Customer Operations Manager

Job summary

As a Customer Operations Manager, you'll play a key role in delivering high quality, customer focused services that make a real difference to both internal and external customers. You'll be responsible for supporting an excellent customer experience, ensuring services are delivered efficiently, consistently and in line with organisational standards and performance targets.

This is an opportunity to bring together people leadership, operational management and customer service expertise in a role that contributes directly to organisational success. Working closely with senior leaders and stakeholders, you'll use customer insight, data and feedback to identify opportunities for improvement, support service enhancements and help deliver positive change.

If you're passionate about customer experience, service improvement, operational leadership and continuous improvement, this role offers the opportunity to support and develop a successful team while helping to shape the future of customer services across the organisation.

The Planning Inspectorate has a long and proud history in ensuring a fair planning system for England. The work we do has a significant impact on people’s lives, the communities where they live and the economy.

We want our colleagues to be able to work more flexibly and more collaboratively, exploring new and innovative ways to improve the way we provide services.

For further information on the Planning Inspectorate, please visit our careers page at Civil Service Careers

Be part of the Operational Delivery Profession (ODP)

This role is part of the Operational Delivery Profession – the largest profession in the Civil Service, with over 290,000 members. ODP professionals are the public face of government, delivering essential services to millions of people every day. As a member of this profession, you’ll have access to a wide range of development opportunities, a supportive community, and a clear framework to grow your career.

To learn more about the Operational Delivery Profession, visitODP Civil Service Careers Page

Job description

In this role, you'll lead the day to day delivery of the Customer Team, ensuring customers receive a professional, timely, and consistent service. You'll provide leadership and support to the team, manage performance, oversee service delivery against agreed standards, and act as the senior escalation point for complex complaints and customer issues. Working closely with operational leaders and stakeholders, you'll use customer insight, feedback, and performance data to identify trends, improve services, and enhance the overall customer experience.

You'll be responsible for ensuring effective processes, governance, and controls are in place across customer operations, including records management, data protection compliance, reporting, and risk management. You'll work collaboratively across the organisation to understand customer needs, address service challenges, and support continuous improvement initiatives. As a leader, you'll coach and develop team members, champion wellbeing and inclusion, and create an environment where colleagues can perform at their best.

You'll be accountable for the performance and effectiveness of the Customer Team, ensuring services are delivered to a high standard and contribute to organisational objectives. This includes maintaining compliance with relevant legislation, policies, and procedures, safeguarding organisational data, providing accurate management information and customer insights, and driving improvements that strengthen service quality and customer satisfaction. You'll play a key role in fostering a customer focused culture and ensuring lessons learned from customer feedback are translated into meaningful action.

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. Internal rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

This role is being advertised at SEO Grade which has a salary of £46,689.

Working hours:

Standard working week is 37 hours, part time at 30 hours or above, flexible working hours policy available

Office Attendance

This role is contractually based at our office in Bristol, 10-minute walk from Temple Meads train station. We recognise and value the mutual benefits of hybrid working and have a flexible approach to in person attendance, which can vary dependent on the requirements of individual business units - the details of which can be discussed with candidates if invited to attend an interview. Excitingly, we're relocating to a brand new office in December, while maintaining excellent transport links with Bristol Temple Meads station still just a 10 minute walk away.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Significant experience leading customer service and complaints teams, delivering improvements in customer outcomes and operational performance.

• Experience leading, managing and developing teams, including supporting colleagues and maintaining performance through periods of change.

• Significant experience analysing complex information, applying judgement and making informed decisions.

• Experience improving service quality through the use of data, insight and customer feedback to set standards and monitor performance.

• Experience of information and records management, using evidence and data to support service delivery and continuous improvement.

• Experience building effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, working independently and recognising when issues should be escalated.

For guidance on how to structure your application please visit: About the application process , Civil Service Careers

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Developing Self and Others
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Significant experience leading customer service and complaints teams, delivering improvements in customer outcomes and operational performance.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £46,689, Planning Inspectorate contributes £13,525 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Flexible working options, including flexi-time, part-time, compressed h