The Outreach and Engagement Officer (Manchester) will be representing PHSO by carrying out a range of engagement activities within identified communities where awareness of PHSO is lower, so to raise awareness and provide support to those who may want to access PHSO’s service (or complain to an organisation who comes under PHSO’s remit).

Provide administrative support to the team, including:

  • Management of incoming enquiries from members of the public and stakeholders relevant to outreach engagement events and activities.
  • Oversight and administration of PHSO’s annual outreach programme.
  • Capturing and reporting on impact of outreach activities, and measuring feedback from external stakeholders for this purpose
  • Arranging meetings and visits as per outreach engagement programme.

Reports to : Outreach & Engagement Manager

Direct Reports: No Direct Reports

Main Duties

  • Support the Outreach & Engagement Manager in the design and delivery of PHSO’s outreach programme, which includes creation of specific engagement activities in communities and other stakeholders.
  • Support and administer systems to regularly monitor awareness of (and access to) PHSO’s service across communities and sectors.
  • Attend other engagements led by PHSO’s Liaison and Public & User Engagement teams: providing support to these engagements where needed.
  • Provide advice, guidance, and support to members of the public – and other stakeholders – in a variety of ways, on all aspects of the Ombudsman’s role and processes.
  • Deal effectively with enquiries from external stakeholders to ensure their queries are answered or directed accordingly.
  • Write and prepare briefings for outreach engagements and events, including working with colleagues throughout the office to analyse any specific casework themes.
  • Attending meetings and give presentations on the work of the Ombudsman and good public service complaint handling.
  • Capture evidence and feedback from engagement activities and share with colleagues to drive forward improvements in the Ombudsman’s service delivery.

The Successful Applicant

The successful Outreach and Engagement Officer (Manchester) will be able to demonstrate:

Knowledge

Essential:

  • An awareness of public administration (central government in particular) or the NHS and the context in which it operates, particularly in the area of complaint handling.
  • Knowledge or understanding of the role of an Ombudsman function.

Desirable:

  • Practical knowledge of PHSO’s legislative and casework processes across both Health and Parliamentary areas.
  • Knowledge of best practice in public engagement approaches.

Skills

Essential:

  • Excellent communication skills, including verbal and written and the ability to confidently present to public audiences
  • Ability to plan and organise multiple tasks and activities and oversee/report on their progress
  • Excellent analytical skills

Desirable:

  • Self-starter and able to work autonomously where needed.

Experience

Essential:

  • Experience of working with staff at all levels to support them in delivering projects
  • Experience of analysing complex written material and identifying and summarising key issues
  • Experience of prioritising work to meet deadlines and managing under pressure
  • Experience of using a range of communications methods, including presenting externally, to deliver messages to a range of audiences

Desirable:

  • Experience of creating, managing, and enhancing relationships with stakeholders
  • Experience of managing and progressing Ombudsman (or equivalent) casework
  • Experience of delivering training to internal or external audiences

What’s on Offer

The successful Outreach and Engagement Officer (Manchester) will receive:

  • Salary £31,934
  • Civil Service Pension scheme (minimum 26.6% employer contribution)
  • 30-day holiday entitlement, plus 2.5 extra statutory holidays on top
  • Flextime: Core hours between 10.00-12.00 and 14.00-16.00
  • Extra 2 days of Flexi-leave each month for additional hours that have been accrued
  • Access to a wide variety of internal and external well-being support, 24/7 assistance programmes and health advice

PHSO is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and welcomes applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds. They are also a Disability Confident organisation. Should you wish to access the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) or require any reasonable adjustments through the process please contact the lead recruiter to discuss your needs before the advert closes.

To apply, please submit an up-to-date CV detailing your experience that best fits the essential criteria outlined above.

PLEASE NOTE: We can only consider applications from candidates who have the right to work in the UK. This position is also available in London