Contact Officer (Initial Contact) XA743

Wakefield, Bradford
Salary £23100 - £25,353, up to £33,833 (with shift enhancements) 20% shift allowance and 13.45% weekend enhancement, as applicable
THIS VACANCY HAS BEEN ADVERTISED EXTERNALLY

Contact Officer (Initial Contact)

Contact Management Centre

Operational Support

Dudley Hill, Bradford and Laburnum Road, Wakefield

Salary £23100.00, plus 20% shift allowance and 13.45% weekend enhancement, as applicable,
This takes the salary to £30,826.95 at initial appointment, with progression to a top of scale pay rate of £33833.57 in total (pro-rata if part-time).
There are opportunities to move into our Dispatch function once you are competent in the role of Contact Officer and have successfully completed your probationary period.

This is an exciting opportunity to join West Yorkshire Police as a Call Handler with the potential for internal progression. As a Contact Officer you will be responding to both emergency and non-emergency calls, and you will literally be making a difference to - and in some instances - actually helping - to save peoples’ lives.
Working in the Force Control Room, there is no doubt that you will be making a difference every day and as a result it is a job that is extremely rewarding.

This is not just about working in a call-centre. It is a varied role with no two days being the same and we are all about exceptional public service and teamwork to ensure the best possible outcomes for people who need our help.

We are a growing unit and need dedicated staff to help us to protect communities in West Yorkshire.
You will receive training in gathering critical information, often in challenging circumstances, carrying out dynamic risk assessments and determining what immediate actions to take along with bespoke IT training for our Force systems.

Many people may only use our services once in their lifetime; others might regularly need our assistance.

Collectively, our ambition is to provide the highest possible quality of service to them all, so that we can protect and reassure the vulnerable, tackle crime and disorder and bring offenders to justice.
You will have a critical role to play in making sure that the communities of West Yorkshire have confidence in their police service and that they are satisfied with the actions we take.

As well as vacancies for full time staff working a 24/7 shift pattern, we strongly encourage applications from candidates seeking part-time hours, job-share and those who require flexible working arrangements.

We can offer hours on a Monday to Friday basis to fit around school hours and also have evening and weekend work available.

You can contact us via the mailbox mentioned at the end of this advert to discuss availability of hours.

We also actively encourage applications from those who are studying at university.

We offer generous entitlements and supportive policies to enable a better work-life balance. Some of which are listed below:

• Generous annual leave allowance – 25 days per year (not including bank holidays). Rising to 30 days after 5 years.
• Generous pension scheme
• CPD events for staff for continuous personal development
• Mentoring and coaching scheme
• Access to a range of occupational health facilities
• Employee assistance service – accessible 24/7 and providing counselling and financial advice for you and your immediate relatives.
• Cycle to work scheme
• Sports and Social Club.

To be successful in this demanding role, you will already have experience of computer packages such as Microsoft Office.

You must have a minimum typing speed of 28 words per minute and a good command of English, both verbal and written.

Previous experience of working in a call-centre environment is useful but not a requirement.
We are looking for people with excellent communication skills who have the ability to listen, empathise and provide support, along with adapting their language to meet the needs of different people.

If you are interested in joining the team, we are looking for motivated people who are excellent team players with the ability to work unsupervised and use their own initiative.

You also need to have experience of information gathering and problem solving and be able to prioritise your own work and work effectively under pressure, making logical and appropriate decisions.

All training courses will follow an Apprenticeship Training Programme Route, this is an opportunity to work and learn the job whilst gaining an Apprenticeship qualification.

For more information about this role and see the link
https://www.college.police.uk/career-learning/career-development/competency-and-values-framework-cvf (This link may be copied and pasted into your browser)

For the Apprenticeship you will either already have pass grades in both English Language and Mathematics at Level 2/GCSE grades A*-C/9-4 or equivalent or you will complete the Functional Skills qualification to level 2 standard during the training programme.

You will be supported to achieve the Emergency Service Contact Handling Standard (Level 3) throughout the training programme. Upon successful completion of the End Point Assessment at the end of this training programme you will be qualified to the Level 3 Emergency Service Contact Handling Standard and you will continue in employment as a Customer Contact Officer. The scheme lasts approximately 13-14 months and is mainly “on the job” based.

Assessments and interviews will be held at our Force Headquarters in Wakefield for those who have submitted their applications prior to the closing date and will continue throughout the month.

All trainees will be required to complete the above training on a full-time basis.
There is a requirement for all successful applicants to undergo vetting and provide certain personal and financial information to the Force before a formal offer of employment can be made.
Applicants should be aware that it is not always possible to carry out adequate vetting checks on persons who have not been resident within the UK for the last three years.

West Yorkshire Police is committed to improving the diversity of its workforce to better reflect the diverse communities we serve.

We welcome applications from all minority groups and individuals who identify with one or more of the protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010.

Applications are also welcome from those who have gained transferable skills and experience outside of the Force

For a detailed description of the Competency and Values levels required please refer to:
http://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/Development/competency-and-values-framework/Documents/Competency-and-Values-Framework-for-Policing_4.11.16.pdf (
(This link may be copied and pasted into your browser). This document will assist you in completing the Evidence of Achievement section of the application form.

Once you have submitted your application, it will be subject to a shortlisting process and if you are successful at this stage, you will then be invited to assessment.

Those successful at assessment will be invited to attend a final interview.

We have training courses running throughout the year.

For further information please contact our Professional Development Unit staff via:
contact.pdu@westyorkshire.police.uk
Please note that there is a requirement to remain in post for a minimum period of 2 years before being eligible to move to other roles within the Force. Please note this does not apply to the Despatch Operator role.

The post is suitable for job share.

For roles which are advertised as Career Progression Schemes, individuals will be appointed to the bottom scale point of the appropriate grade within the scheme, based on the role entry requirements. Full progression through the scheme may be subject to attaining a specific qualification or successfully passing an assessment or review.

Any shift enhancements/weekend allowances are based on the published Force pattern any deviations from this could mean the enhancements/allowances may differ or not apply, for full details refer to staff Terms & Conditions.

West Yorkshire Police is committed to improving the diversity of its workforce to better reflect the diverse communities we serve. We therefore encourage applications from female officers, all minority groups and individuals who identify with one or more of the protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010.  Applications are also welcome from those who have gained transferable skills and experience outside of Operational Support.

Applicants should be aware that it is not always possible to carry out adequate vetting checks on persons who have not been resident within the UK for the last three years. Therefore, where this applies, applicants may be refused because it was not possible to vet them to the appropriate standard.

For a detailed description of the Competency and Values levels required please refer to the http://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/Development/competency-and-values-framework/Documents/Competency-and-Values-Framework-for-Policing_4.11.16.pdf (This link may be copied and pasted into your browser). This document will assist you in completing the Evidence of Achievement section of the application form. Please note: the Evidence of Achievement section will not be visible until the employment section has been completed.

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This opportunity is closed to applications.