Ombudsman Investigations Manager

Torus is seeking an experienced Ombudsman Investigations Manager to join our team based in St Helens. Reporting to the Service Lead for Complaints and Tenant Involvement, you will be the key contact for all Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS) activity across the Group.

In this role, you will ensure Torus meets the requirements of the Housing Ombudsman, managing enquiries, coordinating evidence preparation, and ensuring deadlines are met within the required timescales. You will assess and report on Group risks, providing advice to senior leadership directors on appropriate mitigating actions.

You will be responsible for preparing performance reports for the Landlord Operations Committee and senior leaders, summarising performance against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and ensuring Ombudsman Determinations, Orders, and Recommendations are addressed. Your work will support governance oversight and inform service improvement.

Responsibilities:

• Accountable for developing and providing evidence in response to formal HOS Investigations, by liaising with senior stakeholders within the business, building evidence backed responses, identifying and challenging gaps and escalating concerns in a timely and thoughtful manner.
• Ensure HOS investigation responses on behalf of Torus are accurate, succinct and comprehensive, addressing the stated concerns of the HOS.
• Undertaking an assessment of risk for each case based on the potential areas of service failure, policy and procedural adherence and the impact on the complainant and household.
• Responsibility to work across a range of internal stakeholders to manage, analyse and interpret evidence and use this to develop responses that fully address the areas of investigation.
• Development and maintenance of detailed records, ensuring individual investigation case folders are created for evidence gathering and that accurate and reliable records are kept of all past and scheduled inspections, Orders and Recommendation activities.
• Prepare and submit to the HOS detailed and thorough hyperlinked evidence packs that address the points of investigation within stated deadlines.
• Responsibility to lead plan, organise the internal investigation review meetings, (day 3, 7 and 9) identifying appropriate senior service leads for attendance and directing ownership and responsibilities for evidence-based responses.
• Write compelling summary documents for each investigation that address the concerns raised linked to supporting evidence and to present the summary at the Day 9 meeting to members of the Group Executive Management Team for sign-off.
• Accountable for working across the business with senior stakeholders and service leads on post case Determinations, ensuring actions are effective in their scope and delivery and fully address Orders and Recommendations.
• Develop and maintain the internal Ombudsman tracker Sharepoint spreadsheet to ensure all investigation cases are recorded with outcomes. In cases where Determinations are made, to ensure the Determinations and compliance dates are recorded, detailing service lead ownership, coordinating their responses and ensuring submissions are made within stated timescales.
• View, extract relevant information and maintain the HOS portal on a daily basis and respond to information requests, liaising with other areas of the business for responses where required.
• Populate activity within the monthly internal performance system (Pentana) with specific HOS Key Performance Indicator information.
• Provide and report on performance information and design bespoke deep-dive information relevant to the HOS for relevant governing bodies, including the Landlord Operating Committee, Complaints Panel and Scrutiny Group.
• Work closely with the Learning Officer, by gathering and summarising complaint and Determination trends, reviewing activity and identifying best practice in the sector with specific reference to HOS Spotlight reports and their impact on Torus practices. Ensuring that such best practice is captured in specific service improvement plans.
• Keep up-to-date with sector developments relevant to complaints and service improvement as advised by the HOS and Regulator for Social Housing.

Skills & Experience: 

• Degree level education or equivalent relevant qualification, training or experience.
• CIH Level 4 or willingness to work towards
• Highly detailed understanding of regulatory standards in particular consumer standards, the role of the Regulator (RSH) and the Housing Ombudsman’s Code and expectations.
• Significant experience in a similar environment delivering and investigating complaints and presenting resolutions.
• Can demonstrate knowledge and application of the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaints Handling Code.
• Detailed knowledge of IT systems including Microsoft Office and other housing software. The ability to hyper link documents within a Sharepoint environment.
• Significant experience of investigating complaints and presenting resolutions.
• Has experience of recognising information needs and identifying and utilising appropriate information sources.
• Has experience of checking and evaluating information sources, identifying gaps with strong attention to detail.
• Highly developed ability to analyse and critically interpret data and information to inform decision making.
• Experience of meeting individual work deadlines and prioritising critical tasks.

Interview Process:

• Candidates will undergo in-person interviews, consisting of a competency-based interview and a presentation.

Additional Information

Each successful applicant will be required to complete the following pre-employment checks prior to a start date being agreed:

• Right to work verification
• Qualification certificate check
• 2x completed references
• OH Health Questionnaire – Fit For Work
• DBS check (if required for role)
• Completion of all new starter documentation including signed T&C’s

Please note, we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications.

REF-218 601