Customer Service & Planning Manager

At Howden Work Surfaces, we are committed to delivering exceptional service, operational excellence, and a customer journey that reflects our reputation for quality. As our new Customer Service & Planning Manager, you will lead a large and diverse function that plays a vital role in shaping our customer experience, driving long-term service strategy, and ensuring our operational planning supports continued growth. This role is ideal for a strategic, forward-thinking leader who thrives on developing people, improving processes, and setting a clear direction for future success.

Overview

• Location | Normanton, West Yorkshire (minimum 4 days a week in the office)
• Contract | Full-time, permanent
• Reporting to | Head of Customer Service & Planning

Why Join Howdens as a Customer Service & Planning Manager:

As Customer Service & Planning Manager, you will play a pivotal leadership role with direct influence over our service operation, planning function, and key customer touchpoints. Joining Howdens gives you the opportunity to:

• Lead at scale – You’ll manage a team of line managers and influence more than 70 colleagues across customer service, planning, and sales order processing.
• Shape long-term strategy – You will help design and deliver a service proposition that supports a £90 million sales opportunity and enhances the full customer journey from order to installation.
• Make a measurable operational impact – You’ll collaborate across supply, field operations, depots, builders, and end customers as well as the wider service function to drive performance, reduce NRFT (Not right first time), and improve service outcomes.
• Be a central point of leadership – As a critical link between customer expectations and operational delivery, your insight and decision-making will directly influence business performance.
• Drive cultural and capability growth – You’ll play a key role in developing team leaders, upskilling teams, embedding best practice, and shaping a high-performing, customer-focused culture.

This role is for a confident, influential leader with the ambition to create meaningful, long-term change.

What Will You Be Doing as a Customer Service & Planning Manager

You will own the end-to-end management of the customer service and planning function, ensuring smooth delivery, strategic alignment, and exceptional customer outcomes across all touchpoints. In this role, you will:

• Oversee the complete customer journey for quartz supply, ensuring service excellence throughout.
• Lead two senior team leaders and four Team Leaders across Customer Service, Planning, Template & Installation, and Sales Order Processing, guiding their development and improving departmental performance.
• Manage relationships with depots, builders, field teams, and end users, serving as a key point of escalation.
• Develop and implement customer service policies, ensuring consistency, quality, and operational efficiency.
• Manage customer complaints, NRFT (Not Right First Time) cases, and compensation budgets with a focus on root cause reduction and long-term improvement.
• Create and enhance service propositions that support business growth and operational targets.
• Analyse data, customer feedback, and service performance to drive better decision-making and strategic planning.
• Ensure supply is managed within budget and aligned with agreed production schedules.
• Train, support, and develop staff across all customer-facing teams, ensuring capability and confidence at every level.
• Strengthen cross-department working to improve interdependencies, ensure smooth operations, and enhance overall service delivery.

This role demands strong leadership presence, exceptional organisational ability, and a strategic approach to continuous improvement.

What Do You Need to Qualify for the Customer Service & Planning Manager Role

We’re looking for a forward-thinking, commercially aware leader with the capability and confidence to manage large, multifunctional teams and shape long-term operational strategy. You will bring:

• Significant experience managing large customer service operations, ideally across multiple functions and high-volume environments.
• Proven leadership capability, with experience managing teams of 70+ and developing future leaders.
• Strong industry knowledge, ideally in solid surfaces, manufacturing, or high-volume call centre operations.
• A strategic mindset supported by analytical ability, enabling you to make informed decisions and create long-term improvement plans.
• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with teams at all levels, both internally and externally.
• Confidence in utilising ERP systems and technology to enhance service performance.
• Exceptional communication, organisational, and decision-making skills.
• A proactive, improvement-focused approach with the ability to lead through change.

What We Can Offer

• Competitive salary and bonus scheme.
• Company car or car allowance.
• Excellent pension scheme (company contribution up to 12%).
• Free daily meal at on-site canteen.
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays, with the option to buy extra days.
• Share save scheme.
• Exceptional reward and recognition events.

About Howdens

Howdens Joinery is the UK’s number one trade kitchen supplier providing thousands of products across kitchens, joinery, and hardware. We have over 900 depots throughout the UK and Europe – making us the first choice for more than 460,000 loyal trade professionals. With an ambitious and credible growth plan, we continue to build on our £2.3 billion sales made last year. There is a strong entrepreneurial ethos and the opportunity to develop within a fast-paced and commercial environment. That, along with a competitive salary, development opportunities, and exciting rewards, are among the reasons why our people enjoy working for Howdens – and why we have been named as one of the 10 Best Big Companies to Work For.

How To Apply

We are shaping a future where exceptional service, innovation, and sustainability are at the core of everything we do. If you’re looking for a place where you can lead with impact, influence meaningful change, and continue advancing your career, Howdens could be the perfect fit, and we encourage you to apply today. Howdens is founded on the principle of being Worthwhile for ALL concerned. We’re working hard to ensure we provide an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome. We will do everything we can to support you during your application. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, please email recruitmentteam@howdens.com with the job title and location, and we will be happy to help you.