Complaints Manager

Trent & Dove Housing; East Staffordshire; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Trent & Dove Housing is seeking an experienced Complaints Manager to lead our complaints service, ensuring fair, efficient handling and alignment with the Housing Ombudsman Code.

You will manage a dedicated Complaints Team, drive improvements and act as the key liaison with the Housing Ombudsman Service, shaping a culture of accountability and customer focus across the organisation.

Qualifications

• Leadership and people management skills.
• Strong customer service orientation and empathy.
• Experience with complaints handling and investigations.

Responsibilities

• Leadership & Team Management - Lead, coach and develop the Complaints Team and manage workloads, performance and quality standards.
• Complaints & Investigations - Oversee complaints from initial receipt through to final resolution and manage complex, high-risk and escalated complaints.
• Housing Ombudsman & Compliance - Act as the organisation's lead contact with the Housing Ombudsman Service. Ensure compliance with the Complaint Handling Code and consumer standards.
• Performance & Service Improvement - Analyse complaint trends and customer feedback. Produce insightful reports for senior leaders, Board members and customer groups.
• Customer Experience - Ensure customers receive excellent, respectful and responsive service.

Job description

Make a Difference. Drive Improvement. Put Customers First.

Are you an experienced complaints professional with a passion for delivering excellent customer service and driving organisational improvement? Do you have the leadership skills to manage a high-performing team and the confidence to influence change across a business? We are looking for an outstanding Complaints Manager to lead our complaints service, ensuring customer concerns are handled fairly, efficiently and in line with the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code and regulatory requirements.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of Customer & Communities, you will lead and manage the end-to-end complaints process, overseeing investigations, resolutions and service improvements across all areas of the organisation. You will manage a dedicated Complaints Team, act as the key contact for the Housing Ombudsman Service, and use complaint insight to identify trends, reduce recurring issues and drive continuous improvement. This role is central to delivering our Customer Voice Strategy and developing a culture of accountability, learning and customer focus throughout the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management - Lead, coach and develop the Complaints Team and manage workloads, performance and quality standards. Foster a positive, collaborative and customer-focused culture whilst supporting colleagues across the organisation to improve complaint-handling practices.

Complaints & Investigations - Oversee complaints from initial receipt through to final resolution and manage complex, high-risk and escalated complaints. Ensure responses are professional, empathetic, accessible and customer focused across all areas.

Housing Ombudsman & Compliance - Act as the organisation's lead contact with the Housing Ombudsman Service. Ensure compliance with the Complaint Handling Code and consumer standards. Lead annual self-assessments, reporting and regulatory submissions. Keep up to date with housing regulation and complaint-handling best practice.

Performance & Service Improvement - Analyse complaint trends and customer feedback. Produce insightful reports for senior leaders, Board members and customer groups. Champion service improvements and monitor outcomes. Support implementation of organisational improvement initiatives.

Customer Experience Ensure customers receive excellent, respectful and responsive service. Promote accessibility and inclusivity within the complaints process. Manage customer contact in line with the Unacceptable Behaviour Policy where appropriate. Oversee compensation decisions and monitor expenditure against budget.

We welcome applications from all sections of the community.