Customer Fulfilment Team Manager in Leatherhead, Surrey

ESP Utilities is seeking a Customer Fulfilment Team Manager who will be responsible for leading a high-performing, customer-facing team. The role requires strong operational leadership with a focus on productivity, service delivery & compliance along with a commitment to meeting SLAs while maintaining excellent customer service. Industry experience is helpful but not essential; what matters most is the ability to manage people/performance, resolve issues and drive results in a fast-paced & customer-focused environment.

Key Accountabilities

• The Team Manager is responsible for the day-to-day leadership of the team, ensuring productivity, performance, and service delivery targets are achieved.
• The role includes monitoring KPIs, identifying improvement opportunities and simplifying processes to improve efficiency and quality.
• The role also involves coaching and supporting the team to maintain engagement, professionalism and strong customer service across key customer/consumer journey touchpoints.
• Working in a highly regulated industry, the Team Manager is expected to understand regulatory expectations & frameworks/SLAs and to be responsible for ensuring the team delivers a compliant performance against these.

Key Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Development
  • Motivate, coach, and develop the team through 1-to-1s, team meetings and regular feedback.
  • Ensure each team member receives a monthly review of their performance against productivity & quality targets, with insights used to support ongoing development & salary band evaluations.
  • Identify training needs and manage performance, including addressing underperformance.
  • Maintain high engagement and professional conduct.
• Operational Performance
  • Track & monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), productivity and service level agreements (SLAs) at both team & individual levels.
  • Lead process improvements to simplify and automate workflows.
  • Maintain up-to-date Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Customer Service
  • Ensure timely, high-quality service to customers (developers, ICPs, UIPs, SLPs).
  • Cultivate a ‘Think Customer’ mindset to ensure all customers, including vulnerable consumers and those on the Priority Services Register (PSR) receive the right level of help and support.
  • Handle escalations and complex queries fairly & in line with ESP Policies and the Industry Standards of Service.
  • Actively utilise the CRM system provided including regularly reviewing of all available Dashboards and Reporting.
  • Attend customer meetings face to face and/or via TEAMS, as appropriate.
• Strategic Account Management
  • Support Strategic Account Managers and their teams.
  • Maintain strong, collaborative relationships with key accounts.
  • Ensure clear & concise Meeting Reports are generated to accurately represent customer meetings.
  • Generate & present customer reporting to demonstrate performance, challenges & focus areas.
• Data, Reporting & Analysis
  • Create and deliver accurate performance reports.
  • Use data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
  • Present information at department and executive level.
  • Prepare & submit a comprehensive monthly summary of team performance.
• Regulatory Compliance
  • Submit all required reports to regulatory authorities including Ofgem & Ofwat in a timely manner.
  • Actively participate in all relevant Audits, including those conducted by KPMG/Elexon.
  • Utilise all available dashboards & reporting to monitor & measure compliance.
• Change & Continuous Improvement
  • Work closely with the Change Team to improve systems and processes.
  • Use continuous improvement tools (e.g., Six Sigma) to achieve process efficiency & simplification.
• Internal Collaboration
  • Communicate clearly & professionally with internal teams and leadership.
  • Prepare for and present to the monthly Operations Townhall Talk.
  • Work closely with peers to ensure a consistent approach to team management across the department.
  • Maintain a professional team reputation across the company by challenging respectfully and role modelling adherence to Company Policies.
  • Manage conduct, absence, and capability.
  • Hold timely performance and/or behaviour-related conversations, follow HR policies and maintain clear documentation / records.
  • Use return-to-work interviews, capability reviews and formal improvement plans as appropriate to address issues early, support individuals appropriately and protect overall team performance and morale.

Person Specification

We are looking for a confident and organised leader with strong communication skills, a customer-focused mindset, and the ability to motivate others, solve problems & adapt to change. Key requirements include:

• Experience leading and developing teams, including active performance management.
• The ability to manage productivity, analyse performance data and turn insight into action.
• A strong customer service focus, communication skills, and stakeholder management.
• A proactive and innovative approach to problem solving, continuous improvement and change.
• The ability to produce and present clear reports, confidently use Microsoft Office and maintain attention to detail.
• Utilities or distribution industry experience and knowledge of continuous improvement principles is an advantage but not essential.