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Head of Customer Services

Contract: 2-year fixed term contract

Working hours: 35

Salary: London – £95,325 , Coventry - £91,225

Reporting to: Director of Customer Services (Executive)

Location: London Docklands or Coventry

O ur permanent hybrid policy sees us all working at least four days across a fortnight in the office.

The role’s primary purpose is to work with the Director of Customer Services (Executive) to set and deliver the Financial Ombudsman Service’s customer experience strategy to enable us to deliver excellent customer service.

The role is responsible for identifying ways we can improve the customer experience. To do this, the role will collaborate across the organisation to improve the customer journey, streamline, and create workflows to manage service complaints, and create a clear framework for resolution and consistency in any redress awarded.This means the role is responsible for the development, continuous improvement and delivery of customer service and the strategic development of operational requirements, process, and technology to deliver key service outcomes for customers across multiple channels.

This role will also embrace the opportunities presented by the Financial Ombudsman’s ongoing organisational-wide change and transformation - remaining flexible and adaptable in light of likely changes across the customer journey.

Key responsibilities

• Input to the development and implementation of Customer Experience, Knowledge, Vulnerability and Quality improvement plans, including agreeing priorities, and establishing adequate systems for ensuring that appropriate levels of governance and compliance are in place

• Leading and managing the portfolio of activities relating to your business area, embedding a customer-service culture across the organisation

• Owning the relationship with the Independent Assessor and responding to the annual report

• Ensuring market research insights drives continuous improvement and that key information is shared to improve our internal processes

• Providing expert guidance across the organisation, coaching your own team to ensure Customer Service, Quality, Vulnerability and Accessibility and Customer Complaints is embedded across all related activities

• Using insight from internal and external sources as appropriate, and ensuring that insight informs activity so we can be sure we’re focused on the right things for our customers

• Ensuring all Quality and Knowledge processes, systems, frameworks, and methods are in place, deployed, governed, and continuously improved in line with regulatory and organisation requirements.

• Ensuring there is overall governance and assurance of Quality performance across the organisation and Leading Customer and Quality improvements across the organisation through effective management of the frameworks and key stakeholders

• Providing effective guidance and support to the Customer Service Director, Chief Operating Officer and Ombudsman directors in all Customer Experience, Quality, Knowledge and Accessibility & Vulnerability matters

• Overseeing our approach to Accessibility and Vulnerability across the organisation. This includes ensuring that we are meeting our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010, so that the answers we give both are fair and feel fair to all customers.

• Ensuring there are independent audit reviews and reporting regarding the efficiency and effectiveness of Customer Experience, Quality and Accessibility Knowledge practices across the organisation

• Embedding a culture of Knowledge and best practice sharing across the organisation

• Playing your part as a Senior Leader to continuously evolve our culture, behaviours, and ability to improve service to our customers

• Managing the feedback from the Independent Assessor and overseeing escalated complaints

To be considered for this role, you’ll need to show us that you’ve got the skills and capabilities. You’ll have to meet the following minimum criteria:

Minimum Criteria

• Relevant experience of developing and leading high-performing teams, and improving customer experience - including quality in an operations environment.

• Strong stakeholder management skills up to Executive-level.

• Evidence of effective knowledge sharing within a professional services environment.

• Experience of leading and managing the customer journey and driving transformation initiatives to improve the customer experience of transformation.

• Project and budget management experience

• Strategy development and delivery.

Why Financial Ombudsman Service?

Our people are the most important part of delivering our purpose. If it wasn’t for their amazing efforts, ideas and commitment we wouldn’t be able to make a difference that we do today. So, we offer an attractive, competitive salary and flexible benefits to suit them.

Here’s a list of some of the many benefits and perks you can get for working with us:

• 25 days holiday entitlement, with the option to buy extra or sell days

• Generous pension

• Employer provided benefits such as Private medical insurance, virtual GP, Critical illness cover, Life assurance cover, to name a few

• Choice of voluntary benefits including Technology scheme, Cycle to work scheme, Will-writing service amongst others

• Employee Assistance Programme

• Extensive opportunities for personal and career development

• Fully equipped on-site gym open 24 / 7 (London office only)

• Extensive Well-being resources including on-site therapists (London office only)

• Beautiful and bright London office looking over the Thames and near to mainline stations

• Our Coventry office is 2 minutes’ walk from the main station

• Our employee led networks do fantastic work in educating and raising awareness across a range of experiences and support us in being an inclusive employer and a great place to work. You can get involved, too!

How do I apply?

Please apply by attaching a supporting statement addressing how you meet the minimum criteria as listed in the advert. In your own words, please also highlight why your experience makes you the right candidate for the role.

Applications need to be submitted by 11:59pm on Tuesday 26 August 2025

The selection process for this role will consist of completing an Employee Personality Profile assessment. The interview stage will consist of a presentation and interview.

Due to high application numbers this advert may end earlier than the date specified, so please don't delay and apply now!

A full job profile is available on request and will be provided to candidates shortlisted to the first stage of the assessment process.

We’re proud to be an inclusive employer

We view diversity as fundamental to our success and welcome applications from underrepresented groups across all communities.

We’re committed to being a great place to work– attracting and developing people from the widest possible range of backgrounds. We want everyone to perform at their best and feel able to be themselves. We understand that if we’re diverse and inclusive, we’ll better understand different perspectives, which is fundamental to our job resolving financial complaints.

We welcome applications from Black and other ethnic minority candidates, and female candidates, for all positions and particularly so for senior leader positions as they are under-represented within the Financial Ombudsman Service at this level.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. This means that we will put disabled candidates entering under the scheme through to the next stage of the recruitment process should they meet the minimum criteria for a role. A minimum criterion needs to be measurable from reviewing a candidate’s CV/supporting statement. Exceptions may apply if due to the volume of applications we are not able to interview all eligible candidates who qualify under the scheme. If you would like to speak to a member of our team about any reasonable adjustments you need, please email hrsupport@financial-ombudsman.org.uk and let us know your preferred method of contact.

Find out more

Check out below channels to find out more about everyday life at the Financial Ombudsman Service – and don’t forget to follow us while you’re there!

• LinkedIn: Financial Ombudsman Service

• Our careers page: https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/who-we-are/join-us

Good luck with your application!