Customer Relations Team Manager

Customer Relations Team Manager

Department: Client Management

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Preston

Reporting To: Zita Flanigan

This is a fantastic opportunity the best candidates in customer relations and complaints leadership are motivated by customer advocacy, leadership, regulatory excellence and making a genuine impact on customer outcomes. Customer Relations Team Manager

Customer Relations & Customer Experience
Preston | Hybrid Working

Exceptional customer experiences don't happen by chance. They are created by passionate leaders who empower their teams to do the right thing, every time.

We're looking for an experienced Customer Relations Team Manager to lead a multi-disciplined team responsible for customer complaints, escalated contacts, Financial Ombudsman Service referrals and customer advocacy across our insurance claims business.

This is a pivotal leadership role where you'll influence customer outcomes, drive regulatory excellence and help shape how we continually improve our service. You'll lead a talented team of Customer Relations Handlers, Senior Handlers, FOS Specialists and Administrators, creating a culture that puts customers at the heart of everything we do.

If you're passionate about leadership, customer fairness and delivering outstanding service in a regulated environment, we'd love to hear from you.

As Customer Relations Team Manager, you'll be responsible for ensuring complaints and customer concerns are investigated thoroughly, resolved fairly and handled in line with FCA regulations, Consumer Duty principles and industry best practice.

You'll be the driving force behind a high-performing team, using insight, coaching and operational expertise to enhance quality, improve customer outcomes and identify opportunities to strengthen our wider business processes.

This is a role where you'll make a genuine difference, not only to customers, but also to the development of your people and the future success of the business.

• Lead, motivate and develop a multi-disciplined team of Customer Relations professionals.
• Create a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Deliver regular coaching, mentoring and performance reviews to help colleagues reach their potential.
• Foster employee engagement, wellbeing and career development.
• Identify future talent and succession opportunities across the function.
• Build confidence and capability within the team through effective leadership and support.

• Oversee the investigation and resolution of customer complaints and escalated enquiries.
• Ensure complaints are resolved fairly, consistently and within regulatory deadlines.
• Act as escalation point for complex, sensitive or high-risk customer cases.
• Promote customer advocacy by ensuring vulnerability, distress and individual customer circumstances are fully considered.
• Maintain exceptional standards of customer communication, both written and verbal.
• Review and approve complaint responses and redress proposals where appropriate.

You’ll serve as a regulatory expert and champion best practice across the function, maintaining compliance with:

• FCA requirements
• Consumer Duty
• DISP Complaint Handling Rules
• Treating Customers Fairly principles
• ICOBS requirements
• GDPR and Data Protection legislation
• Financial Ombudsman Service expectations
• Vulnerability guidance and customer outcome frameworks

You’ll also ensure regulatory developments are embedded effectively into operational processes and colleague training.

• Analyse complaints data, customer feedback and operational MI to identify trends and opportunities.
• Monitor service levels, complaint volumes, FOS referrals, uphold rates and quality outcomes.
• Conduct root cause analysis and support business-wide improvement initiatives.
• Use customer feedback and complaint insight to influence process improvements across the wider claims operation.
• Partner with key stakeholders to deliver meaningful change that improves customer outcomes and operational performance.

• Work closely with insurers, clients, operational teams, compliance, risk and senior leadership.
• Act as a trusted expert on complaint handling, customer…