NEP Operator - Dumbarton

Job summary

The National Enquiry Point (NEP) is the first point of contact for anyone reaching out to COPFS — from members of the public to partner agencies and law enforcement. As an NEP Operator, you’ll play a vital role in delivering clear, compassionate and accurate information to people who often need support during challenging or emotionally difficult moments. This is a role where you can make a meaningful impact every single day.

We are looking for individuals who can listen with empathy, communicate calmly and confidently, and provide a high‑quality service to a diverse range of callers including victims, witnesses, legal professionals and vulnerable individuals.

This is a dynamic and rewarding role for someone who values teamwork, strong communication and supporting others. You will receive full training — including specialist guidance on handling sensitive calls and recognising distress — and you’ll be backed by a supportive leadership structure every step of the way. Emotional resilience, sound judgement and the ability to remain calm under pressure are essential traits that will help you thrive.

If you’re someone who wants to help people, enjoys problem‑solving, and takes pride in delivering a consistent, high‑quality service, the NEP Operator role offers a fulfilling opportunity to make a real difference across Scotland’s justice system.

Job description

The National Enquiry Point (NEP) is the first point of contact for all telephone enquiries from members of the public, other government organisations and law enforcement. Our team play a vital role in supporting COPFS commitment to improving communication and providing meaningful support to our most vulnerable service users.

You will be key in delivering clear, compassionate and accurate information – often to individuals in vulnerable or distressing situations.

Please see below for the expected roles and responsibilities.

Customer Contact & Service Delivery

• Respond to enquiries from the public, partner agencies and internal colleagues via telephone, email and digital channels.
• Deliver excellent customer service to a wide range of callers, including witnesses, victims, the accused, legal professionals, and police.
• Actively listen, provide empathetic support, and offer clear procedural guidance to vulnerable individuals.
• Communicate effectively with colleagues across all levels of COPFS.

Information Handling & Case Updates

• Access internal case management systems to locate and relay relevant case information.
• Accurately update case management systems after each call to maintain up-to-date records.
• Refer to internal contact data sheets to ensure enquiries are directed to the correct department or staff member.
• Use training (including suicide awareness) and sound judgement to manage challenging calls and escalate appropriately.

Consistency & Quality Standards

• Learn and apply knowledge of COPFS policies and procedures to support stakeholders and ensure a consistently high-quality service.
  • Conduct security checks to verify caller identity before sharing sensitive information.
• Assess distressed callers during conversations and escalate to management if a welfare check may be required.

Teamwork & Collaboration

• Participate in monthly team briefings to review performance, share achievements, and engage in focused training.
• Manage shared mailboxes on a rotational basis, responding to written enquiries in a timely and professional manner.

Please note these are not exhaustive lists and other duties may be required as appropriate to the role.

Due to the nature of the role, you will be handling live, emotionally challenging calls, including conversations with individuals who may be distressed or express thoughts of self-harm. In these situations, you will have a duty of care to explore concerns and take appropriate action in line with established procedures.

Full training will be provided, and our escalation procedures and team structure will ensure that you are fully supported, however, applicants should be aware that personal resilience, emotional maturity, and the ability to remain calm under pressure are essential qualities for success in this role.

Person specification

The Success Profile below sets out the essential elements that make up the vacant position. You will be expected to demonstrate how you meet any Behaviours, Experience or Technical criteria at application and interview stages.

All Behaviours will be assessed at interview stage.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA - Person Specification

Please note applicants must be able to demonstrate the below essential criteria.

Applicants who have training or experience in working within a team that handles high call volumes and management of multiple communication channels such as phone and e-mail would be beneficial.

Please note that you may be required to carry out an additional assessment or presentation at interview. Further detail on this will be included in your invite to interview letter.

Behaviours

For the purposes of this exercise, you will be asked to provide examples and evidence against the following key Behaviours:

Delivering at Pace (AO)

Managing a Quality Service (AO)

Experience

Strong communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively and empathetically in sensitive or challenging situations.

Active listening and questioning skills to understand concerns and gather accurate information

Ability to stay calm and professional under pressure, showing resilience and emotional intelligence when handling sensitive or challenging situations

Problem-solving skills and sound judgment to take appropriate action in line with procedures

Technical

Ability to communicate clearly and calmly under pressure

Awareness of or willingness to learn safeguarding and escalation procedures

Use of judgement and empathy

Awareness of boundaries and confidentiality

Proficient in using IT systems, this may include case management tools, e-mail and call handling software

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £26,245, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service contributes £7,603 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

We offer an excellent range of benefits which include:

• 25 days paid holiday + 11.5 public and privilege holidays (rising to 30 days paid holiday after 4 years).
• Generous Civil Service Pension employer contribution, on average over 28.97% of your pay
• Flexible working hours and family friendly approach to work.
• Cycle to Work Scheme and Season Ticket Loans.
• Employee Wellbeing Support with Mental Health First Aiders and access to an Employee Assistance Programme.
• £3,000 allowance is paid in addition to the base salary and is applied on a pro‑rata basis.

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

Please see application pack for details.

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.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 : Mhari McGarva
• Email : mhari.mcgarva@copfs.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@copfs.gov.uk

Further information

Please see application pack for details.