Principal Complaints Officer NEW Bolton Council Posted today Bolton £41,771

Grade: I scp 31 £41,771 to scp 35 £46,142Contract: PermanentEssential Requirement: A relevant degree level qualification or equivalent experience Unfortunately, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. Artificial Intelligence (AI)We embrace AI to enhance our operations and to innovate our services. However, we value human talent and are looking for passionate individuals to join our organisation. Please ensure you personally complete your application and read all the instructions carefully to maximise your chances of success. Applications that rely too heavily on AI may be rejected during shortlisting, however we understand that AI may be used as a reasonable adjustment, if using AI to support your application, please give a brief explanation why to help ensure fair selection process. Ask us about flexible working options to fit with your work/life balance. The Role Are you ready to take up an excellent opportunity at Bolton Council, as a Principal Complaints Officer? You’ll hold a pivotal role, as a senior officer in a team of six. You will be leading the way in providing quality service in complaints handling and helping to capitalise on improvement opportunities. You will be based in the Corporate Resources directorate, with a remit stretching across the entire Council, and reporting to the Complaints Manager. You will be working closely with officers of all levels, from front-line staff to Chief Officers, and you will also interact with Members of Parliament, councillors, and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. This is an exciting opportunity to ensure fair outcomes both for residents and businesses across the borough of Bolton, and to help the Council continually improve its service delivery. The Principal Complaints Officer manages a caseload of complex complaints and appeals, which are typically “Stage 2” cases. The role involves a varied combination of work such as liaising with colleagues, researching and investigating cases, and forming professional and balanced responses to customers. There is also an exciting opportunity to play a central part in leading change across the organisation in line with the new Ombudsman Code due to come into effect in April 2026. You will have the chance to advise and train officers on the new processes to develop a learning culture of using the information coming through the Complaints service to support customer‑focused improvements in service delivery. You will be based in the prestigious Bolton Town Hall, which is easily accessible via local transport, including an excellent rail network and nearby motorway access. The role will involve extensive variety, day‑to‑day, and involves collaborative work with any of the 350 services across the Council The job therefore provides a brilliant chance for future career development and provides a rewarding and meaningful opportunity to help people. This fantastic role will be advertised for a two‑week period, but Bolton Council reserves the right to close the advertising before the end of this period, should any strong applications be received earlier in the process. We encourage candidates to apply at the earliest opportunity. About You You will have appropriate levels of experience in complaints handling either from a public or private sector background. You will be customer‑focused and possess an ambitious drive to achieve the right outcomes for all stakeholders in Bolton Council. You will be organised and analytical with a skill in problem solving to help conclude complex cases. You will have experience in the full life cycle of the complaint handling process and be good at collaborating with colleagues while remaining impartial to reach fair and fact‑based outcomes. You will need proven success at complex complaints handling as well as excellent communication skills, at all levels of the organisation with a high level of proficiency in written English. The ideal candidate needs to be results‑driven and motivated to support service improvements with an excellent team spirit, tenacity, and focus on delivery About Us This is your opportunity to join us at an exciting time as we have strong ambitions for the borough. Bolton is a great place to work. We are a welcoming organisation that wants to contribute to a place where people feel active, connected and prosperous. We are passionate about improving the outcomes and experience of Bolton people. We want Bolton to be a vibrant place built on strong cohesive communities, successful businesses and healthy, engaged residents. As an employer we want to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment, by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits, including discounts and exclusive gym membership prices and salary sacrifice schemes. In addition, we offer a generous annual leave allowance, flexible work opportunities, access to a Pension Scheme, as well as a range of employee wellbeing and support services. Ready to apply? Then please click Apply and upload your anonymised CV and supporting statement discussing your relevant skills and experience and explain how you believe they make you a strong fit for this role. Within Greater Manchester, local authorities have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers, carers, and ex‑military personnel. Please see greater.jobs for further information before you apply. This post is a designated customer facing role under the fluency duty and requires a specified level of spoken English as per the person specification. This organisation has signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment. That means we will recognise your continuous or ‘unbroken’ service in any Greater Manchester local authority or NHS organisation that has signed the commitment, Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service or Greater Manchester Combined Authority, giving you access to our service‑related benefits. Please see the home page of greater.jobs for more information. For more information about working for Bolton Council, please see greater.jobs; for advice and support with your application, contact recruitment@bolton.gov.uk. Employment could affect your benefits, find out more here. Turn2us Benefits Calculator. 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