UK Immigration Manager / Senior Manager

Hybrid working – Five days in the office (if 3-month probation successful, then two days office, three days remote). Location – London, UK.

About us: K2 X Border is an independent immigration service provider part of the K2 Group that provides comprehensive services to corporate and individual clients. We work as a business partner in support of our clients’ HR and mobility functions. Headquartered in Guildford, UK, K2 serves every location worldwide via our regional hubs located in North America, Europe, Scandinavia, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia. Managing a global network of over 1,000 specialist approved partners worldwide, K2 specialises in delivering an extraordinarily high standard of service on every assignment. Our skilled teams deliver international mobility support to blue chip clients across all continents, supporting HR teams in over 15 industries- from financial services to global retailers. We’re independent, ambitious, entrepreneurial, diligent go-getters and we believe in delivering only the best for our customers. What sets us apart is our people. We employ the best and allow them to be the best they can be. K2 has the unique family feel, and the successful candidate will not just be joining a company, but also the K2 Family.

The Role: The UK Manager / Senior Manager is a positive and enthusiastic team player; one confident of his/her knowledge and experienced managing direct reports, client engagements, immigration cases and contributing to the K2 culture. As UK Manager / Senior Manager you are responsible for developing and managing a portfolio of clients independently and together with direct reports. You will be responsible for the coverage and delivery of immigration matters in line with the K2 model in the UK. You will advise, guide and mentor clients and colleagues in all matters of compliance pertaining to immigration. To manage and track all aspects of an applicant’s visa, serving as the Clients/Applicant’s primary point of contact. You will at all times lead by example, and contribute to the growth and overall performance of the department.

Hours of work: Monday to Friday 8.30am – 5.30pm. Hybrid working applies after successful completion of probation, two days based in our London City office as needed to perform the role and build relationships which is an integral part of the K2 culture within the business.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Account Management: Build strong and lasting relationships with clients. Lead and partake in the implementation when onboarding new accounts. Create an account service brief for immigration services and obtain all documentation required to deliver services. Continue to update service brief as account policies change. Lead and/or accompany account meetings pertaining to quarterly reviews, process updates and provide quarterly account reports. Maintain applicant database, track and report on permit renewals/cancellations. Ensure all reports are updated and sent out to the client account manager in line with Account Brief, in a timely manner, meeting deadlines. Receive and approve invoices from suppliers pertaining to case portfolio. Ensure they are processed and filed accordingly. Attend relevant events with government bodies keeping abreast of all location updates.
• Business Development: Represent K2 in formal settings, including industry events as both participant and speaker. Present services for new and prospective clients.
• Client Services: Initiate, manage and execute (when applicable) all immigration services to be delivered. Assume responsibility and accountability ensuring all services are delivered in a timely manner and in compliance with company policies and guidelines. Proactively follow up on a regular basis until full completion and support other connected K2 global teams to ensure there is productive teamwork, which is essential for service excellence. Ensure all files are set up in accordance to K2 policy and ASCENT (K2 database) is completed accurately and promptly so all information is recorded in a timely manner. Provide timely follow up and reminders on active cases to employee and/or HR/ Global Mobility Teams. Proactively manage and handle escalations with close follow up and ensure a positive outcome for K2, the account and the applicant. Provide clear and concise information to the HR/ Assignee and propose best options for their situation ensuring legal compliance is maintained. Aim at all times for high service delivery, at every client touch point, generating enthusiastically satisfied clients.
• K2 Team: Manage a team of direct reports. Support the UK Immigration Leader with day-to-day management of the UK function as required. To mentor and assist the team in the UK to consistently provide service excellence. Proactively identify any issues that may arise, and troubleshoot whilst identifying the root cause to eliminate further reoccurrences. Contribute to and/or lead bi-weekly Team Meeting and gather requests/information from your team. Partake in regular reviews of all services delivered. Suggest improvements to structure of services offered and recommend new products and services, where appropriate.

Experience: Skills / Abilities & Knowledge:

• Mandatory: minimum 7 years’ experience with managing UK immigration casework (Skilled Worker, GBM, Leave to Remain, Entry Clearance, ILR and Citizenship/Naturalisation).
• Mandatory: IAA Accreditation at Level 1 or higher UK case work in corporate and general immigration experience in an IAA regulated or law firm environment.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy with data management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Consultative and pro-active approach.
• Ability to work independently as well as being a team player.
• Be able to think quickly and creatively.
• Effective time management and organisational skills.
• Able to be flexible in a changing working environment.
• Ability to display confidence and professionalism in all client interactions.

Accountability: for GDPR & ISO: As part of the role, the job holder will be responsible for the processing of information, which may be special category data by nature. The job holder is obliged to follow the company Data Protection, Information Security Policies. Full compliance and understanding whilst demonstrating full principles of all accredited ISO regulations.

Benefits:

• 28 days annual leave increasing with years of service.
• Birthday leave.
• Enhanced Maternity & Paternity pay.
• Private Medical Insurance after 1 years’ service.
• Role related Bonus.
• Company Cash Plan.

K2 was recertified globally as a Great Place To Work®. Great Place To Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. To obtain the Great Place To Work® accreditation, a company must show that everyone who works for them has a consistently positive experience. They must prove that their leaders are caring and foster an environment in which everyone has a purpose, can contribute new ideas, and is able to access the resources that they need to thrive in their role. As part of the Great Place To Work® certification, companies are scored within areas including trust, values, and leadership. K2’s Trust Index score is 90%, our Values score is 88%, and our Leadership Effectiveness score is 92%. These scores provide us with further proof that we have built a business which nurtures, inspires and challenges our people, giving them everything they need to perform at the highest level. The result? A passionate team, perfectly positioned to deliver an exceptional customer experience.

K2 are a Disability Confident Committed Employer. Equal Opportunities: K2 has a strong commitment to achieving equality of opportunity and expects all employees to implement and promote this in their own work. All candidates require proof that they have the right to work. Satisfactory references will be required and undertake a pre-employment health check. Please contact the HR team at hr@k2group.com if you need reasonable adjustments to participate in the recruitment process.