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At the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, we make final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by UK Government departments and the National Health Service in England. We use what we learn from complaints to drive improvements in public services, helping organisations deliver better outcomes for the people who rely on them.

Our new five-year strategy focuses on delivering fair and impartial justice for individuals and using our insight to create wider improvements across public services. To achieve this, we bring together evidence, expertise and collaboration to identify opportunities for change and maximise our impact.

We are an open, friendly and supportive organisation where people are trusted to do their best work. We listen, learn and work together to solve complex challenges, treating everyone with dignity and respect. Inclusion and wellbeing are important to us, and we want every colleague to feel valued, supported and able to thrive.

We work in a modern, flexible way built on trust and autonomy. You will split your time between working from home and spending around 40% of your week in our Manchester city centre or central London office, where collaboration and connection with your team are an important part of how we work.

Job description

The role

We are looking for a Senior Strategy Advisor to help shape and deliver our organisational strategy, ensuring that our work has the greatest possible impact for people who use public services.

You will play an important role in developing strategic plans, building relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders and leading work that strengthens our ability to learn from complaints and engagement activity. You will work closely with colleagues across policy, communications, engagement and research, as well as senior leaders, government departments and the NHS.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys working with complexity, influencing others and helping organisations think about the future. If you are comfortable working in an evolving environment, can communicate complex ideas clearly and are motivated by improving public services, we would like to hear from you.

Person specification

What we are looking for

experience of contributing to strategy development in the public or charity sector and helping to deliver strategic outcomes
ability to analyse complex issues, use evidence and insight to inform decisions, and develop practical solutions
understanding of how work contributes to wider organisational priorities, with the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and competing demands
strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with experience of building effective relationships and bringing together different perspectives
excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex information into clear, accessible messages for different audiences.

Applicants from the Civil Service or accredited Non-Departmental Public Bodies are welcome to apply.

We are open to considering this role on a loan or secondment basis. If you are applying on this basis, you must have agreement in principle from your current employer before submitting your application.

We recognise the value of lived experience. If you have experience of complaining about any public body, we strongly encourage you to apply.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £47,796, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman contributes £13,846 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Civil Service Pension scheme
325 days annual leave (plus bank holidays on top)
hybrid working, 40% office based
flexible working
access to a free, confidential Employee Assistance Programme offering 24/7 advice and support from professionals and counsellors
comprehensive learning and development programme
employee discount scheme across hundreds of retailers
bicycle loan scheme
season ticket loan
gym membership subsidy
paid for professional memberships
eye test reimbursement.

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

How to apply (and how to do well)

You will answer three scored questions at application stage. We use these to shortlist, so your answers matter.

choose real examples (from professional settings)
focus on what you did, not what “we” did as a group
explain your thinking: what you looked at, what you decided, and why
keep it clear and specific, avoid generic statements

Please do not use AI to write your answers. We need to assess your skills, and applications may be rejected if answers appear AI-generated.

If your examples are very short, mostly opinion-based, or don’t describe a specific situation and outcome, you are unlikely to score well.

Inclusion & Wellbeing

Equality, diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing are vital to the way we work and our culture. We want our colleagues feel included, valued, and supported at work. It is essential that we are representative and accessible for the people who work here and those who use our service.

Actions we take to embed this include:

an anonymised shortlisting process to make sure it is fair and unbiased
monitoring the demographic trends in our workforce and making measured, sustained efforts to improve our diversity at all levels
providing wellbeing support and opportunities for personal and professional development for all colleagues
creating spaces for connection and engagement through our employee network groups and social clubs
part of the disability confident scheme
providing reasonable adjustments
engaging in regular inclusion learning to enhance the cultural competency of our organisation.

We know the value of having diverse, representative teams across our organisation. Which is why we particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented within the team. These include people who are:

Asian, Black, Mixed Ethnicity or another ethnic background
disabled
LGBTQ.

Contact and important information

If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact Jennifer Bealt, Head of Strategy and Research, Jennifer.Bealt@ombudsman.org.uk

Interviews: held onsite
Feedback: we do not offer feedback at application stage
Right to work: we can only consider candidates with the right to work in the UK.
Sponsorship: we are unable to offer sponsorship (we do not have a licence).
Applications: we do not accept CVs—please apply via the application form (‘apply now’).
Agencies: no agencies; applications from individuals only.
Early closure: we may close the advert early if we receive a high volume of applications.
Salary: non negotiable

Important notice: fraudulent job postings

We have been made aware that some websites are falsely advertising job vacancies for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). We only advertise job vacancies through these official channels:

- our website

- LinkedIn

- Civil Service Jobs

- GOV.uk

- Indeed

- Ombudsman association

- BMEjobs.co.uk

- Disabilityjob.co.uk

- Neurodiversityjobs.co.uk

- LGBTjobs.co.uk

Do not share personal details with any other websites claiming to represent PHSO. Contact our recruitment team to report any concerns at recruitment@ombudsman.org.uk

We are changing our name

We are changing our name. Later this year we will become the Public Service Ombudsman. This will make it easier for people to find us and understand what we do. The service we provide will remain the same. Visit our website to find out more.

If you have any questions, please contact us at recruitment@ombudsman.org.uk.

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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.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

Salary range

£47,796 - £50,664 per year