Head of Customer and Lending Operations (83EB6CB)

Referment; Greater London; Híbrido; GBP 120.000 - 180.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Referment is recruiting a Head of Customer and Lending Operations in London to provide strategic and operational leadership across customer service and lending activities. You will shape service standards, drive efficiency, and ensure excellent customer outcomes throughout onboarding, origination, servicing and collections.

This hybrid role requires building a high-performing management team, managing budgets, and delivering process improvements through data insight, technology, and automation

Formación

• Proven ability to lead customer operations within retail banking and lending.
• Experience building and coaching senior managers and driving performance.
• Strong track record of improving service levels and operational efficiency.
• Ability to analyse feedback, data and KPIs to prioritise improvements.

Responsabilidades

• Develop and implement the customer and lending operations strategy.
• Lead multi-channel customer operations and lending servicing/collections.
• Set standards for service quality, productivity and customer outcomes.
• Manage managers and hold teams to performance through reviews and coaching.
• Oversee onboarding, loan origination, servicing, repayment and collections.
• Implement quality controls and process improvements to raise efficiency.

Conocimientos

Leadership

Multi-channel ops

Budgeting

Stakeholder mgmt

Regulatory knowledge

Automation / tech

Descripción del empleo

Referment is working with a fully regulated UK challenger bank that is rebuilding retail banking around a mobile app, backed by long-term investors and a growing customer base. They are hiring a Head of Customer and Lending Operations to provide strategic and operational leadership across customer service and lending operations, setting service standards, improving processes and ensuring teams deliver effective support and good customer outcomes throughout the retail banking and lending journey.

You’ll lead customer operations across live chat, email, phone and social media, alongside lending servicing and collections, working closely with colleagues across the bank so operational delivery supports growth objectives and the product roadmap. The remit is broad: building and coaching an effective management team, managing budgets and workforce planning, and introducing the technology and automation needed to improve service at scale.

The role is based in London, working Monday to Friday on a hybrid basis, with office attendance expected two to three days a week to support collaboration.

The Role

• Develop and implement the customer and lending operations strategy, aligning it with the bank's overarching goals and vision.


• Lead customer operations across live chat, email, phone and social media, together with lending servicing and collections.


• Set clear standards for customer care, service quality and operational delivery, with KPIs covering service levels, quality, productivity and customer outcomes.


• Ensure managers within the function manage team and individual performance effectively, and hold them accountable for agreed objectives through clear expectations, regular reviews, coaching and fair, prompt handling of concerns.


• Oversee the customer journey across retail banking and lending, from onboarding and loan origination through servicing, repayment and collections.


• Implement quality controls and process improvements that lift operational performance and customer satisfaction.


• Analyse customer feedback, complaints and service data to identify patterns, resolve recurring issues and prioritise improvements.


• Introduce appropriate technology and automation to increase efficiency, support growth and improve the customer experience, and make sure customer feedback and operational requirements inform product development.


• Build, coach and develop an effective management team, with oversight of recruitment, onboarding, training and performance management across the function.


• Manage budgets, resources and workforce planning to meet customer demand and support the bank's growth.


• Develop and scale loan origination, servicing and collections processes, working closely with Credit Risk, Product and Compliance.


• Oversee support for customers experiencing financial difficulty or vulnerability, ensuring their circumstances are understood and appropriate support is provided.


• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, data protection standards and internal policies, and identify and manage operational risks, maintain effective controls and elevate material issues promptly.

What We're Looking For

• Substantial experience of leading customer operations within retail banking, together with practical lending experience.


• Proven experience of leading managers, developing their leadership skills and holding them accountable for team performance and productivity.


• Ability to set clear objectives and address underperformance fairly, with appropriate coaching, support and development.


• A track record of improving customer service and operational processes to support growth, efficiency and good customer outcomes.


• Understanding of how to support customers experiencing financial difficulty or vulnerability.


• Sound knowledge of operational risk, controls and the regulatory requirements relevant to retail banking and lending.


• Ability to use operational data, customer feedback and performance measures to inform decisions and prioritise improvements.


• Experience of managing budgets, resources and workforce planning.


• Strong stakeholder management and communication, with the ability to influence senior colleagues and explain operational priorities clearly.


• Experience of working collaboratively with Product, Technology, Credit Risk and Compliance, and of leading change through technology and automation.

This could suit a customer operations leader from retail or digital banking, perhaps a current Head of Customer Service, Head of Lending Operations or Head of Collections, who has run multi-channel servicing and lending operations and wants to own the full customer and lending operations function in a growing bank. #Referment