Customer Contact Centre Agent

Together, His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO), the General Register Office (GRO), and the Citizenship Service, are responsible for the issuing of British passports across the globe, overseeing the system for registering births, adoptions, civil partnerships, marriages and deaths in England and Wales, and the registration or naturalisation of new British citizens.

The Customer Service Management Team (CSMT) are responsible for all customer enquiries for His Majesty’s Passport office. Enquiries are received via multiple routes (telephone, email or post) from customers both within the UK and overseas. CSMT processes over 600 thousand customer contacts per year.

HM Passport Office is undergoing a period of transformation with an aspiration of further improving our customer service by becoming a modern digital business. It is an exciting time to work in a part of government that touches the lives of the vast majority of citizens.

Further information about HM Passport Office is available on GOV.UK.

As a Customer Contact Officer, you will be responsible for delivering a variety of customer focused activities within a customer service environment, to support the wider HM Passport Office operational network.

The Customer Service Management Team is located in Southport and our opening hours are between 8:00 – 18:00, Monday – Friday.

Key Responsibilities

As part of a supportive and welcoming team, you will provide excellent customer service in a telephony environment:

As part of your daily responsibilities, you will:

• Make and receive customer calls and emails in a contact centre environment while using a headset.
• Handle telephony and email enquiries, complete follow-up actions, and escalate cases where required.
• Manage sensitive and sometimes challenging customer interactions professionally, providing accurate, timely and easy-to-understand information.
• Provide advice and guidance on complex nationality, eligibility and procedural enquiries, ensuring a high-quality customer experience through the application of HMPO standards, policies and processes.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of relevant legislation, policies, procedures and security requirements.
• Take responsibility for personal attendance, performance and development while demonstrating HMPO values and complying with all HMPO policies and procedures.
• Resolve customer issues fairly and effectively, supporting continuous improvement and enhancing the overall customer experience.
• Handle, process, store and dispose of customer documents and sensitive information securely, in line with HMPO security and data protection requirements.

Note: An employee may be required to carry out other duties within the scope of the grade and within the limits of their skill, competence and training.

Working Pattern

The full-time working week in CSMT is 37 hours with a 36-minute daily lunch break. Full-time shifts are therefore 8 hours including lunch break. Your shift will be confirmed upon offer of post.

This role is available on a full-time basis. This role is also suitable for part-time working hours, with a minimum requirement to work 4 days/ 30 hours per week due to business requirements.

Training

During the initial 5 weeks of your employment, you are required to participate in, 100% office-based, full-time training. Afterwards, upon review of your performance and quality, the opportunity to undertake hybrid working may begin.

Please be aware that the current office in Southport will close by 2030, and no decision has been taken where the new office will be located.

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)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.

1. Application – by 3rd November 2026

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• Personal Statement (maximum 500 words).

The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.

For guidance and information on how to construct your application (Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.

2. Sift – commencing 5th November 2026

The sift will be held on the Personal Statement only.

3. Interview – week commencing 30th November 2026

The interview will take place via MS Teams.

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be Behaviours (as listed in the job advert) and Strength based questions.

For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.

Problems during the application process

If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.

Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.

Location

You will only be able to select a single location preference so please ensure this is a location that you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at your preferred location and you decline, your application will be withdrawn.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.

Breaking Tied Scores

The behaviours, experience, and strengths have been ranked in order of importance to enable us to differentiate between candidates with tied interview scores.

Near Miss

Candidates judged to be a near miss at interview may be offered a post at the grade below the one advertised without the need to go through a further selection process, providing the role has the same Success Profiles elements and essential skills. There is no guarantee that further such vacancies will arise.

Standards

All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Additional Security Checks

As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, candidates will be subject to a range of additional checks. The range of checks carried out will depend on whether you are a current Home Office employee, existing civil servant or an external new entrant as well as the role requirements. Further details are included in the Notes to Candidates.

Further information

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct.

If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
• Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.