Customer Service Specialist in Ponteland

Salary: Band 5, £28,689 – £29,859 (equating to a potential £36,678 – £38,174 with shift and weekend allowances). Location: Ponteland (moving to Cobalt Business Park, Wallsend 2027). Hours: Full Time, to view the shift pattern click here. We are happy to discuss any individual circumstances if you require some flexibility.

The role involves being the first point of contact for many customers by telephone or through various digital channels. Your engagement will define the service they receive from Northumbria Police. Using effective communication, the team delivers an outstanding customer service experience in response to all public interactions, acting where possible to resolve queries at first contact and providing professional advice and effective signposting. With customer service at the heart of everything we do, and using a problem-solving approach, we aim to resolve many queries during that first contact.

The team receives customer contact via 101 as well as through numerous digital platforms such as web chat, online reporting forms, and social media. Every contact is different, some of which will be an emergency and will require the customer service specialist to identify, assess, and mitigate risk to ensure the correct response is allocated. You will handle contact from members of the public experiencing a wealth of emotions and need to be able to adapt your style to meet their needs. You will also deal with police officers, professionals, and partner agencies.

As a Customer Service Specialist, we will support you in developing an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of the organisation. You will need to have a desire to resolve the customer's query at first point of contact, ensuring excellent customer service and demand reduction to other departments. Working within a busy department, you must be able to work well under pressure and be resilient to change. We are looking to recruit candidates on a full-time 37 hours per week basis, this will include weekend/bank holiday work.

Our training course is full time Monday – Friday 0800 – 1600 for 9 weeks, and there is a requirement that you can attend this course for the full duration and to be able to be mentored full time for a further five weeks, without any periods of leave being taken. It is likely the training course will commence 13th July 2026; therefore, candidates will need to be available to start then.

What you’ll bring:

• Excellent communication and listening skills with the ability to build rapport quickly.
• A passion for problem-solving.
• The ability to assess and understand key information.
• Confidence to multitask, recording information accurately with attention to detail.
• IT competence across a range of applications.
• Committed to getting things right for our customer and delivering outstanding customer service.

We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Harnessing these differences creates a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, and their talents are fully utilised. Appointments are based on merit alone.

Just so you know, candidates with priority status will be given precedence for this role over other applicants. Our application form will help us understand how your work, education, and life experience has prepared you for the role. To help support your application, research what makes us tick here at Northumbria, the role you’re applying for, and the values and behaviours that contribute.

The recruitment process will consist of the initial application form followed by a face-to-face interview. You can save your application and come back to it any time prior to the closing date on the advert.

We are proud members of the Business Disability Forum, working together to improve the lives of disabled employees. As a Disability Confident Leader, we are committed to offering an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. In cases of very high application volumes, we may prioritise those who most closely meet the criteria, applying the same fair approach for all candidates.

If you tell us that you have a disability, we can make adjustments to support you through the recruitment process (for example, we can arrange extra time for tests or provide a sign language interpreter). You can get in touch with us via careers@northumbria.police.uk for any support regarding the application process. Please provide us with plenty of notice so we can ensure your visit goes smoothly.

Use of AI in Applications: At Northumbria Police, we embrace innovative technologies to enhance our recruitment process. We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While AI can be a valuable resource, we encourage applicants to ensure their submissions accurately reflect their personal qualifications, experiences, and skills. Our selection process includes thorough evaluations to verify the authenticity and suitability of all applications. We value genuine and thoughtful responses that showcase your unique strengths and perspectives.

If your application is successful, we’ll ask you to complete a Recruitment Vetting (RV) form; therefore, you must be a resident of the UK for a minimum period of 3 years to ensure vetting checks can be successfully performed. A job offer will be dependent upon vetting clearance, medical information, and references.

Terms of appointment: This is a permanent role subject to a six-month probationary period and a 24-month commitment to post. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.