• Supporting clients who may be distressed, both over the phone and face to face, with a calm, professional, and compassionate approach.

This role is pivotal in ensuring every interaction with Blue Cross leaves a positive impression, even when addressing concerns or complaints, and contributes to our mission of providing compassionate care to animals and their owners.

You’ll bring excellent communication skills and the ability to engage with a wide variety of people in a busy environment. Resilient and adaptable, you’ll be comfortable handling sensitive and emotionally charged conversations while maintaining professionalism and compassion.

Essential knowledge, skills, and experience

• Customer service experience within a busy office or call centre environment
• The ability to multi-task and demonstrable experience of responding to a high volume of telephone and email enquiries
• A calm, confident telephone manner
• Demonstrable resilience and experience of dealing with distressed and angry enquirers
• Excellent keyboard skills, knowledge of Windows and MS Office and the ability to learn and navigate multiple IT systems
• Experience of handling complaints
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• The ability to self-manage while working collaboratively as part of a team
• The ability to demonstrate understand and apply our Blue Cross values

Desirable knowledge, skills, and experience

• An understanding of basic animal welfare
• An understanding of confidentiality and the Data Protection Act
• Experience working with CRM or ticketing systems
• Previous experience of working in the charity/voluntary sector

Our people are the most important part of delivering our purpose. If it were not for their amazing efforts and…