Child Maintenance Service - Customer Resolution Senior Lead

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP); Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in Newcastle upon Tyne seeks a Customer Resolution Senior Lead to oversee around 150 colleagues across multiple service centres, managing complaint handling, escalated cases, and engagement with Parliament and ombudsman interfaces.

This high-profile role requires delivering performance against targets and driving service improvements to enhance customer experience across CMS.

Qualifications

• Experience leading teams across multiple locations, including remote or hybrid settings.
• Ability to lead through change and build capability within the team.
• Strong stakeholder influence to improve services and performance.
• Strong analytical skills to critically analyse processes and drive improvements.
• Ability to identify new ways of working and apply good practice.
• Customer outcome focus with ability to drive performance across complex operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead around 150 colleagues across several locations and service centres.
• Oversee complaint handling, resolution of complex escalated cases, and engagement with ICE and PHSO interfaces.
• Engage with senior stakeholders across CMS and the wider DWP to shape service strategies.
• Monitor performance and drive continuous improvement in customer experience and service quality.
• Inspire and empower teams, build high performing culture and deliver agreed objectives.

Job description

You will lead around 150 colleagues across several locations. Your teams manage customer complaint handling and resolution, complex high profile escalated cases, and work relating to the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) and Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). These areas provide valuable insight into customer experience and service quality. You will use this insight to identify improvements and help shape future service strategies.

This is a challenging role which has Ministerial and Senior Leader interest.

The role of Customer Resolution Senior Lead encompasses a broad range of responsibilities and is high-profile role within a fast paced, changeable and demanding environment. This position is a key operational leadership role, accountable for leading a number of teams across multiple service centres and routinely engaging with senior stakeholders across CMS and the wider DWP.

The role requires exceptional leadership skills, making effective use of resource to ensure performance targets and customer objectives are met whilst driving people engagement across their teams and providing transformational leadership to the team and beyond - inspiring colleagues through difficult situations, transforming performance and building high performing teams.

This role is fundamental to understanding and improving the experience our child maintenance customers have, and applicants will need to have a real desire to drive positive changes to support this.

The Key deliverables for a Customer Resolution Senior Lead:

Monitor and analyse complaint performance data to drive continuous improvement across CMS

• Identify areas for process improvement and lead initiatives to enhance quality and efficiency
• Work with a range of colleagues and stakeholders across CMS and the wider Department, communicating and influencing effectively to deliver results
• Work within and across teams building strong and collaborative relationships with a diverse mix of people at all levels to understand and improve our customer experience
• Prepare analysis and recommendations for senior meetings and present key information when needed
• Support development and delivery of our engagement approach with Members of Parliament
• Lead with confidence and resilience, and help teams improve performance, service quality and customer outcomes
• Inspire and empower others to deliver against all agreed objectives, ensuring that delivery and outcomes are completed to the required standards
• Create an inclusive culture where people feel valued, supported and able to develop
• Take all required action to sign off high profile and ministerial complaints on behalf of the CMS Executive Team

Person specification

Your personal statement will be assessed against the following essential criteria. Please ensure you provide specific, evidence-based examples that clearly demonstrate how you meet each one.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate:

• Experience leading teams across different locations, including remote or hybrid teams, while creating an engaging and supportive working environment (Lead criterion)
• Experience leading teams through change, supporting colleagues, building capability and recognising success
• Ability to build effective working relationships and influence others to improve services and performance
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to critically analyse products and processes, see the bigger strategic picture, identify issues, solve problems and improve services
• Ability to identify new ways of working and apply good practice to improve and modernise services
• Customer outcome focused with the ability to drive improved performance across complex operational functions