We are recruiting for a Senior Complaints Consultant, to support the General Insurance complaints funtion in our Birmingham office. You will be an important part of the complaint escalation process, acting as a specilist within FCA regulations to resolve complex complaint issues

To investigate, record and resolve a portfolio of complaints which could include Executive Director, press and complex complaints, including Financial Ombudsman Service referrals, delivering fair and consistent outcomes for all customers and ensure that all complaints are effectively managed and resolved in accordance with L&Gs complaint handling principles, regulatory frameworks and fulfil our own standards of customer experience. 

Principle Accountabilities:

• To fully investigate regulatory complaints to reach a fair, compliant and consistent outcome for all customers in accordance with external regulation (DISP and TCS) and internal complaint handling principles, whilst delivering other technical activity such as Subject Access Requests or implementation of Court Orders in consultation with Group Legal and Group Fraud.   
• To clearly identify the cause of the complaint liaising with the customer, the business and any third party as required.  To ensure appropriate escalation and feedback is provided to key stakeholders to improve their internal processes and customer experience, whilst ensuring that offers of redress, compensation and T&U are in line with internal standards and personal authority limits.  Where appropriate, determine whether the complaint should be upheld against the sales representative and therefore disclosed in any reference supplied by L&G about the representative in the future.
• Maintain clear and appropriate records of all investigations and justification for any decisions made to meet internal and external requirements, and to demonstrate how a fair customer outcome was achieved.
• To ensure that complaints referred to FOS are reviewed effectively and appropriately, determining whether the decision made and any redress offered met the standards expected by L&G and FCA.  Clearly state L&G’s case and negotiate settlement with FOS adjudicators, investigators and Ombudsman, ensuring that the resolution achieves the right outcome for the customer.
• Act as a technical expert on complaint matters.  Collaboratively check other Complaint Consultants’ investigations, resolutions (including FRL’s) and redress calculations.  Provide constructive feedback and alternative solutions as appropriate, supporting colleagues in raising standards across the complaints teams.
• Keep abreast of regulatory changes and maintain the required level of operational best practice, product and process. Identifying issues and trends that result from FOS referrals, ‘precedent’ decisions or the wider industry.  Identify areas for improvements and effectively escalate these for resolution.  Whilst adhering to all TCF principles pertaining to the role.
• Take responsibility for queries and referrals from the Customer Complaints Consultants, making sure all necessary information is gathered so an accurate response can be given promptly.

Specific Experience

• Complaint Handling Experience with a good understanding of FCA and FOS requirements.
• Good understanding of L&G’s current and legacy product range including back book purchases now administered by L&G.
• Detailed knowledge of Complaint identification, recording, investigation, resolution and root cause classification
• Knowledge and understanding of appropriate processes, procedures and related documentation applicable throughout the lifespan of a policy.

Systems

• Detailed knowledge of appropriate end to end policy administrative systems.
• User of Complaints management databases                                                                                                                                                      

Organisation

• Good understanding of Group Policies and Procedures and key regulatory policies.
• Good knowledge of the Insurance Business Structure and the key functions and contacts in each team.
• Good knowledge of the main business areas across L&G and key points of contact in other Complaints and Technical teams.
• Excellent understanding of Industry complaint handling standards, processes and sales processes (past and present) including distribution.
• Good knowledge of the ways L&G sells its products and services, including intermediary channels, financial promotions and strategic partners (and the implications of selling by channel).

External

• Understanding of L&G strategy and brand, distribution channels, stakeholders, and the activities of our key competitors
• Awareness of regulations, e.g. FCA /  PRA Handbook, HMRC rules

Regulatory Responsibility

• The role is not regulated by the FCA, and the jobholder is not an Approved Person.

• Under the FCA’s Dispute Resolution (DISP) rules, all staff handling regulated complaints must have the requisite aptitude and competence for the role, and operate under prescribed procedures that govern the standards of complaints handling, including such areas as time limits and breach identification together with a detailed inquisitorial holistic approach to the investigation, leading to a fair outcome for customers.  The jobholder must possess the knowledge and skills to achieve these standards when required and to judge complaints handling in the context of their sampling role.
• There is no FCA prescribed minimum qualification under the DISP rules but the nature of complaints handling itself requires similar knowledge and skills to those demanded of professional advisers under the FCA’s mandatory Training and Competence arrangements.  The jobholder will spend much time assessing the ability of others to apply their knowledge and skills in practice, so needs to be similarly qualified, as a minimum.  This is consistent with FCA’s expectations that relevant staff have the appropriate level of competence for the work they do.
• The jobholder must be familiar with, and keep abreast of, regulatory developments in relation to complaint handling.

Managing Competence

• Understand the relationship between competence and customer experience.
• Identify development needs to address gaps between the needs of the role and your current knowledge and skills.
• What an effective development plan should contain and the activities that you can do, taking account of your learning style.
• How to evaluate your performance (including feedback sources) and identify how development activities have contributed to your performance.
• How to update development plans in the light of performance, feedback received, activities undertaken and other developments.
• The need to keep evidence of achievement and maintenance of competence

Skills

• Complaints management expertise.
• Customer experience understanding.
• FOS relationship and stakeholder management.
• Understands and reacts to the needs of internal and external customers and stakeholders, working proactively to provide a professional and impartial service, striving to restore confidence in the L&G brand.
• Display appropriate skills to negotiate and agree resolution with both internal and external customers and consideration to the appropriateness of redress.
• Ability to accurately analyse the root cause of a complaint to enable effective investigation and resolution.
• Decisions are based on thorough investigation, logical assumptions and consultation with affected parties and take account of regulatory and business needs.
• Use of time management techniques (prioritisation, planning and review) and record keeping (for customer contact and other actions) on appropriate systems.

Qualifications:

Accredited with industry related qualifications relative to product area:  Dip CII or equivalent (desirable)

Whatever your role, we reward ability, performance and attitude with a package that looks after all the things that are important to you. Our employees have a wide range of benefits including a generous pension scheme, life assurance, 22 days’ (with potential to rise to 26 days) holiday, discretionary performance related bonuses, paid overtime, a variety of share schemes, discounts at both a huge range of high street stores and our own great products, your hard work will be rewarded when you join us.

For more information please contact Ruth Prosser, Resourcing Consultant, at ruth.prosser@landg.com