Ombudsman Case-handler

Are you skilled at complaint handling and providing excellent customer service? Or do you have knowledge of higher education and are looking to develop your career in a professional and supportive environment? If so we would love to hear from you.

We are the ombudsman service that deals with complaints from higher education service users and we are looking to recruit talented people into our case-handling team. You will be analytical, have great attention to detail and be enthusiastic about helping to resolve disputes.

The Role

You will promote and assist early resolution of complaints by communicating with students, student representatives and higher education providers.

You will provide effective guidance to students, student representatives and higher education providers on the OIA’s case-handling process, possible remedies and typical timeframes.

For those complaints that cannot be closed through early resolution, you will review the complaints and draft and issue Complaint Outcomes in accordance with our guidance and best practice framework. You will have a targeted number of cases to review and close each month.

You will have outstanding communication skills, strong attention to detail, and a pragmatic approach.

Full training will be given during your induction period and you will be guided by a mentor and your manager throughout this time. Job progression throughout the organisation is encouraged and supported.

The job and person specification can be found here and you can find more information about applying and working with us on our website.

Application and Selection

At the OIA we use Applied for our recruitment. Applied aims to overcome unconscious bias in recruiting. Instead of using your CV alone, we'll be asking you to answer questions to test skills needed for the role. The responses are then anonymised, and reviewed in a random order by members of our team.

Candidates should be aware that we are utilising generative AI (via BeApplied), to review candidates’ use of AI within applications. Any use of AI detected within your application will be flagged and may affect the progress of your application.

Interviews will be scheduled from 13 April 2026 and will be in-person at our office in Reading.

All successful candidates will start at the salary point shown and this is non-negotiable. Minimum office attendance of one day a week is mandatory and more attendance will be required during your probationary period (6 months).

If you need any adjustments to this process because of a health condition or disability please contact the recruitment team.