Director of Customer Operations Delivery

British Council; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 79,000 - 91,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension Scheme

Job summary

British Council seeks a visionary Senior Leader to shape global Customer Operations within CSS, driving exceptional customer experiences and sustainable growth across English & Exams. You will lead B2C Sales, Digital Services Delivery and Operations Delivery, influencing investment priorities and the CSS TOM.

As a member of the CSS Senior Leadership Team, you will empower high-performing teams, advance automation, and ensure delivery of KPIs, SLAs and service standards across international

Qualifications

• Essential: Degree level qualification or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience leading large-scale, senior leadership teams.
• Strong governance, strategy and transformation experience.

Responsibilities

• Define and deliver the 3–5 year Customer Operations strategy for CSS (E&E).
• Lead B2C Sales, Digital Services Delivery and Operations Delivery.
• Drive customer acquisition, conversion, retention and revenue growth.
• Advise the CSS Director on strategic planning and investments.
• Champion automation, data-driven improvement and operational excellence.
• Oversee global customer service, sales support and digital operations with KPI/SLA delivery.
• Develop leadership capability and succession planning across teams.

Skills

Leadership qualification

Customer experience accreditation

Service excellence accreditation

COPC certification

Education

Degree level qualification or equivalent

Job description

We are looking for a visionary, commercially driven and results-oriented Senior Leader to shape the future of global Customer Operations within Customer Sales & Service (CSS), driving exceptional customer experiences, operational excellence and sustainable growth across English & Exams (E&E).

As a key member of the CSS Senior Leadership Team, you will lead B2C Sales, Digital Services Delivery and Operations Delivery, driving customer acquisition, conversion, retention and revenue growth. You will shape and deliver a 3–5 year Customer Operations strategy, harnessing digital innovation, workforce optimisation and continuous improvement to strengthen global service delivery and business performance.

Working closely with the CSS Director, you will act as a trusted strategic adviser, influencing investment decisions, transformation priorities and the CSS Target Operating Model (TOM). This is an exciting opportunity to lead high-performing teams, drive meaningful change and make a lasting impact on customer experience and commercial success across our global operations.

Main Accountabilities

• Define and deliver the 3–5 year Customer Operations strategy, aligning with CSS and English & Exams priorities to achieve measurable outcomes.
• Drive commercial growth through customer acquisition, sales conversion, retention and customer lifetime value.
• Advise the CSS Director on strategic planning, investment and enterprise-wide transformation.
• Champion operational excellence, automation and data-driven innovation to enhance customer experience and business performance.
• Lead B2C Sales, Digital Services Delivery and Operations Delivery, with matrix oversight of Data & Analytics and Training & Quality.
• Develop high-performing leadership teams, strengthen succession planning and foster collaboration, accountability and innovation.
• Establish effective governance, performance management and accountability frameworks.
• Oversee global customer service, sales support and digital operations, ensuring delivery of KPIs, SLAs and service standards.
• Enhance customer experience through NPS, CSAT, CES and customer journey insights.
• Optimise workforce planning, productivity and resource allocation through automation, digital innovation and self-service.
• Maintain global standards for operational resilience, quality assurance and service governance.
• Build strategic partnerships across English & Exams, Marketing, Digital & Technology, Finance, Product and Market teams.
• Influence senior stakeholders and represent Customer Operations in strategic decision-making.
• Lead operational planning, budgeting and resource allocation to maximise efficiency and value for money.
• Manage operational expenditure and drive productivity to achieve financial and commercial targets.

Why Join Us?

• Make a Global Impact: Lead a diverse, internationally distributed Customer Operations function, influencing customer experience, commercial growth and service excellence across multiple markets.
• Shape the Future: Own and deliver a 3–5 year strategy, driving digital transformation, automation and innovative solutions that redefine how we engage with and serve our customers.
• Influence Strategic Decisions: Join the CSS Senior Leadership Team and work closely with senior stakeholders to shape organisational priorities, investment decisions and transformation initiatives.
• Lead and Inspire: Empower senior leaders, build high-performing teams and foster a culture of collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Drive Meaningful Change: Play a pivotal role in delivering the CSS Target Operating Model (TOM), creating sustainable improvements in customer experience, operational efficiency and business performance.

Qualifications & Work Experience

Qualification

Essential: Degree level qualification or equivalent professional experience.

• Leadership or Business Management qualification
• Customer Experience accreditation
• Service Excellence accreditation

Work Experience

• Significant senior leadership experience in customer operations, service delivery, sales operations or contact centre environments.
• Experience leading large-scale operational organisations through senior leadership teams.
• Demonstrable experience delivering strategic transformation and organisational change.
• Proven success improving customer experience, operational performance and commercial outcomes.
• Strong commercial and financial management capability.
• Experience using customer insight, analytics and operational performance data to drive decision-making.
• Experience building leadership capability and developing succession pipelines.
• Experience operating successfully in complex matrix organisations.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing capability.
• COPC certification or equivalent service excellence accreditation.
• International education, examinations or customer service experience.
• Experience of large-scale digital transformation programs.
• Experience implementing automation and AI-enabled service improvements.
• UK-based role (hybrid / remote considered, with global collaboration)
• Senior leadership position within Customer Sales & Service
• Opportunity to work across international markets and teams
• Requires strong cross-cultural collaboration and influencing capability
• Right to work in the UK required (no visa sponsorship and relocation support provided)
• Annual salary (gross): From 78,572 GBP to 91,156 GBP
• Pension scheme: We offer membership of the Civil Service Pension Scheme to support your long-term financial wellbeing