Complaints Manager

Wesleyan; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 68,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

28 days holiday + culture day

Flexible hybrid working

Pension scheme matched +2%

Underground parking in Birmingham

Salary sacrifice schemes

Enhanced family leave & volunteering

Job summary

Wesleyan seeks a Complaints Manager to lead resolution of escalated complaints across the business, ensuring FCA and FOS compliance and timely, fair outcomes. You will provide data-driven insights, RCA and thematic reviews to reduce future issues.

The role requires senior-level experience in financial services complaints, strong stakeholder gravitas, and the ability to coach the team. Hybrid working with Birmingham office is available.

Qualifications

• Experience in financial services in an operational, compliance or complaints role at senior level.
• Knowledge of FCA DISP rules and complaints handling.
• Understanding of pensions, investments and protection and PPG products.
• Proven coaching and staff development capability.
• Strong stakeholder management and ability to challenge senior colleagues.
• Excellent written and verbal communications.
• Ability to drive change and manage competing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead pan-society escalated complaints to ensure fair customer outcomes.
• Ensure timely regulatory returns and complaints MI reporting.
• Present board reports to Exec committees and risk groups.
• Drive a cross-society Complaint Action Group for better outcomes.
• Mentor the complaints team to improve efficiency and resolution times.
• Be the POC for Exec and SLT on complaints matters and communications.
• Oversee remediation actions and alignment with FCA/FOS guidelines.

Skills

Stakeholder management

FCA DISP knowledge

Senior complaints experience

Pensions investments protection

Coaching and development

Change management

Communication skills

Customer service focus

Influence and leadership

Problem solving RCA

Job description

Salary: Up to £75,000 based on skills and experience

Contract Type: Full Time, 12 Month FTC

Location: Hybrid working (office based in Birmingham) – typically 2 days in the office per week

Shape Brighter Futures with Wesleyan

Established in 1841, Wesleyan help trusted professionals—GPs, hospital doctors, dentists, and teachers—secure their financial future. Today, we’re proud to continue that mission with passion and purpose. If you’re looking for a role where your expertise makes a real impact, and you want to work in a culture that values collaboration, innovation, and integrity, we’d love to hear from you.

Find out more about who we are: About Wesleyan

Make a Difference

The Complaints manager is responsible for leading the resolution on all escalated complaints across all areas of Wesleyan (including Exec and WUTM) to ensure good customer outcomes as well as meeting FCA and FOS requirements and ensuring there are no regulatory breaches.

It is accountable for pan-society root cause analysis (RCA) activities including thematic reviews of complaints/breaches and tracking of associated action plans to minimise/prevent future occurrences. It also presents quarterly pan-society complaints reports/updates to Operational Delivery Forum (ODF), GEC, Wesleyan Board and Risk Committees and other ad-hoc pan-society Complaints MI as required.

Your Impact

Here’s how you’ll make a difference:

• Responsible for management oversight on all pan-society escalated complaints, supporting all customer facing business areas with critical data, RCA and lessons learned
• Responsible for completion of accurate and timely regulatory returns (e.g. FCA return as per DISP 1.10 Complaints reporting rules)
• Accountable for timely/accurate complaint MI, reporting and advice across the Society; including creating and presenting board reports to various Exec committees
• Accountable for leading/driving the society wide Complaint Action Group ensuring better customer outcomes by driving better standards across the society in complaint management
• Accountable for the Complaints Team to use RCA and MI to spot themes across Wesleyan and ensure that actions are put in place in the relevant business area to remediate; ensuing those actions are tracked to completion
• Be seen as POC for all members of Exec, Area Directors and other SLT for any complaints received direct by them, ensuring they are kept abreast and the customer receives timely comms and resolution
• Business Owner responsibility for successful delivery and implementation of new complaints processes, system etc as a result of recent Audit report
• Lead, coach, train and develop the complaints team to maximise their competence, efficiency and effectiveness, ensuring targets are met and that complaint cases are progressed to resolution without unnecessary delays and with fair outcomes for customers
• Be seen as POC for advice on complaints best practice/standards across all relevant teams in Wesleyan on 1st line complaint management (i.e. non escalated complaints)
• Responsible for quality assurance of Complaints Team output to ensure consistent application of standards ensuring complaints are fully investigated and resolved in line with Company, FCA and Ombudsman procedures/guidelines
• Focus on developing/maintaining strong relationships across the society to be able to provide challenge and guidance to improve customer outcomes through better complaint handling standards
• Accountable for reviewing FOS decisions to ensure that these any changes needed to be made to Wesleyan Group procedures/policies for dealing with complaints of a similar type are done
• Accountable for the Complaints team investigations into escalated complaints and have final decision on whether to reject or uphold a customer’s complaint; ensuring (whatever the decision) the standard of correspondence from the team to customers is empathetic and correct
• Accountable on the decision for the appropriate remediation for escalated complaints including the calculation of redress ensuring alignment to FCA and FOS guidelines

What You’ll Bring

• Excellent stakeholder management and presentation skills with the ability to liaise all levels of Wesleyan colleague from CSA to CEO and the gravitas to challenge senior colleagues when necessary, without causing offence.
• Knowledge and understanding of FCA Handbook and in particular the Dispute Resolution: Complaints (DISP) sourcebook
• Demonstrated experience within financial services and experience of working in an Operational, Compliance role or Complaints handling role at a senior level
• Demonstrate knowledge across the range of financial advice areas including pensions, investments and protection as well as PPG products
• Proven experience in delivering feedback to staff, coaching and development of individuals and staff motivation
• Gravitas and ability to act impartially and diffuse conflict and resolve disputes.
• Excellent emotional intelligence/people management skills to be able to deal with difficult customers and remain composed under pressure
• Excellent communications skills both written and verbal
• Very strong sense of good customer service to ensure fair and timely outcomes for customers
• Ability to challenge the status quo and manage change, gaining commitment to new ideas and working practices
• Excellent ability to influence others through delivery of high standards of outputs and develop effective working relationships
• Ability to balance conflicting priorities and work to strict timescales
• Strong knowledge of the application of problem solving techniques including root cause analysis/trend analysis

Benefits That Work for You

We believe rewards should reflect the life you live. Here’s what you can expect:

• Annual bonus to recognise your contribution.
• 28 days holiday (plus a culture day!) – rising to 30 days with service.
• Flexible hybrid working for better work-life balance.
• Company pension scheme – matched plus 2% (up to 10%).
• Free secure underground Birmingham city centre parking (subject to availability, weekend use included).
• Salary sacrifice schemes that help you provide the things that matter – to include PMI, Electric Vehicle Leasing and cashback on everyday essentials.
• Enhanced family leave and two volunteering days to give back to causes you care about.

Discover the full range of benefits: Wesleyan Careers Rewards

Why Wesleyan?

We’re building a culture where everyone belongs. Diversity isn’t just a policy—it’s part of who we are. Whatever your background, we want you to feel valued and empowered to thrive. We’re proud supporters of the ABI Making Flexible Work campaign, which means we’re open to discussing flexible working, job shares, and part-time options.

If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, just let us know—we’re here to support you.

What to Know Before Applying

• Right to Work: We’re unable to provide VISA sponsorship, so you’ll need the legal right to live and work in the UK.
• Advert Closing: We typically advertise for two weeks but may close early if we receive a high volume of applications—apply early to avoid disappointment.