Head of Client Liaison

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About Bristow and Sutor

Leaders in the debt recovery enforcement sector, the Bristow and Sutor Group of companies have been operating for over 40 years' supporting hundreds of local authorities and Transport for London. We have a strong UK team, employing 500 people all over the UK. We are committed to building a culture where everyone has the opportunity to do meaningful work and be both recognised and rewarded for their efforts.

Role Purpose

The Group Head of Client Liaison will contribute to the overall performance of Operations through their functional leadership and contribution as a member of the Operational Leadership Team and to the performance of the Group through participation as a member of the broader leadership team. The role is responsible for creating and leading an integrated and aligned, high performing client service function, supporting all post sale client engagement for Operations, in line with client and business expectations and through highly engaged colleagues. The role will also act as Chairperson for the Client Forum as part of operational governance.

Key Accountabilities and Main Responsibilities

1. Appoint and lead the Client Liaison team to drive day to day post sale operational engagement and support directly to clients, delivering a positive client experience and high quality of service, ensuring all KPIs are met or exceeded and that the company and brand values of B&S Group and its clients are represented and reinforced.
2. Set the strategy for the future development of the client journey and service provision, staying abreast of new best practice approaches and technology as well as the competition and broader market/industry, ensuring that we gain and maintain recognition for the quality of service.
3. Provide input to new business development and review contracts, bids and tender content to ensure B&S Group is represented in a compelling way and that our value proposition is appropriately storyboarded for Operations to support a winning submission: ensure that commitments are deliverable and develop implementation plans to operationalise new services and features as required.
4. Provide updates to our bid function on service developments to ensure content is always current and verify amendments to existing contracts and guidelines and implement required changes to the service provision.
5. Work collaboratively with the Sales team to understand required client commitments from the specification and tender response and communicate throughout Operations to ensure clarity from service commencement.
6. Own end to end client engagement and associated processes, from pre-service commencement to onboarding and throughout the client lifecycle, managing all client liaison on behalf of Operations from client portal training and client enquiries to delivery of MI and reporting, ensuring a proactive, agile and responsive approach and positive client experience and partnership.
7. Drive high performance client NPS scores and nurture successful partnerships for both new and existing clients to engender positive client referral and recommendation. Ensure action plans are developed and delivered in response to client survey feedback.
8. Act as Operations sponsor and own the client set-up and onboarding systems and tools and any client facing portal, determining future priorities and requirements on behalf of Operations, ensuring that these meet or exceed client and operational requirements and set us apart from the competition.
9. Proactively propose proposition and process changes based on client experience and feedback and act as the client advocate, using insight gained directly from clients, client satisfaction surveys and suggestions from the team and wider Operations colleagues, to champion change to enhance the client experience.
10. Lead and chair the Client Forum as part of Operations governance framework, anticipating the pipeline of future bids and new clients and monitoring delivery to client expectations.
11. Work in strong collaboration with Client Delivery and Account Managers, alerting to any potential issues in advance of client meetings and fielding/coordinating any issues which may emerge on behalf of Operations. Ensure future new case instruction volumes are appropriately forecast by clients and signposted to Operations to allow anticipation of future work requirements.
12. Ensure the Client Liaison team delivers service in a compliant manner, consistent with FCA 'treating customer fairly' guidelines as required, statutes and regulations, B&S Group policies, procedures and processes, and in line with GDPR requirements, involving other internal departments as necessary.
13. Lead, inspire, motivate and coach the Client Liaison team and wider team to foster engagement amongst colleagues at all levels.
14. Establish a culture of performance and talent development, ensuring team capability in line with client requirements and supporting the ongoing development of client service colleagues at all levels, through successful deployment of the quality management system, management framework, competency framework and career pathways.
15. Deliver client services in line with agreed budget.
16. Act as the ultimate point of escalation for any calls or complaints related to either client service performance or client practice.

Technical Competency Requirements

1. Proven experience of leading client service operations and developing strong and successful client partnerships in support of future growth.
2. Experience of leading a team of client relationship managers and related operational support functions through periods of growth, transition or change.
3. Obsessive client focus and evidence of acting as strong client advocate and influencing positive client outcomes.
4. Excellent leadership and communications skills to lead and motivate a changing and demanding service operation.
5. Ability to be hands on when required with a pragmatic outlook, knowledge of what good looks like in client engagement and partnership and motivation to take us on the journey to get us there.
6. Commercial, client and colleague focused, inspirational leader with an ability to flex between a strategic and operational/tactical focus.
7. Drive to put the client first, strive for continuous improvement and achieve great client and business outcomes.
8. Sound analytical skills with the ability to convert complex data into a tactical action plan.
9. Inclusive and collaborative approach.
10. High energy, positive attitude, flexible and adaptable.

Benefits:

What's in it for you?

• Basic Salary of up to £70,000 per annum plus discretionary bonus
• Company pension plan
• Company Life Assurance Plan
• 25 days paid annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Cash Plan
• Private Medical Insurance
• On-Site Car Park

Contract: Full-time, permanent, directly employed (PAYE)

The successful applicant would be required to undertake a DBS and CCJ check before an offer of employment is made.

Bristow and Sutor Group is an equal opportunities employer. It promotes a culture where diversity is valued, respected and built upon, attracts and retains a workforce based on merit and ability and is reflective of the communities it is part of.