Customer Service Advisor - Birmingham - Legal Aid Agency (Ref: 16048)

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

Job Title & Grade: Customer Service Advisor -

AO

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary range (depending on location): National - £25,582

Please note that unless you are currently employed by the Civil Service and are earning more than the minimum above, if successful you will be offered the minimum for the grade depending on your location.
Location: Birmingham

Directorate: Case Management

Team: Customer Service Team

Working Pattern:

The post is supported by the MOJ flexible working policy and includes colleagues who work flexibly, remotely (as part of hybrid working), part time or as part of a job share etc.

If you are applying for a part time role, please note that in order to meet business demands we need cover for a minimum of 28 hours and to cover 4 days of the week, your working days must include Monday and Friday.

To meet legal requirements, if you are between the ages 16-18 and you are a successful candidate, you will be required to complete an apprenticeship after your initial on the job training.

Reporting to:

Team Supervisor

The Legal Aid Agency

We are an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). We are responsible for operationally administering the legal aid fund to provide criminal and civil legal aid advice to people in England and Wales.

Our people are at the heart of achieving excellence. Employing around 1,200 colleagues across England and Wales, we feel proud to have some of the best People Survey results in the Civil Service.

Our LAA commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

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

As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. Under the Equality Act 2010 a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months.
If you are responding to a role within the Legal Aid Agency and would like to be considered under the guaranteed interview, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the sift or later selection processes.
The LAA’s goal is to build an organisation that is open and inclusive and truly values and celebrates the diversity of its workforce. One that reflects and understands the needs of the diverse society we serve. This is regardless of social background, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, beliefs, disabilities or long-term illness or caring responsibilities.
Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long-term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments to support you through the recruitment process, please let us know by adding the information to the applications system or emailing LAARecruitment@justice.gov.uk after you have applied so that we can discuss options with you.

Case Management
The Case Management team is central to the Agency. It is responsible for handling legal aid applications, processing case payments and dealing with correspondence and enquiries received in both Civil and Criminal Legal aid matters. Our dedicated staff ensure that 600,000 new clients access justice each year, while ensuring that legal aid lawyers are paid fairly.
We listen and engage with all staff in case management, ensuring we always value the ‘caseworker voice’ and that this is represented when delivering change. We support all staff in our work, recognising success and promoting a positive and healthy work-life balance.

We have a culture where new ideas are encouraged and appreciated.

Crime Customer Service Team
The Crime Customer Service Team support users and providers of crime legal aid. This means we regularly work with members of the public in receipt of or applying for legal aid and solicitors in the process of providing legal services to publicly funded clients. The Customer Service Team supports this by responding to customer queries, processing urgent casework, and resolving customer complaints.
Job Summary
To provide exceptional levels of customer service by answering incoming calls, dealing with queries and providing first time resolution. They will be expected to seek to continuously improve customer knowledge and internal processes to reduce failure demand.

Key Responsibilities:
• Receive inbound calls from providers of legal aid, members of the public and other customers with regards to Legal Aid – establish a high-quality working relationship with a variety of customers and take personal ownership of problems, ensuring successful resolution.
• Provide customer advice and support over the telephone, by email or in written form. Moreover, be responsible for maintaining and improving customer satisfaction.
• Work to reduce the number of incoming calls by educating providers regarding their submissions.
• Document all calls accurately using appropriate methods. Apply standards consistently in order to meet personal productivity and quality targets.
• Communicate clearly and effectively with all callers.
• Work cooperatively and flexibly to ensure adequate staffing of customer service telephone lines at all times.
• Recognise and manage assertive customer calls, referring to a Senior Customer Services Advisor where necessary.
• Organise and prioritise own workload including length of call handling.
• Ensure colleagues working in all areas of the organisation are kept informed of feedback from customers, actively promoting continuous improvement.

Essential Knowledge, Experience and skills

• Effective communication skills both written and verbal dealing with both external and internal stakeholders.

• Excellent customer service skills including handling complex situations and dealing with uncertainty.
• Ability to make decisions using evidence/information.
• Ability to work to deadlines.
• Evidence of being part of a team in a working or studying environment.
• Ability to use computers and Microsoft 365.

Person Specification

No prior experience is required, as full training will be provided. However, we are looking for someone who:

• Works well both independently and as part of a team.
• Enjoys being part of a fast-paced and rewarding work environment.
• Brings a positive, can-do attitude and a genuine enthusiasm for learning.
• Enjoys communicating with others and feels driven when dealing with customers to find a quick resolution.

Assessment approach
Application Process
To apply please provide a statement of suitability in no more than 750 words. We require you to provide three paragraphs of 250 words each to address the following 3 requirements from the Essential Criteria separately:

• Communication: Effective communication skills both written and verbal dealing with both external and internal stakeholders.
• Delivering Service: Excellent customer service skills including handling complex situations and dealing with uncertainty.
• Decision Making: Ability to make decisions using evidence/information.

Your individual paragraphs should demonstrate your ability to achieve these essential criteria, using examples can help strengthen your application.

Please note we do not require a CV, and we only require a Statement of Suitability for your application. The wording on this advert may suggest that an Experience question is also required, however this is not necessary.
Interview / assessment Process
If you are successful through the application stage, you will be asked an experience question based on the essential skills and experience required of an administration officer and 3 strength-based questions.

You will also be asked to undertake a written exercise that will test your ability to communicate effectively. Further details will be provided during the interview.

Shortlisting is planned for week commencing 13th April 2026
Interviews are planned for week commencing 11th May 2026

If you would like more information on this opportunity, please contact – Dawn Carnighan, DAWN.Carnighan@Justice.gov.uk Sonia Ricketts, Sonia.Ricketts@justice.gov.uk

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
As part of our commitment to integrity and transparency, we ask all applicants to ensure that the experiences, achievements, and examples shared in your application are entirely your own.
Please do not use AI tools to fabricate or simulate personal experiences. While AI can assist with formatting and grammar, it must not be used to generate stories, skills, or accomplishments that you have not personally lived or earned.

Complaints procedure

If you have any complaints about this recruitment activity, please share your concerns by emailing LAARecruitment@justice.gov.uk initially. We aim to respond to any complaint within 10 working days.

If you are dissatisfied with our response, we will forward your complaint to the Civil Service Commission, an independent body, for review.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £25,582, Legal Aid Agency contributes £7,411 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance

For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

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 is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Strengths, Ability and Experience.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

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:

• 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

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 :

• Name : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
• Telephone : 0345 241 5359

Recruitment team

• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

https://jobs.justice.gov.uk/careers/JobDetail/16048?entityId=16048