Alongside this role you will be completing the course Business Management > Level 5

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• Business at  Belfast Metropolitan College

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Job Purpose

The Apprentice Customer Services Assistant will work across the Co-Ownership’s customer services teams providing high-quality administrative and customer services support to the Customer Services team. Working under supervision, you will act as the first point of contact for customers coming into the office and contribute to the customer operations, customer services, digital delivery and business development teams while undertaking the Level 5 Business apprenticeship with Belfast Met.

Co-Ownership has a strong social purpose and has supported more than 35,000 people into home ownership over almost 50 years.  We have strong ambitions for the future and combine strong commercial performance with a clear social purpose. At Co-Ownership, we’re passionate about making homeownership accessible.   We are proud to be the only organisation in Northern Ireland to have achieved Institute of Customer Service ServiceMark with distinction, reflecting our ongoing commitment to excellence and continuous improvement.  We’ve also achieved Investors In People Gold.

We’re a values led organisation and our values are: Putting the customer first, doing the right thing, evolving and improving, and working together, guide everything we do.

You will learn how to work within multi-skilled customer focused teams providing a comprehensive service for Co-Ownership customers and applicants.  As well as core responsibilities that you will have throughout the programme you will rotate around each of the Customer teams to gain an oversight of our customer journey and roles.  There will also be an opportunity to shadow other teams in the organisation.

 Key Responsibilities

1. Customer Services

• Be the friendly first point of contact for all visitors, making them feel welcome and valued;

• Greet visitors, provide them with visitor passes, and ensure they are directed to the right team or service efficiently;

• Develop a good understanding of Co-Ownership’s products and services to help answer customer queries with confidence;

• Provide  administrative support to the customer services and assessor teams;

• Assist with sorting and distributing post and help manage stationery and office supplies;

• Respond to emails and general enquiries from customers and colleagues;

• Handle basic customer questions in person and over the phone;

• Support with outbound customer experience calls;

• Participate in Co-Ownership customer events as required.

2.         Customer Operations

• Process the documentation required to support customer operations including: on-boarding of customers; valuation reports and queries; cheques and documents; solicitor bills of cost ensuring these are processed within service level agreements;

• Use the appropriate computer packages to input and extract data as required;

• Maintain accurate and up to date records of customer contact and progress;

• Ensure administration records are accurate and up to date.

• Ensure that all actions to support customers are completed within agreed time frames and customers advised;

• Ensure compliance with information security procedures and data protection requirements.

3. General Responsibilities

• Comply with all organisational policies and procedures;

• Promote equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of work;

• Maintain high standards of professionalism, integrity and confidentiality;

Learning & Development

• Enrolment on the Level 5 Business (HLA ApprenticeshipsNI) programme delivered by Belfast Met;

• Protected study time and assessment support in line with HLA ApprenticeshipsNI rules and the Belfast Met timetable;

• A structured exposure plan across the Customer Services Directorate;

• Coaching and feedback from the Customer Operations Manager;

• Opportunity to undertake the Institute of Customer Service qualifications.

Helpful links

Essential Criteria

Eligibility to enrol on and complete the Level 5 Business (HLA ApprenticeshipsNI) programme with Belfast Met in line with the provider’s entry requirements:

The specific admissions criteria for this Foundation Degree require:

• A minimum of 64 tariff points at Level 3

• You must also have at least three GCSEs A-C/4-9 to include a minimum of a Grade C/4 in GCSE English Language and/or Maths (or equivalent).

AND

• Evidence of interest in customer services or business administration (e.g., study, volunteering, work experience).

Core Competencies

• Communication: clear, concise written and verbal communication tailored to audience.

• Organisation: plans and prioritises to meet deadlines; follows through on actions.

• Attention to Detail: accurate records and document control.

• Customer Focus: professional, solution-focused approach with internal/external stakeholders.

• Analysis & Problem Solving: follows procedures, spots anomalies, escalates appropriately.

• Teamwork: collaborates well with colleagues across the organisation.

• IT Proficiency: confident with Microsoft 365; able to learn new systems quickly.

Desirable Criteria

• Work experience in an admin or customer-facing role (paid, voluntary or placement).

• Confidence with Excel (filters, basic formulas) and Word.

• Exposure to CRM or collaboration tools (e.g., SharePoint, Teams Planner).

Note on shortlisting: Where there is a high volume of applications, we may apply the desirable criteria in order of priority (administration/customer-facing experience; sector exposure; systems experience).