Complaints Resolution & Investigations Manager

27 February 2025

Role:                                    Complaints Resolution & Investigations Manager

Salary:                                 Dependent on skills and experience

Location:                            Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington

Contract:                            37.5 hours per week; permanent, full-time

Line Manager:                  Head of Customer Experience

 

One of the most significant reforms to the MCS certification scheme, will be the centralising of complaints management for the sector. We’re now therefore looking for an inspiring, investigative consumer champion and complaints management expert, who can help us to deliver on our goal of simplifying the complaints landscape. Research from consumer protection organisations including Citizens Advice and The Competition & Markets Authority, has concluded that in our sector, if things go wrong, consumers don’t know where to turn and end up being passed from pillar to post. Previously MCS have not dealt with complaints directly and have signposted to other organisations including Certification Bodies and Consumer Codes. We are changing that by becoming the place to escalate any complaint relating to an MCS certified installation or installer, that the installer has not or will not resolve.

You will therefore be responsible for embedding complaint management in to the heart of our scheme, helping to ensure we deliver on our mission to give people confidence in low-carbon energy technology. You’ll need to work closely with the Head of Customer Experience on building a new Complaints Resolution team from the ground up. If you haven’t built a team from scratch and created processes and ways of working where there were none – in a sector that has high consumer impact where complaints are complex, this role probably isn’t for you. If however, you have the experience, drive and determination to create, build, empower and engage your own team and know how to create and embed process in a high impact sector, we’d love to hear from you.

In addition, we need you to lead on cases where we are alerted to potential non-compliant activity in terms of how MCS is being represented. These ad-hoc cases could reach us in a variety of ways including reports from MCS certified installers, press releases, social media, industry bodies, consumer protection organisations, MPs, certification bodies and others – and will normally require a swift response formed in collaboration with key stakeholders. You will therefore need to be able to recognise and respond to such risks quickly, appropriately and with necessary authority. You will also need to be comfortable in galvanising the correct stakeholders including members of SLT and/or Senior Managers when required and ensure that all parties are kept fully informed, working cross functionally across Customer Experience, Scheme Management and the PR and Communications Teams.

 

MAIN ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Build and lead the new MCS complaints function.
  • Create, implement and embed the new complaints management process, procedures, and delivery of frameworks that align with the MCS culture and values.
  •  Ensure that effective processes are in place for complaints from a variety of sources including consumers, installers and whistleblowers
  •  Recruit, lead and develop a talented team of complaint handlers who align with and demonstrate our principles of good complaint handling.
  •  Support the Complaints team with the management and delivery of their caseloads, setting KPIs, monitoring performance and ensuring quality of responses.
  •  Champion consumer outcomes ensuring that all complaints are investigated and reviewed fairly and impartially, using an evidence-based approach.
  •  Adopt a tenacious, investigative approach to complaints, refusing to accept issues at face value and relentlessly digging deeper to uncover the full picture. Challenge assumptions, ask probing questions, and follow every lead to get to the root cause, ensuring that resolutions are based on facts and not just surface-level information. Inspire your team to the same.
  •  Develop and implement a quality assurance program for your team, embedding continual improvement of interactions with consumers.
  •  Regularly review and evaluate both verbal and written interactions with consumers, ensuring clarity, appropriate empathy, professionalism, and compliance with internal standards.
  •  Provide coaching and feedback to drive continuous improvement and maintain high service standards.
  •  Foster a culture of awareness and proactive support for consumers in vulnerable circumstances.
  • Ensure the team is equipped to identify vulnerabilities and adapt communication styles and processes to meet individual needs.
  •  Implement and promote reasonable adjustments to ensure fair and accessible complaint resolution for all consumers.
  •  Deliver greater consistency and clearer routes in complaint handling and the outcomes achieved for consumers, realising a significant improvement in the sector’s speed of response and resolution of complaints.
  •  Improve transparency and ensure that the original installer is fully engaged in the MCS complaint management process, working in partnership to achieve the right outcome for the consumer.
  •  Provide greater oversight of the sector’s complaints landscape and trends both within MCS and externally, helping inform standards and scheme developments that aim to improve the quality of outcomes for consumers.
  •  Connect complaints with the scheme’s management of an installer’s risk of non-compliance, reducing the likelihood of future complaints.
  •  Ensure that cases that cannot be resolved and therefore move from complaint to a dispute, are appropriately signposted to our chosen Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider
  •  Provide the management interface to our chosen Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider and provide oversight of ADR provider performance.
  •  Support the reporting of complaints to the MCS Senior Leadership Team, identifying root causes and areas for improvement, both to MCS operations and the sector in general.
  •  Brief and liaise with our professional and legal advisors in relation to highly technical or legally complex cases.
  •  Provide advice, support and guidance on sensitive and complex cases as required to Case Managers, the wider MCS management and senior team.
  •  Build and manage relationships with external stakeholders such as DESNZ, Ofgem, Certification Bodies, Consumer Codes, Citizens Advice and MPs.
  •  Embed learning as part of the culture of the MCS complaint management function, including through team meetings and the involvement of subject matter experts.
  •  Act as lead investigator on cases where potential non-compliant activity with scheme requirements is identified.
  •  Work closely with the wider Customer Experience Management team to create a seamless consumer journey

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential – E

Desirable – D

Knowledge:

  • Educated to degree level. – D
  • Evidence of your continual professional development, especially in relation to understanding and practice of consumer protection. – D
  • Experience in building, leading & developing an organisation’s complaints management capability. – E
  • Evidenced experience of managing complex and challenging complaints with high consumer impact. – E
  • Managing and delivering a growing team of people through change. – E
  • Experience in a sector with high consumer impact such as energy, health, home improvements and/or high value consumer service provision. – E
  • An understanding of the small-scale renewable technology sector and MCS. – D
  • An understanding of consumer protection law. – E
  • Experience working with external stakeholders such as installation companies, homeowners, certification bodies, consumer codes, consumer protection organisations, MPs and government agencies. – E
  • Experience of leading teams in a regulated environment. – D
  • Experience of working with an ADR provider. – E
  • An in-depth understanding of identifying and supporting consumers in vulnerable circumstances and consumer behaviour. – E

Skills:

  • Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, able to effectively interact with diverse stakeholders, both internally and externally. – E
  • Strong leadership and team management skills, with the ability to motivate and develop others. – E
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills including presentations to large groups. – E
  • Outstanding organisational and administration skills. – E
  • Experience in project management. – D
  • Ability to learn and master new areas of scheme (MCS) and legal practice quickly. – E
  • Ability to evaluate information in complex situations and the confidence to make sound decisions independently. – E
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify root causes of customer issues and implement effective solutions. – E
  • Ability to produce in depth reporting and to analyse information in complex situations. – E
  • Confident in communicating and presenting to a range of internal and high profile external stakeholders. – E
  • Experience in creating a quality assurance programme to set performance expectations, raise standards and support team members’ development. – D

Behaviours:

  • Champion for consumer – E
  • Role models how to build rapport with confident and open communication. – E
  • A motivated self-starter who can comfortably work independently and manage own workload. – E
  • A proven track record of building and maintaining productive relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders. – E
  • Tenacious with the ability to manage conflicting priorities. – E
  • Be willing to work flexibly. – E
  • Solution focused and able to handle challenging situations including frequent curve balls.- E
  • Exceptional attention to detail. – E
  • A hands-on leader who gets involved to help team members. – E
  • Drive, enthusiasm, versatility, and self-motivation. – E
  • Comfortable with change. – E
  • Resilient with an ability to remain patient, calm, and professional when dealing with challenging situations. – E
  • Be willing to go the extra mile to ensure high customer satisfaction and inspire others to do the same. – E
  • Investigative, inquisitive and determined. – E
  • Principled with the ability to remain impartial and fair. – E

ABOUT MCS

MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) is the UK’s national quality mark for small-scale renewable technology, such as solar panels and heat pumps. We’re here to set standards and provide protection, giving consumers confidence to invest in renewable technologies to heat and power their homes and small businesses. Working with industry, MCS defines, maintains, and improves quality, by setting standards for low-carbon energy technology products, contractors, and their installations.

Now is an exciting time to join MCS; especially as we plan to launch the redevelopment of the Scheme, which will have a greater focus on consumer protections, quality workmanship, and dispute resolution. 2023 was a record-breaking year for the small-scale renewables industry in terms of installation volumes and we look forward to continuing our vital role in driving forward the UK’s progress towards Net Zero.

Our People:

As an MCS employee, you will have the ability to demonstrate, understand and apply our company values. These are embedded in all roles across the business, and you should evidence these values as part of the application process:

  • We are open and inclusive
  • We are understanding
  • We are expert
  • We are innovative
  • We are principled
  • We are passionate

We are a strong and ambitious team of nearly 70 and growing. People are at the heart of MCS and we empower each other, support each other, and work together to achieve our goals. From members of our team who are just starting their journey as an apprentice, to those who have worked in renewables for years, we have wide range of talents and expertise. We are especially proud that women make up 68% of our workforce.

WHAT WE OFFER

At MCS we care about our employees, as reflected by our attractive set of employee policies which includes enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption policies and enhanced sick leave, to name a few. We always support our team with their personal growth whether this be through funding training and qualifications, lunch & learn sessions, coaching, etc.

  • 25 days’ annual leave per annum – increasing to 28 days with 3 years’ service, and to 30 days with 5 years’ service
  • 8% company pension contribution
  • Access to and support with continuous professional development
  • Access to salary sacrifice schemes, such as Cycle2Work and Electric Vehicle Scheme
  • Payment of one professional subscription
  • Access to annual medical benefit, a mental health first aider, a menopause champion and counselling support
  • Provision of free fruit, tea and coffee, soft drinks and breads and spreads in the office
  • An innovative office environment that encourages collaboration.

Don’t meet every single requirement? We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they think they can’t tick every box but we realise the ‘perfect candidate’ doesn’t exist. So, if you can do most of what we’re looking for, go ahead and apply. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles!

Please send a CV and covering letter outlining how you meet the person specification. Email sb@hintonrp.co.uk no later than Monday 31 March at 9.00am.

Successful applicants will be invited to a face-to-face interview at the MCS office, Sci-Tech, Daresbury WA4 4AB