Location
Durham
About The Job
Job summary
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) are the public sector’s property valuation experts and advisers. We will provide you with access to a whole host of learning and development opportunities to support your career development.
At the heart of the agency, we are committed to providing our people with a work environment which is accommodating and accessible to all. We value diversity and inclusion and prioritise equality in everything we do. Our people are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work within a culture that values different perspectives to help tackle complex problems, promote innovation, and deliver stronger decision making, in a safe and supportive environment. Applicants are welcomed from a diverse range of backgrounds to join our organisation as this enables us to be representative of the communities that we serve.
We’re looking for talented people who are eager to contribute to vital public services and assist us to deliver taxation and benefits support to the government and local authorities. Your skills and experience will enable us to provide an efficient, effective service right at the heart of the public interest.
The Real Time Officer is accountable for ensuring that the Customer Service Centres (CSC) have the right people, with the right skills, in the right place at the right time in order to achieve agreed service levels.
Achieving this includes:
- Monitor availability of suitably skilled staff to meet workforce requirements. Take appropriate timely action where unexpected resource levels are identified or where call volumes differ from forecast, liaising with Telephony Team Leaders, Managers, and site colleagues, to ensure enough suitably skilled staff are made available when required.
- Using IT tools, monitor real time call traffic for the various Service Lines within the CSC to ensure service level targets are met at a CSC level.
- Ensure the required daily staffing information is reported to the Telephony Manager within agreed timeframes, and feed real time requests for schedule changes into the Scheduling Manager as appropriate and in the agreed format.
- Highlight any risks to service level at the earliest opportunity and escalate issues to the Telephony Manager, Telephony Team Leaders & Site Manager where appropriate. Feedback anomalies and non-adherence issues to Telephony Manager, Telephony Team leaders and site colleagues.
- Working collaboratively with the Telephony Manager, Scheduling Manager, Operational Line Managers and Telephony Agents to ensure adherence to the forecasted working patterns by proactively monitoring all real time activity, utilising Odigo reporting and any other means available to them.
Person specification
Essential Requirements.
- A flexible approach with the ability to work to tight deadlines with changing and challenging priorities.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to build collaborative working relationships across the CSC and with wider stakeholders.
- Good working knowledge of Excel spreadsheets.
- Experience of working in a customer focused environment, with experience of Customer Contact work.
- Strong problem solving and analytical skills with an eye for detail.
- The ability to analyse Management Information, highlighting future delivery challenges and potential solutions to prevent impacts on customer service.
Desirable Requirements
- Willingness to travel (when permissible).
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £26,018, Valuation Office Agency contributes £7,025 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
The VOA operates a Flexible Working policy, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments.
The VOA also operates Hybrid Working – your role will be a combination of office and home working.
We offer a generous leave allowance that starts at 25 days and goes up to 30 days after 5 years’ service.
- Coaching and development – We are committed to continuous professional and personal development. You will be supported by colleagues with a wealth of knowledge and experience to continually grow in your role.
- Pay – In the last few years, we have increased both the minimum and maximum pay points for everyone in the VOA.
- Essential Equipment - VOA will support everyone to get additional essential kit and equipment, to make sure they have a suitable and safe home working environment.
- Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to approximately 27% of their salary. Please click on this link for further information Civil Service Pension
- Family friendly policies – Our maternity, adoption or shared parental leave encompasses 26 weeks with full pay followed by 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid at your discretion. We also offer paternity leave of 4 weeks at full pay.
- Personal support – We offer extensive special leave to help balance your life and work commitments, a variety of non-financial rewards (including a Cycle to Work scheme of up to £4000) and we work with professional providers to provide occupational health and full mental and physical wellbeing services.
Download the Employee Value Proposition for full details of the benefits of being a VOA employee at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/valuation-office-agency/about/recruitment
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours and Strengths.
If you can meet our person requirements above we are keen to hear from you.
To apply for this post, you must complete an online application with the following:
The behaviour examples as listed above, maximum 250 words per behaviour.
Sift - W/c 31st July 2023
We will assess you on your Behaviours.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, Working together.Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to interview.
Interviews - W/c 14th August 2023
Interviews will be face to face. We will provide more detail if you are shortlisted for interview.
We will assess you on the Behaviours listed in the job description and Strengths.
At the interview, the panel can then probe further and ask applicants to provide further specific examples that show how they best demonstrate their skills.
Behaviours
The distinguishing Behaviours (the required skills, knowledge and behaviours) for this role are set out in the Civil Service Behaviours Framework 2018 ( Success Profiles - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) ) and should be referred to when making this application.
You are required, under the Behaviours approach, to describe how you have dealt with a specific situation.
You must give evidence of your knowledge, skills and behaviours and how you have applied this, such as what you did or said and how you interacted with other people.
When you are giving your examples, do not spend too many words on description and background information. Avoid using general or unspecific statements. Instead say what the situation was, what you did what your thought process was and so on.
Further Information
This post is full time however those applicants who do or wish to work an alternative working pattern are welcome to apply. The preferred working pattern may or may not be available. You should discuss this with the vacancy holder.
Any move to VOA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
VOA employees only: If you are currently in receipt of DTA as a result of a VOA office closure/restructure and it is agreed for you to take up this role in your current location, you may continue to receive DTA for the remainder of the period you can claim for. Please check with the Vacancy Holder on preferred locations for this role before you apply.
The VOA is an office-based organisation, however as all of our roles have aspects which can be completed from home, all colleagues have the ability to work a hybrid working pattern. The amount that colleagues work from home or office is defined by several factors including the nature of the work they carry out, the needs of their stakeholders, their development needs and personal circumstances such as caring responsibilities. To learn more about the hybrid working arrangements that could be available in this role, please contact the vacancy holder.
Pre-employment Checks
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing
[email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter .
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via
[email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Terms & Conditions
Voluntary terms apply.
Please note that the VOA has updated its terms and conditions of employment as part of Civil Service Reform. For more information on how this will affect you, please see attached FAQ document.
Reserve Lists
If we have more successful candidates than available vacancies, we will hold a 12-month reserve list as standard.
During that time, we may use the list to fill the same, or similar roles with closely matching essential criteria, without further testing of merit. Any appointments from the Reserve list will be made in strict merit order.
Starting Work
The successful candidate will normally take up duty within one month from notification of successful completion of pre-employment checks.
Applying
All applications for these vacancies must be made online. There are limited exceptions to this. Paper applications will only be considered if you have a disability that will prevent you from applying online. If this is the case, please email
[email protected]
Once you have submitted your application it cannot be amended; only submit your application when you have completely finished and answered all the relevant questions.
Please note that late applications will not be accepted.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Concerns/Complaints
The Valuation Office Agency’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, which outlines that selection for appointment is made on merit based on fair and open competition.
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you may make a complaint, by contacting the Central Recruitment Team at the following address
[email protected]
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint you have the right to complain to the Civil Service Commissioners.
We will initially be scheduling our people between the hours of 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday. Whilst we are flexible to take personal circumstances into account wherever possible when setting the rotas, we are limited in allowing people to ‘fix’ set hours outside of these times. However, please do contact us if you would like to discuss any individual circumstances which may restrict your availability between these hours (e.g. caring responsibilities, or childcare). Please be aware that our future hours of operation are under review, and in future may be between 7am & 9pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm on weekends.
In the VOA, we are an office-based organisation, but all colleagues have access to hybrid working by default, as our roles have aspects which can be completed from home. The amount that colleagues work from home or office is defined by several factors including the nature of the work they carry out, the needs of their stakeholders, their development needs, and personal circumstances such as caring responsibilities. With this specific role we’d be looking for colleagues to work around 3 days per week in the office, once they have been trained. Upskilling is largely expected to take place within the workplace. To learn more about the specific hybrid working arrangements for this role, please contact the vacancy holder.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality Requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- UK nationals
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window) .
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window) .
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
