Head of Centre For Excellence jobs

JOB DESCRIPTION

HEAD OF CUSTOMER CARE

Salary Guide:

£65,000 - £75,000 DOE

ROLE PURPOSE

The Head of Customer Care is responsible for leading and transforming the customer care function into a high-performing, customer-centric, and data-driven department that delivers exceptional customer experiences while driving operational efficiency and continuous improvement.

This role requires a commercially aware and strategically minded leader who can analyse operational and customer data, identify opportunities for improvement, lead change initiatives, and build a culture of accountability, performance, and service excellence.

The successful candidate will provide leadership across all customer touchpoints, ensuring the department operates proactively rather than reactively, with a strong focus on customer satisfaction, process optimisation, team development, and business performance.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategic Leadership & Customer Experience

• Develop and implement the Customer Care strategy aligned with wider business objectives.
• Champion a customer-first culture across the organisation, embedding service excellence and accountability throughout the department.
• Use customer insight, complaints analysis, Trustpilot feedback, and operational performance data to drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Identify emerging customer trends, operational risks, and service improvement opportunities proactively.
• Act as a senior stakeholder in customer experience and operational decision-making.

2. Operational Management & Service Delivery

• Lead the day-to-day performance of the Customer Care function, ensuring high levels of service delivery across all communication channels.
• Ensure all SLAs, KPIs, quality standards, and customer service objectives are consistently achieved.
• Drive improvements in response times, first-contact resolution, complaint handling, and escalation management.
• Oversee workforce planning, resource allocation, and departmental structure to ensure operational efficiency and scalability.
• Create clear accountability frameworks across management and frontline teams.

3. Data Analysis, Reporting & Commercial Insight

• Analyse customer service, operational, and commercial data to identify trends, root causes, and performance improvement opportunities.
• Develop and maintain meaningful KPI dashboards and reporting frameworks.
• Present operational insights and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Use data to support decision-making, forecasting, resource planning, and strategic initiatives.
• Monitor departmental productivity, service quality, and cost-to-serve metrics.

4. Process Improvement & Change Management

• Continuously review and improve customer service processes, systems, and workflows to improve efficiency and customer outcomes.
• Lead operational improvement and transformation initiatives across the customer journey.
• Identify opportunities for automation, technology enhancements, and process standardisation.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, Logistics, CRM, and IT teams to resolve service issues and improve customer experience.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement throughout the department.

5. Leadership, Coaching & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop Customer Care Managers, Team Leaders, and wider department teams.
• Build a high-performance culture focused on accountability, engagement, development, and customer excellence.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, coaching sessions, and succession planning activities.
• Ensure robust onboarding, training, and development frameworks are implemented across the department.
• Manage performance issues effectively and in line with company procedures.

6. Governance, Risk & Quality Assurance

• Ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Implement and maintain quality assurance frameworks and service governance standards.
• Manage high-risk customer escalations and sensitive complaints professionally and commercially.
• Ensure accurate reporting, documentation, and audit readiness across all customer service processes.
• Protect brand reputation through effective service recovery and issue resolution.

7. Financial & Operational Efficiency

• Monitor productivity, staffing levels, and operational costs.
• Drive improvements in departmental performance through effective planning, process optimisation, and resource management.
• Support sustainable operational growth through scalable customer service strategies.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential Experience

• Proven experience leading a complex Customer Service or Customer Care function.
• Experience managing multi-level teams within a fast-paced operational environment.
• Strong background in customer service operations, performance management, and service improvement.
• Demonstrable experience using data and operational insight to drive business improvements.
• Experience leading change management and operational transformation initiatives.
• Experience managing SLAs, KPIs, customer complaints, and escalation processes.

Essential Skills & Competencies

• Strategic thinking and commercial awareness
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability
• Excellent leadership and people management skills
• Data interpretation and reporting capability
• Operational planning and organisational skills
• Strong communication and stakeholder management
• Decision-making under pressure
• Ability to influence cross-functional teams
• Continuous improvement mindset
• High levels of accountability and resilience

Preferred Experience

• Experience within a multi-channel customer operation
• CRM and customer service platform experience
• Process improvement exposure
• Advanced Excel and reporting capability
• Experience managing Trustpilot or customer review platforms

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

The Head of Customer Care will be accountable for delivering and improving key departmental metrics, including:

• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)
• First Contact Resolution (FCR)
• SLA Achievement
• Complaint Reduction
• Escalation Resolution
• Trustpilot Rating Improvement
• Productivity & Efficiency Metrics
• Quality Assurance Scores
• Employee Engagement & Retention
• Cost-to-Serve Reduction
• Service Improvement Delivery
• Operational Performance Against Budget

BEHAVIOURS & LEADERSHIP EXPECTATIONS

• Leads by example with professionalism, accountability, and integrity
• Demonstrates proactive and strategic thinking
• Challenges inefficiencies and drives improvement
• Builds strong relationships across departments
• Creates a culture of ownership and continuous learning
• Remains calm and solutions-focused under pressure
• Encourages collaboration, innovation, and high performance
• Maintains a strong customer-centric mindset at all times

Pay: £65,000.00-£75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Additional leave
• Bereavement leave
• Casual dress
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee discount
• Free parking
• Health & wellbeing programme
• On-site parking
• Referral programme

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Huddersfield HD2 1UA: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Application question(s):

• Do you have at least 3 years experience leading a customer contact centre?

Work Location: In person