Manager, Service Durham (Contact Centre)

Durham Region (The Regional Municipality of Durham); Whitby; Hybrid; CAD 146,000 - 183,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

The Region of Durham’s Service Durham division seeks a Manager to lead the contact centre operations, ensuring service levels, quality and customer outcomes across channels. You will supervise supervisors and customer service specialists, driving continuous improvement and aligning delivery with program objectives while safeguarding accessibility and privacy.

Reporting to the Director, you will manage workforce capacity, performance metrics, escalations and cross‑department partnerships to

Qualifications

• University degree in Business Administration or Public Administration or equivalent
• Extensive customer service experience with several years in a customer service management role
• Contact Centre management experience is highly desired
• Strong understanding of contact centre performance metrics and service level management
• Ability to use data to support resource planning, performance improvement and management decision making
• Ability to learn quickly in a policy-driven service portfolio
• Experience with customer journey mapping across multiple channels
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills
• Leadership rooted in equitable service to all communities
• Commitment to mitigating and removing access barriers in service strategies

Responsibilities

• Provide overall management and direction for contact centre operations, ensuring service levels, quality, workforce capacity and customer outcomes are continuously improved
• Lead the contact center management team of supervisors and customer service specialists
• Develop supervisors and CSSs, building leadership capability and a high performing, customer‑focused culture
• Set performance expectations for supervisors and teams and monitor results
• Translate CX priorities into operational plans and measurable outcomes
• Build partnerships with program areas to align delivery with objectives
• Use data and VOC insights to drive improvements in outcomes
• Develop and enforce contact centre policies and service standards
• Monitor changes across channels to maximize customer satisfaction
• Provide leadership on complex escalations and drive service recovery
• Drive process improvements and technology optimization for future demand
• Lead service redesign and journey improvements to reduce effort
• Provide concise performance updates and insights to senior leadership
• Supervise workflow, schedules, and standards across channels

Skills

Customer service management

Leadership

Data-driven decision making

Multi-channel support

Communication

Problem solving

Confidentiality

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Public Administration

Tools

CRM applications

ACD/IVR

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement

The Region of Durham is committed to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion within our organization and the communities we serve. We welcome and encourage applications from people who are Indigenous, racialized persons, women, persons with disabilities, members of LGBTQ2S+ communities, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of our workforce, including those who experience systemic barriers. In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code, accommodation will be provided throughout the recruitment process upon request, based on any Code-protected ground.

Number of Available positions: 01- This 35 hour per week, hybrid position, is located at the Region of Durham Headquarters in Whitby, Ontario. Note: This role may be required to work additional days per week in the office as dictated by operational needs

Service Durham is the customer experience management division of the Region of Durham's Corporate Services Department, dedicated to delivering exceptional, modernized service experiences through myDurham 311, the Region's centralized, non-emergency point of contact. Leveraging digital platforms and innovative service models, Service Durham focuses on providing inclusive, accessible, and integrated services that meet the evolving needs of our customers (residents, businesses, and visitors). By driving service excellence and enhancing public access through multiple channels including online, by phone, and in person, Service Durham ensures quick, convenient, and consistent customer experience. This customer centric and collaborative approach streamlines service requests, delivers timely information, and fosters personalized experiences that reinforce the Region's commitment to service innovation and accessibility.

Reporting to the Director, the Service Durham Manager is responsible for the overall management of the contact centre and related service delivery functions. The Manager oversees day to day operations, service levels, workforce capacity, quality, customer experience, employee performance and continuous improvement, while ensuring resources are aligned with operational priorities and service demand. The role provides leadership to supervisors and staff, manages complex service issues and escalations, supports process and technology improvements, and works closely with organisational partners to ensure consistent, effective and customer focused service delivery. The Manager is also responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable policies, procedures, accessibility, privacy and health and safety requirements.

The incumbent will:

• Provide overall management and direction for contact centre operations, ensuring service levels, quality, workforce capacity and customer outcomes are effectively managed and continuously improved
• Lead the contact center management team of supervisors and customer service specialists.
• Lead and develop supervisors and CSSs, building leadership capability, succession depth and a high performing, customer focused culture
• Establish clear performance expectations for supervisors and teams, monitor results, and ensure accountability for service, customer, quality and employee outcomes.
• Translate Enterprise CX and Service Durham priorities into operational plans, measurable outcomes and continuous improvement initiatives for the contact centre.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with program areas to align customer service delivery with program objectives, policy changes and evolving customer needs.
• Use operational data, workforce analytics, quality results and Voice of Customer insights to identify root causes, establish priorities and drive measurable improvements in customer and business outcomes.
• Develop and enforce contact centre policies, procedures, and service standards to maintain compliance and operational consistency
• Actively monitor and adapt to changes across all customer service channels, ensuring swift response and resolution to maximize customer satisfaction.
• Provide leadership on complex or sensitive customer escalations, identify systemic issues arising from complaints, and ensure appropriate service recovery and corrective actions
• Drive process improvement and support technology optimization to help assist the operations teams to manage SLAs and optimizing resourcing to meet future demands
• Lead service redesign and customer journey improvements to reduce customer effort, repeat contacts, unnecessary transfers and avoidable demand.
• Provide concise recommendations, performance updates and business insights to senior leadership and key partners
• Supervise the workflow, schedules, and service standards across all customer contact channels

The successful applicant will possess:

• A university degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Extensive customer service experience, with several years in a customer service management role.
• Contact Center management experience is highly desired.
• Strong understanding of contact centre performance metrics and service level management, including the ability to interpret trends, identify root causes, and use data to improve operational and customer outcomes.
• Ability to use operational, workforce, quality, and customer experience data to support resource planning, performance improvement, and management decision making.
• Ability to quickly build subject matter expertise across a complex, policy driven service portfolio, enabling effective problem solving, sound decision making, and confident leadership of customer service delivery
• Proven ability to work well under pressure and deal with stressful situations and will thrive in a fast-paced multi-channel service delivery environment, including managing different channels at once
• Confidence in engaging in difficult conversations, setting expectations, and navigating difficult situations
• Ability to exhibit a high degree of confidentiality and discretion, recognizing confidential or sensitive information and escalating accordingly
• Experience with Customer Relationship Management applications, digital communication platforms, automatic call distribution (ACD/IVR) setups and Microsoft Office Suite (O365, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook and Teams)
• Experience in customer journey mapping and a deep understanding of the customer lifecycle across multiple channels and touchpoints
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills, with the ability to communicate effectively
• Strong foundational knowledge of contact center processes and methodologies. These include Workforce Management (Forecasting and Scheduling), Quality assurance management, Training and Knowledge management and Digital Channels.
• A leadership approach rooted in equitable service to all communities.
• Commitment to mitigating and removing access barriers in service strategies and delivery.
• Public sector work experience would be an asset

Management & Exempt Salary Grade 9

Salary: $146,206 to $182,757 per annum

Conditions of Employment

All applicants are expected to comply with the Region of Durham's Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct Policies throughout the recruitment process. Proof of education, qualifications and any other job bona fide requirements will be required prior to start date.