Complaints Officer (Housing Repairs and Compliance)

Contract: Interim / Temporary Assignment
Duration: Initial 3-6 months with strong likelihood of extension
Location: East London (Hybrid Working)
Office Attendance: Minimum 1 day per week in the East London office, with the remainder of the week worked remotely, subject to service requirements.
Department: Customer Resolution & Complaints

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Complaints Officer to join a busy Customer Resolution team on an interim basis. This is an excellent opportunity for a housing professional with experience managing complex complaints within a Housing Association, Local Authority, ALMO or social housing environment.

The successful candidate will be responsible for managing a caseload of Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints, undertaking thorough investigations, liaising with operational teams and ensuring responses are delivered in line with Housing Ombudsman requirements.

This role requires a confident individual who can work with minimal supervision, demonstrate sound judgement, and quickly build effective relationships across service areas including housing management, repairs and property compliance.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of approximately 20 complaints per week from receipt through to resolution.
• Investigate and respond to both Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints in line with organisational policies and Housing Ombudsman requirements.
• Gather evidence from multiple departments to establish facts and identify service failures where applicable.
• Draft high-quality complaint responses that are clear, empathetic, accurate and customer focused.
• Identify themes, trends and learning outcomes from complaints and support service improvement initiatives.
• Liaise with operational teams including Housing Management, Repairs, Asset Management and Property Compliance.
• Ensure complaints are recorded and managed accurately within the organisation's SharePoint-based CRM system.
• Maintain comprehensive audit trails, records and case notes.
• Support the handling of:
• Freedom of Information (FOI) requests
• Subject Access Requests (SARs)
• MP enquiries
• Executive and sensitive customer enquiries

Monitor response deadlines and ensure compliance with statutory and organisational timescales.

Contribute to a positive customer experience by resolving concerns professionally and efficiently.

Escalate high-risk or complex matters where appropriate.

Essential Experience

• Previous experience working as a Complaints Officer, Customer Resolution Officer or similar role.
• Experience managing Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints independently.
• Ideally a background within a Housing Association, Local Authority or social housing organisation.
• Strong understanding of the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code and complaint investigation best practice.
• Experience providing written responses to complex customer complaints.
• Ability to interpret policies, procedures and technical information when preparing complaint responses.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.

Desirable Knowledge

Candidates will ideally have exposure to one or more of the following areas:

• Responsive Repairs
• Planned Maintenance
• Damp and Mould
• Gas Safety Compliance
• Fire Safety
• Lift Safety and Maintenance
• Asbestos Management
• Electrical Safety
• Building and Property Compliance ("Big Six" compliance areas)
• Housing Management services

Systems Experience

Experience of using case management, complaints management or CRM systems is desirable. Familiarity with SharePoint-based complaint management systems, document management and audit trail recording would be advantageous.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys problem solving, improving customer outcomes and driving service improvement within a housing environment.