Job Description

At HMRC we have a vital purpose. We help people pay the correct amount of tax and provide financial support to families and individuals. We make sure money is available to fund the UK’s public services such as hospitals and schools, answering around 50 million calls and handling 15 million items of customer correspondence every year.

Our services support customers on behalf of the entire department, dealing with a broad range of different and complex customer enquiries.

This is a great chance to start your career with HMRC and we offer real opportunities to progress and develop your career with us or the wider Civil Service if you choose.

We’re striving to be the best customer service organisation in the UK, and we need enthusiastic people to help us achieve this.

Job description

Our Customer Service Advisors are the voice of HMRC, using their brilliant communications skills to give our customers the best possible experience.

Your primary role will be handling contact from customers effectively and efficiently across different lines of business.

You'll be the first point of contact for our customers, providing a first-rate service by telephone, email or web chat.

Your duties will depend on the line of business you join; however, all business areas expect your duties will include:

* speaking to customers on the phone, helping them with their questions or issues,

* creating customer records and keeping them up to date,

* helping customers to pay the correct amount of tax at the right time,

* using webchat and email to support our customers online,

* taking payments by phone and via our online services,

If you are allocated to our Debt Management directorate your duties will also include:

* discussing, calculating and collecting interest and penalties for late payments or late filing of tax returns.

The Line of Business you are allocated to is decided at the time a formal offer is made depending on where resource is needed.

We work a variety of shifts between 7:45am and 8pm, Monday to Saturday, to make sure we can help customers when they need us. You will work a maximum of one late shift per week (ending at 8pm) and a maximum of 6 Saturdays each year. The majority of roles within customer services allow you to work from home two days a week if you choose, this includes Saturday and 8 pm shifts. On the days you attend the office, you will be working in the location shown in the title heading of this advert.

This post is offered on a Fixed Term contract for up to 2 years.

As a Fixed Term employee of HMRC you will receive:

• the same pay and conditions as permanent staff

• the same or equivalent benefits package

• information about permanent vacancies in the organisation

As a flexible employer, we will consider part-time requests. (Part-time is a minimum of 25 hours per week covering variety of shifts. All shift patterns, working days and hours will be discussed with your manager when you join us. Pay and annual leave will be pro-rata if we can agree your request). However, we do require you to complete your training in the office on a full-time basis, usually 6 weeks Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.

Person specification

What are we looking for?

No experience is necessary as you will be fully trained, but we would like you to be comfortable talking on the phone and discussing debt with our customers.

You will also need to be comfortable writing up notes, as this is mainly a phone-based role.

We are looking for individuals with the drive and passion to make a difference to people’s lives, and need people:

* With great communication skills, both verbal and written in English language (and Welsh where required)

* Dedicated to providing a brilliant customer service

* With a can-do attitude and a real passion for supporting people

* With the personal resilience to work in a demanding and rewarding environment

* Able to provide information both quickly and clearly

* Comfortable handling different types of conversations

* With an ability to do basic maths calculations