Director of Customer Experience

Have you dreamt of a different way of life that has a true work/life balance, with the ability to live and immerse yourself in one of Scotland’s most idyllic locations, and at the same time, develop and progress your career in a challenging and rewarding environment?

If so then this could be that once in a lifetime opportunity!

A dream location for many, mountains sweep down to the fishing port of Oban, known as ‘Scotland’s Seafood Capital’. This Victorian resort is full of life, with ferries to the Hebrides coming and going, bars and streets packed with shops, and buoyant with local music, food, performing arts and cultural festivals.

North of Oban, two picturesque peninsulas – Benderloch and Appin – offer great walking and cycling routes, and nearby is a plethora of historical sites and monuments, and of course there is no shortage of water sports for the more adventurous, or Islands to explore.

This is a truly stunning part of Scotland, rural in nature, with good transportation and access to major cities Inverness, Glasgow, Stirling and Edinburgh in a matter of a few hours.

Working in Oban & Lorn is more than a career opportunity, it is an opportunity to change your way of life!

The Opportunity

Formed in 2000 as a result of a merger between Lorn & The Isles HA and Oban Housing Association, West Highland Housing Association (WHHA) is one of around 250 registered housing associations operating in Scotland, providing accommodation for both families and individuals in housing and have an ongoing development programme for new-build housing in small rural communities and on the islands. In 2015 WHHA joined Link Group – the 2^nd largest RSL based in Scotland, whilst remaining an independent organisation with its own voluntary Board comprising 12 elected members.

The organisation has homes across a widespread area including the Lorn area and the Inner Hebridean Islands including Oban, Islay, Jura, Colonsay, Mull, Iona, Tiree and Luing. In addition to this WHHA manage around 110 properties at Dunbeg on behalf of Link Group.

Through the organisation’s work with Link, WHHA has substantial plans for the development of high-quality affordable housing in Oban and Dunbeg area.  Link is committed to this as part of their plans for 3,200 affordable houses throughout Scotland, including 300 new homes in the Oban area by 2021.

This is a fantastically exciting time, and period of change for West Highland Housing Association, as it evolves to become a more digitally led and customer centric organisation.

As part of its expansion, we are looking to appoint a new Director of Customer Experience, a newly created position, to join as part of the Strategic Leadership Team.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a people-oriented customer service leader to join a growing organisation at a critical point in its history.

You will have the opportunity to lead key change initiatives, including the digitisation of our services and the introduction of new, innovative value add services. You will have the ability to truly influence the organisation, developing both cultural and operating principles of the organisation, all with the intention to drive customer experience and delivering excellent services.

The individual will assume responsibility for the following [but not limited to];

• Overall leadership of the customer service function, inspiring and motivating those around them
• The management of front-line housing and customer services in line with the organisational strategy and business plan
• Supporting the development of digital services, including the development of the customer portal, for customers and ensuring their effective use
• The management of feedback and complaints services, and associated remediation action plans on the back of this
• The development and delivery of in-house training/briefing sessions designed at driving and maintaining improvements in customer service levels
• Increasing and promoting opportunities for customers to engage within our new engagement strategy

Candidate Requirements

We are seeking to appoint an inspiring leader who has a track record of coaching, developing and improving customer service functions and ultimately driving improvements in customer experience.

Whilst it would be advantageous to have an understanding of social housing and/or care, we will consider candidates from a variety of customer service/experience backgrounds who possess the right leadership and character attributes to operate in the social housing sector.

The individual will possess most of the following;

• A strong customer focus with the ability to develop processes and systems to suit specific customer demographic
• Demonstrable leadership abilities and first-class communication skills
• Experience of managing customer feedback cycles and complaint processes
• Strong influencing skills and the ability to motivate and inspire their teams and colleagues
• Working knowledge of supportive customer technology such as CRM systems, AI and automation technology
• The ability to think strategically, interpret and analyse complex issues with speed and accuracy, and communicate them effectively and credibly to a variety of audiences
• Experience of managing continuous improvement projects/programmes in a customer service environment
• Understanding of challenges created by delivering services in remote and island locations

To download the full candidate brochure and learn more about the opportunity please click here.

To arrange a confidential discussion, please send a CV and covering letter to jamie@fwbparkbrown.com or call 0131 539 7087.