Divisional customer service manager

Wates Smartspace; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Wates Lambeth is seeking a Divisional Customer Service Manager to lead the customer service, scheduling, administration and customer experience functions across the WPS Lambeth Responsive Maintenance contract. You will develop teams, drive service improvements and work with clients and residents to deliver outstanding outcomes.

You will partner with operational leaders to monitor KPIs, manage complaints, and implement initiatives that enhance the resident journey while ensuring compliance with

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading customer service, scheduling, or operational support teams.
• Experience within social housing, repairs, maintenance, or a service-led environment.
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing teams and stakeholders.
• Experience analysing performance data and implementing service improvements.
• Experience managing complaints, customer escalations, and customer satisfaction initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and inspire customer service, scheduling, and administration teams.
• Drive a customer-first culture focused on residents outcomes.
• Monitor, analyse, and challenge KPI performance to identify trends and risks.
• Lead management of complaints and escalations, ensuring effective resolutions.
• Develop and implement initiatives to improve the resident experience.
• Work with operational teams to improve productivity and service delivery.
• Champion continuous improvement across the contract.
• Build relationships with clients, residents, and stakeholders.
• Present performance reports to senior stakeholders.
• Drive consistency and best practice across customer-facing functions.

Skills

Leadership

Customer service

Analytical skills

Communication

Stakeholder management

Tools

Excel

Job description

Divisional Customer Service Manager

Lambeth | WPS
Responsive Maintenance Social Housing Contract
Full Time | Permanent

Are you an experienced customer service leader looking to make a real impact within social housing?

We're looking for a Divisional Customer Service Manager to join our WPS Lambeth Responsive Maintenance team and play a pivotal role in delivering an exceptional service to residents, clients, and stakeholders. This is an influential leadership role where you'll be responsible for driving customer excellence, operational performance, and continuous improvement across a busy social housing repairs contract.

Working closely with operational teams, planners, supervisors, and client representatives, you'll lead a high-performing customer service function that puts residents at the heart of everything we do.

About the Role

As Customer Service Manager, you will provide leadership and direction across customer service, scheduling, administration, and customer experience functions, ensuring exceptional service standards are delivered throughout the resident journey.

You’ll work alongside operational leaders and key stakeholders to improve service delivery, drive performance, and identify innovative ways to enhance customer satisfaction and contract performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and inspire customer service, scheduling, and administration teams
• Drive a customer-first culture focused on delivering outstanding outcomes for residents
• Monitor, analyse, and challenge KPI performance to identify trends, risks, and opportunities
• Lead the management of customer complaints and escalations, ensuring effective resolution and learning
• Develop and implement customer service initiatives that improve the resident experience
• Work closely with operational teams to improve productivity, communication, and service delivery
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives across the contract
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, residents, and internal stakeholders
• Attend and lead customer and client performance meetings
• Ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, and operating frameworks
• Lead performance management, coaching, mentoring, and development activities
• Support workforce planning and resource management to meet service demands
• Produce and present customer service performance reports to senior stakeholders
• Drive consistency and best practice across all customer-facing functions

What We're Looking For

Essential Experience

• Proven experience leading customer service, scheduling, or operational support teams
• Experience within social housing, repairs, maintenance, or a service-led environment
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing teams and stakeholders
• Experience analysing performance data and implementing service improvements
• Demonstrable experience managing complaints, customer escalations, and customer satisfaction initiatives
• Ability to influence and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels
• Strong commercial awareness and understanding of contract performance
• Experience driving change and continuous improvement programmes

Skills & Attributes

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong analytical and reporting capabilities
• Highly organised with excellent attention to detail
• Ability to work in a fast-paced operational environment
• Proactive problem solver with a solutions-focused approach
• Passionate about delivering excellent customer outcomes
• Strong coaching and people development skills
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel

Why Join WPS?

At WPS, we're committed to creating thriving communities and improving lives. You'll have the opportunity to shape the customer experience across a key social housing contract while leading a dedicated and passionate team.

Our commitments: Do not remove this text

Wates is proud to be an employer where anyone can thrive, and we welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every requirement, as we value transferable skills and assess all applications fairly.

We don't discriminate based on a criminal record; all applications are reviewed on an individual basis against the requirements of the role. Some roles may require additional checks, due to the nature of the work. As a Disability Confident Leader, we offer an interview to applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for the role and opt in to the Disability Confident scheme. Reasonable adjustments are available, please contact us at [e-mail].