Are you anadaptable,highly motivated manager, not afraid of getting your hands dirty? If so, you may be what we’re looking for.

Welcome. I’m delighted you’re interested in working with the Pensions Ombudsman. Let me tell you a little more about us so that you can decide if you like what you hear and think you might be the right fit to join us as a team leader on one of our casework teams.

We are a small office - about 40 strong. “Strong” is the right word, because we have such great people working here. Our aim is to support one another to provide the best service we can for people who use us. What we do makes a real difference to people’s lives, particularly at a time when every penny counts; and people have to have faith in pensions if they are to save for tomorrow.

As well as our casework and support teams, we have two ombudsmen: me and the deputy ombudsman, Jane Irvine. When an ombudsman determines a case the decision is legally binding on the parties, subject only to appeal on a point of law to the Courts. However, many of our cases are resolved by our investigators who liaise with the parties, exercising their own judgment on the outcome of the case to reach a settlement. It is essential that we all get things right, we use our powers appropriately, and investigate cases proportionately. And this is where you would come in:you would lead a team of investigators dealing with pension complaints or disputes, supporting and leading them to make the right decisions, in line with our quality standards and in the most effective way. One of the team leaders appointed will be responsible for leading the team that decides whether a complaint falls within our jurisdiction and can be investigated.

Being a small office comes with its advantages. Our team leaders enjoy a wide portfolio, which they say makes their jobs even more interesting. Not only would you become part of our Management Team involved in setting strategy and managing risk, but you would lead one or more of our key focus areas, such as knowledge management, training and development or quality management. At times you may also be asked to lead an internal project, for example developing guidance to go on our website, or managing a change project. So, as you will see, you need to be organised and able to manage time effectively in this role.

In January 2013 we started using a long awaited new case management system, and over 2013/14 we want to make full use of the new opportunities it offers us. We are therefore looking for someone who is IT savvy and well versed in using case management systems and getting the best out of management information.

I hope this brief overview of what we are about has encouraged you to apply. If it has please read the rest of this information pack, which consists of:

a description of the work of the Pensions Ombudsman/Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman;

the person specification;

summary of terms and conditions:

details of the application and selection process.

I hope that you will find all you need here, but should you have any further queries about the office or the roles, please call Jane Carey, Business Manager on 020 7630 2211 or Elaine Hopkinson, HR manager 020 7630 2201.

Please send your application to by 5pm on 2 April 2013.

Tony King

Pensions Ombudsman

The Pensions Ombudsman

The Pensions Ombudsman’s office investigates and determines complaints and disputes concerning occupational and personal pension schemes. The post-holders of Pensions Ombudsman and Deputy Pensions Ombudsman are appointed by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. They act independently and impartially and their decisions are final and binding (subject only to appeal to the courts on a point of law), and enforceable in the courts.

As a separate statutory function, the present holders of the posts of Pensions Ombudsman and Deputy Pensions Ombudsman have also been appointed Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman (PPFO) and Deputy PPFO. In this capacity they deal with complaints and “reviewable matters” connected with the Pension Protection Fund (a statutory corporation) and appeals against decisions of the Financial Assistance Scheme (operated by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)). The office is a classed as a “Tribunal Non Departmental Public Body” and is funded by grant-in-aid from DWP.

The office has around 40 staff and on average deals with around 3.000 enquiries and conducts in the region of 1,000 investigations each year. A number of these investigations are resolved without reference to our ombudsmen.

We are looking for threeteam leaders to join our management team and manage a team of case workers. These opportunities arise as a result of one team leader leaving, another transferring to another role within the organisation and a minor organisational restructure. These are wide ranging and exciting positions within a progressive and highly respected organisation. Because we are small, the successful candidate will need to be capable of mucking in to get the job done and be highly adaptable.

Purpose of the roles

With two other team leaders you will be part of the Management Team which also includes aProject Manager, the Business Manager, Casework Director and Pensions Ombudsman. The purpose of the Management Team is to:

  • provide leadership;
  • make decisions on all significant matters relating to how the organisation works to meet its statutory responsibility to deal with pension complaints and disputes (except where the matter has been reserved to the Pensions Ombudsman or Deputy Pensions Ombudsman); and
  • support the Pensions Ombudsman in his capacity as accounting officer for public money in ensuring that corporate governance arrangements and internal controls are effective.

The Team Leaders are accountable directly to the Casework Director for the efficient and effective discharge of their duties.

Key Duties

Team Leader, role one

(Two vacancies, one permanent, one for 18 months fixed term)

  • Lead and managea team of presently up to 12 people dealing with pension complaints
  • Review new investigations coming into team and allocate to individual team members taking their skills, development and workload needs into account
  • Monitor progress of the investigation stages of the casework process to ensure itis in line with team and office objectives, including KPIs
  • Keep under review investigation processes within team to achieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness
  • Provide help and guidance to team memberson casework issues as appropriate

Team Leader, role two

(One permanent vacancy)

  • Lead and manage a team ofpresently 8 people dealing with enquiries, jurisdiction decisions and the pool of investigations awaiting allocation and some ongoing investigations;
  • Monitor the progress of the enquiry and jurisdiction stages of the casework process to ensure progress is in line with team and office objectives and KPIs
  • Keep under review, enquiry and jurisdiction processes to achieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness
  • Provide help and guidance to team memberson enquiry and jurisdiction issues
  • Make final decisions on jurisdiction issues, consistently with delegated powers, after a team memberhas given an initial decision

Common to bothroles

  • Support and guide team members, including coaching and mentoring, to help them achieve their best
  • Monitor and manage the performance of the team as a whole and its individual members
  • Act as the main contactin the absence of a team member, to ensure that any necessary action is taken in a timely manner
  • Encourage knowledge sharing among team members and the wider office
  • Take an active role in the professional development of team members, and wider office if the opportunity arises
  • Encourage team membersto take responsibility for their own objectives and to make a contribution to the team and the office as a whole
  • Encourage team membersto conduct themselves in accordance with the Aims and Principles of the office
  • Deal with the first stage review of any complaints about case handling within own team
  • Undertake a personal portfolio of casework and/or jurisdiction decisions if appropriate
  • Ensure the Casework Director is kept up to date with team progress and/or issues that might affect the wider office

The office

  • Contribute to the Management Team by actively participating, both in meetings and generally, and taking responsibility for a share of the work
  • Make a full contribution to the office’s strategy and operational effectiveness through the Management Team
  • Identify relevant issues and trends and bring this to the attention of the Management Team
  • Take lead responsibility for one or more of the office’skey focus areas such astraining and development, knowledge management and/or quality management
  • Take an active role in introducing and implementing change
  • Act as an ambassador for the office when liaising with stakeholders

The Person

Essential skills

You must be able to demonstrate

  • experience of successfully leading and managing casework or complaint handling teams, made up of people from different backgrounds;
  • a high level of skill in dealing with performance and quality management;
  • excellent communications skills, both oral and written, with experience of producing high quality reports and delivering difficult decisions;
  • strong analytical, judgment and critical reasoning skills;
  • an ability to make reasoned, sustainable decisions;
  • experience ofworking with stakeholders and customers to better understand their needs, to help us to improve our service;
  • experience of working as part of a management team contributing tocorporate governance arrangements and wider office initiatives, alongside leading and managing a team.;
  • a high level of IT literacy, including knowledge and experience of developing and using case management systems and interrogating management information

Desirable skills

  • Knowledge and experience of pensions law and practice, regulation and/orworking for an ombudsman service or equivalent complaint handling body

Essential Personal qualities

  • a natural leader, capable of supporting and motivating
  • flexible, adaptable, able to deal with uncertainty and change
  • balanced, fair and decisive
  • organised and methodical
  • able to make sound decisions and problem solve
  • self motivating
  • able to work on your own andas part of a team
  • able to share knowledge
  • delivery focused
  • an excellent communicator, good with people
  • able to see the bigger picture
  • active supporter of principles of diversity and equality of opportunity

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Main Terms and conditions

There are three vacancies.

Two are permanent appointments, one is a fixed term contract for 18 months.

Location

The successful candidate will be based at the Pensions Ombudsman's Office, 11 Belgrave Road, Victoria, London, SW1.

Salary

The pay range for the posts is£49,500 to £58,070.

Pension

The post holder is entitled to join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme. Further details are available from .

Leave

Annual leave allowance is 25 days per annum plus bank holidays and 2½days privilege holiday.

Hours

Contracted hours will be 41 per week including meal breaks.

Probation

Successful candidates will work a probationary period of 6 months. The appointment will be confirmed when this period has been completed successfully.

Other benefits include

Flexitime

Loans for the purchase of season tickets

Other flexible working arrangements, subject to satisfactory performance

Free eye tests

Employee assistance programme

How to apply

You can download the application from our website. Please submit it with your CV.

In the section "Why I am suited to this role", we want you to provide clear examples of how you have demonstrated the essential skills required.

We will use your CV and application form to decide who to invite to interview. As well as considering the substance of your application and CV, we will also use themto judge your written communication skills.

Please complete the form using Arial font size12, this is a font common to all PCs and easily read. Do not exceed 1000 words.

To help us to monitor the effectiveness of our equal opportunities policy please complete the equal opportunities form and submit it with your application. This is not compulsory and will form no part of your application.

Please return the completed form along with your CV marked Private and Confidential to: Jane Carey, Pensions Ombudsman Office, 11 Belgrave Road, London, SW1V 1RB.

Or by email:

Closing date2 April 2013

Disability

Under the guaranteed interview scheme disabled candidates who have the right qualifications for the role will be guaranteed an interview. If you wish to claim this right under the scheme please say so on the application form.

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Selection Process

The first stage is a papersift. It will take place week commencing 8 April 2013.

The next stage of the process will be in two parts.

The first part will last one hour. You will be asked to produce a report based on a case scenario. You will be expected to type the report using a pc.

The second part will be a panel interview lasting 75 minutes which will be based on the required skills in the information pack. This will also include aten minute presentation on a subject to be notified when you are invited to interview.

This will take place at 11 Belgrave Road,in the week commencing 22 April 2013.

Candidates who reach the required standard but are not offered this post will be considered for other similar vacancies which may arise at the Pensions Ombudsman's Office over the next 12 months. Such vacancies will not be advertised unless the pool of suitable candidates has been exhausted.

HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

All staff are expected to successfully complete the BPSS.

There are four elements of verification and we must be satisfied that evidence has been made available to enable verification of each element. These are

  • Confirmation of nationality and immigration status
  • Confirmation of identity
  • Verification of previous 3 year employment history
  • Disclosure of unspent criminal convictions.

We will carry out the checks internally where possible. There are some instances where 3rd parties will be involved either by necessity, or at the choice of the PO, for example, a previous employer and Disclosure Scotland (an agency) to provide a disclosure certificate.

BPSS ensures that:

  • new staff are entitled to undertake the employment in question and, where appropriate, meet nationality rules for government service;
  • we are guarded against the employment of anyone posing as a prospective employee for commercial or personal gain; and
  • sound basis is provided for any subsequent security checks.

The check will be carried out when an offer of employment has been made. The offer will be subject to successful completion of the BPSS. Employment will not commence until BPSS has been completed successfully except in exceptional circumstances within three months of employment commencing.

Applicants should be aware that supplying false information or failing to disclose relevant information could be grounds for refusal/dismissal and could amount to a criminal offence.

Data protection

Checks require processing of personal data about individuals. The provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 will apply at all times.

Information about criminal records (self-disclosures, or other vetting disclosures) will only be held by the Business Manager and/or Human resources Manager. Disclosure information will only be used for the specific purpose for which it was requested. For successful candidates, the information will be kept securely and will not normally be kept with standard personnel records if such records can be accessed by other staff. Disclosed information will be kept for a further six months beyond the duration of employment. For unsuccessful candidates such information will be kept for six months in line with all other recruitment paperwork. Once the retention period has elapsed, disclosure information will be destroyed by secure means.

We may check information provided by you, or information about you provided by a third party. We will not disclose information about you to anyone outside the Pensions Ombudsman's Office unless the law permits us to.

Information provided by you in this application, and the supporting documentation, will be used by the panel to consider your suitability for the post applied for. If you are successful, this information will become part of your employment record. If you are unsuccessful, some data may be used for monitoring purposes and will be destroyed after 12 months.

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