Customer Service Manager

Together Housing; Blackburn; Hybrid; GBP 48,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

LGPS pension

27 days annual leave

Professional development

Flexible working

Travel between Halifax/Blackburn

Job summary

Together Housing is seeking a Group Customer Services Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership across our telephone, digital and other customer channels for around 80,000 residents and 38,000 homes. You will lead through a team of managers to deliver clear service standards and continuous improvement.

The role offers hybrid working between our Halifax and Blackburn offices, a 37-hour week and a range of development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading customer service, contact centre or another high-volume, people-focused operation.
• Proven track record of improving performance, service standards and quality.
• Experience using customer feedback, complaints, data and insight to drive service improvements.
• Experience of leading change, transformation or service redesign within a complex organisation.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with experience leading through managers.
• Strong financial, commercial and resource management awareness.
• The ability to influence, advise and constructively challenge at all levels, including senior stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to work across organisational boundaries.
• A strong commitment to delivering accessible, inclusive and responsive services.
• The ability to balance operational performance and accountability with empathy and a genuine focus on the customer.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational performance across multiple locations and customer contact channels.
• Set clear service standards, performance expectations and operational plans.
• Lead and developing managers and teams to deliver consistent, high-quality customer service.
• Developing effective performance, quality assurance and service management frameworks.
• Using complaints, customer feedback, service trends and performance data to identify opportunities and drive improvement.
• Leading service improvement, transformation, digitalisation and technology initiatives to improve accessibility, productivity and value for money.
• Ensuring customer insight and learning from the service is translated into practical improvements.
• Providing effective performance, risk and assurance reporting to senior leaders and governance groups.
• Leading change across organisational boundaries, building strong relationships and bringing colleagues with you.
• Promoting a culture of accountability, learning, continuous improvement and excellent customer outcomes.

Skills

Leadership

Customer service leadership

Performance improvement

Stakeholder management

Change management

Data-driven decision making

Job description

Shape the future of customer service at Together Housing. Our Customer Services team is at the heart of how residents experience Together Housing. Supporting around 80,000 residents, 38,000 homes and more than 400,000 customer contacts each year, this is a high-impact opportunity to influence service quality, performance and the way we respond to what matters to our customers.

As Group Customer Services Manager, you'll provide strategic and operational leadership across our telephone, digital and other customer channels. Leading through a team of managers, you'll create clarity, accountability and a culture focused on delivering excellent customer experiences.

This is a role for a leader who can bring people, performance and continuous improvement together - turning strategy into action and using insight to make services better

Together Housing Group:We are one of the largest housing associations in the North of England, managing over 38,000 homes across the North of England. We are a non-profit organisation, meaning any money we make is invested back into the company for the benefit of our residents and local communities.

Diversity & Inclusion: As an organisation we are committed to having a Diverse and Inclusive workforce. We would therefore welcome applications from candidates with any of the nine protected characteristics. We are also proud to be a Disability Confident employer. Further information can be found at this link - Equality and diversity - Together Housing Group

Outline of Key Responsibilities in the Group Customer Service Manager role...

You'll lead and shape customer services across the Group, with responsibility for:

• Leading operational performance across multiple locations and customer contact channels.
• Setting clear service standards, performance expectations and operational plans.
• Leading and developing managers and teams to deliver consistent, high-quality customer service.
• Developing effective performance, quality assurance and service management frameworks.
• Using complaints, customer feedback, service trends and performance data to identify opportunities and drive improvement.
• Leading service improvement, transformation, digitalisation and technology initiatives to improve accessibility, productivity and value for money.
• Ensuring customer insight and learning from the service is translated into practical improvements.
• Providing effective performance, risk and assurance reporting to senior leaders and governance groups.
• Leading change across organisational boundaries, building strong relationships and bringing colleagues with you.
• Promoting a culture of accountability, learning, continuous improvement and excellent customer outcomes.
  We're looking for someone who has…
• Significant experience leading customer service, contact centre or another high-volume, people-focused operation.
• A proven track record of improving performance, service standards and quality.
• Experience using customer feedback, complaints, data and insight to drive service improvements.
• Experience of leading change, transformation or service redesign within a complex organisation.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with experience leading through managers.
• Strong financial, commercial and resource management awareness.
• The ability to influence, advise and constructively challenge at all levels, including senior stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to work across organisational boundaries.
• A strong commitment to delivering accessible, inclusive and responsive services.
• The ability to balance operational performance and accountability with empathy and a genuine focus on the customer.

In return, we are offering the successful candidate in the Group Customer Service Manager role...

• Salary £56,168
• 27 days annual leave (rising to 32 over 5 years' service) + bank holidays
• Hybrid working - We offer a flexible hybrid working model, with time split equally between our Halifax and Blackburn offices and home working.
• As a guide, a typical week may involve three days working from either our Halifax or Blackburn offices and two days working from home, although this may vary depending on business needs and team requirements. Applicants should be comfortable travelling to both office locations as part of the role.
• A flexible working environment, with a range of family friendly policies
• You will be working 37 hours per week, Monday - Friday. Working arrangements are flexible in line with our Smart working culture
• Wide range of professional, and personal development training opportunities
• Attractive pension schemes - Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• To explore the full range of our award-winning benefits, please click on the link and ensure that you review all that we have to offer - Employee Benefits Link

THG reserves the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient numbers of applicants are received. Therefore, please apply without delay!

Please ensure you fully answer the questions on the application form.

Due to the nature of the role involving work with vulnerable members of society, this post is subject to a Basic Criminal Disclosure, which will be carried out when a conditional offer is made.

INDTHG1