ombudsman
n. countablen. an official whose job is to investigate complaints from the public about a company or the government. They act as a fair middleman to help solve problems without going to court.
n. an official appointed to investigate complaints by individuals against public authorities or private organisations. Operates independently of the entity being investigated to ensure impartial dispute resolution.
The banking ombudsman helped me get my money back.
If you are unhappy with the final response from your insurance provider, you can escalate the case to the ombudsman.
The establishment of an independent ombudsman was a critical step in restoring public trust, as it provided a transparent mechanism for holding government agencies accountable for administrative failures.
Borrowed from Swedish ombudsman (equivalent to ombud (“representative, proxy”) + man), from Old Norse umboðsmaðr.
The plural form is 'ombudsmen'. In modern contexts, 'ombudsperson' or 'ombuds' is sometimes used as a gender-neutral alternative.