Customer Liaison Officer

Job summary

The Personal Dosimetry Service (PDS) is a commercial service, approved by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), and accredited to ISO/IEC 17025. PDS serves over 5,500 employers working with ionising radiations in the industrial, research and medical sectors, by assessing the radiation doses to their employees. This is carried out by means of passive personal dosemeters, which are worn by the employee for a period then returned to PDS for processing and reporting. The service also helps build experience which informs UKHSA’s advice to government and users of radiation and makes a significant contribution towards RCCE’s annual income. The PDS is a group of around 35 staff, plus 10 bank staff, who issue and assess doses from dosemeters to over80,000 workers in the UK and overseas.

This post will work as part of a small team which is responsible for dealing with customer queries, processing orders, forwarding contracts, invoicing for all PDS services provided (over 5,500 customers) and maintaining an excellent level of customer care. The post holder will work with the team to invoice PDS customers.

Working for your organisation

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

Job description

The post holder will be responsible for PDS customer & public interactions, reviewing all documentation, providing advice on our services, and liaising directly with stakeholders internally & externally to provide PDS routine & emergency dosimetry services. The postholder must ensure an efficient & smooth service for our 5500+ customers & provide calm & timely information in the event of an emergency incident.

This will involve planning &prioritising the routine & emergency response roles as well as managing documentation to ensure business continuity. This includes overseeing the meeting of the deadlines & targets for routine & emergency requests.

The post holder will liaise with PDS Lab functions, Logistics Office & others to maintain a reliable routine & emergency response capability by liaising with colleagues & suppliers. The postholder will work closely with the Technical Development Manager & operations team as well as the Customer Services team to ensure effective communication to PDS stakeholders at all times.

The post holder will have line management responsibility for allocating resources, prioritising work, staff development & training within the Customer Services team, as well as maintaining office documentation for ISO17025 accreditation.

As well as general management & systems development, duties will include the involvement in the preparation of emergency response documentation(policies & procedures), awareness of new legislation / regulations.

The post holder will be required to manage a team which is responsible for the first point of contact and Customer Service function to over 5,500 commercial customers plus helping to cover the emergency response capability of issuing TLD’s in a public response. PDS also has an emergency response function for population monitoring in the event of a radiation incident. The Customer Services Liaison Officer will help PDS in its response to an incident, liaising with the other PDS teams, RCE Emergency Response group and members of the public to provide TLD’s to the public for monitoring public exposure.

This will require excellent planning, communication and rapid response to an evolving situation. There will also be a requirement for immediate interaction with the response team, as well as longer programme of monitoring of the public to feed into government response to the situation Line management of the Customer Services Supervisor and CS team.

The main responsibilities will include:

• Managing resources (staff and documentation) to ensure effective communications as well as meeting deadlines:
  
  • Taking decisions on work planning and task allocation
  • Adjusting these in the light of changing circumstances
  • Negotiating with colleagues to inform these decisions
  • Feeding data back to line management for business
  • Liaising with the CS team to ensure smooth issue and customer satisfaction
  • Covering for junior staff in routine tasks
  • Attend services meetings
• Responding to and resolving customer queries and liaising with customers by phone, letter, email or in person; providing interpretation of results and advice on personal dosimetry
• Ensuring excellent communication within own team, the rest of PDS (including participation in management meetings) and with customers
• Forward planning for work and supplies for the laboratories, based on expected demand
• Ensuring the teams deliver an excellent level of customer service that meets the relevant quality standards; reliable, prompt, courteous and clearly communicated
• Reviewing and developing office procedures (Manuals & Standard Operating Procedures) for input into quality documents for PDS’s approval by the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) as a Dosimetry Service as well as accreditation as a Testing Laboratory under the ISO17025;2017 standard
• Attending appropriate conferences and meetings, both internal and external to UKHSA
• Pro-active liaison with customers and other stakeholders in any emergency, to ensure best quality of service is maintained; this will include customer meetings, conferences and public meetings, as well as possible interaction with UKHSA comms
• Planning, preparedness and practice of emergency response activities to ensure continued capability
• Dealing with problems, e.g. in changes to requirements, software errors, IT failures, supplier failures, by prompt liaison with external and internal colleagues.
• Training of staff where necessary
• Dealing with difficult members of the public and other stakeholders and providing advice to clients and colleagues.

This is not an exhaustive list.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent qualification) in a relevant business subject; or equivalent experience in a similar customer facing role
• Experience working in, & managing a small team, including line-management responsibilities; training, coaching, & motivating staff
• Experience of following standard quality procedures, particularly ISO17025 to maintain accreditation for the Laboratory including carrying out audits.
• Experience of working in a customer-oriented, commercial environment to include direct contact with customers & knowledge of good customer care
• Experience of working directly with customers/stakeholders in a technical environment; giving advice & service details
• Ability to understand technical systems & logic, using analytical skills to question, investigate & resolve technical problems
• Excellent organisational & prioritising skills; handling a busy workload, planning & meeting deadlines
• Ability to communicate effectively & to form good working relationships with colleagues, suppliers, & customers
• Ability to react quickly to changing work plans to cope with peak demand periods & PDS emergency response capability

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,587, UK Health Security Agency contributes £10,309 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and abilities outlined in the essential criteria.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the nine (9) listed essential criteria, and this will be in the form of:

• an application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• a 1200 word supporting statement

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V –please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV.

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 1200 words. We will not consider any words over 1200 words.

Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria
• Meets no essential criteria

Only those meeting all essential criteria will be taken through to shortlisting.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:

• Ability to communicate effectively and to form good working relationships with colleagues, suppliers, and customers
• Excellent organisational and prioritising skills; handling a busy workload, planning and meeting deadlines
• Experience working in, and of managing a small team, including line-management responsibilities; training, coaching, and motivating staff

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications / large amount of successful candidates.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a face to face interview. If face to face interviews are planned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.

Knowledge, experience, skills and abilities will be tested at interview.

You will be required to prepare a 5 minute presentation as part of the interview. The subject of this will be: "This role includes a requirement for Planning, preparedness and practice of emergency response activities to ensure continued capability. Please give a presentation on your ideas and plans for this requirement within a Personal Dosimetry Service"

Interviews will be held week commencing 25th May 2026. Please note, these dates are subject to change.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Location

This role is office based at our Scientific Campus in Chilton, Didcot. Please note that hybrid working is not available with this role.

Eligibility criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).

Security clearance level requirement

Successful candidates must pass a basic Disclosure and Barring Security check before they can be appointed.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Counter-Terrorist Check clearance.

For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years as the role requires Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) clearance. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

Salary information

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.

Reasonable adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

International police check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.

Internal fraud check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Careers website

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).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:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

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 :

• Name : Jon Payne
• Email : jonathan.payne@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

http://www.healthjobsuk.com/vacancy/7972847