Customer Communications Squad Manager in Swindon

Are you a natural people leader, with a passion for creating and delivering the very best customer communications? Do you understand the crucial role that communications play in the moments that matter to our customers? Do you know how to develop a continual improvement mindset within a team, inspiring high performance, and optimal ways of working?

In the Legal Regulatory & Mandatory (LRM) Customer Communications team, we put customers at the heart of everything we do. We write, design, and produce millions of critical communications to help customers manage their accounts day-to-day and to make good financial decisions at the right time.

As a Centre of Excellence, we apply behavioural science, plain numbers methodology and consumer understanding principles to all communications so that they are empathetic and easily understood by customers. We deliver them as part of a clear, consistent and optimised journey that defines and enhances the customer experience.

You’ll be joining us at an exciting time of expansion. We’re increasing the number of our specialist squads to support more business areas across the society with their Customer Communications. Each squad will work closely with subject matter experts to understand and prioritise communication requirements; using their expertise to design and create the very best customer centric communications. These communications are delivered traditionally through post, SMS, push, email and online (app and online servicing).

We write all our communications, design them, test them where necessary, and work with our comms development and distribution partners to produce and send them. The communications that we produce are inspired by customer insight, behavioural science, and align to the Nationwide Communication Standards. Our squads will also need to appreciate how data can be used to template communications and drive personalised communications.

This is a 12-month Fixed Term Contract. At Nationwide, we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK-wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected. For this job you'll spend at least two days per week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, based at either our Swindon, London or Bournemouth office. If you are aligned to our Glasgow hub (as this is your nearest location), there will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues for collaboration events.

If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here.

Responsibilities

The Squad Manager reports to the Squad Lead and works closely with the other managers in the team. It’s a great opportunity to influence, and to play a key role in delivering Nationwide’s ambition of being a modern mutual and a ‘challenger’ to the big banks. As a Squad Manager, you will be accountable for the delivery of industry leading regulatory communications through your squad. You will lead your squad day-to-day, instilling a one-team mentality where everyone’s unique skills are pointed towards the same end goal: the efficient design and delivery of industry leading and compliant customer communications.

To achieve this, you will manage demand to ensure that the squad remains focused on delivering against agreed priorities to the very highest quality. You will also ensure that the squad operates as one team, championing communication and collaborative ways of working. You will work with and influence colleagues from across the wider business, such as product, data, risk, comms development and distribution, legal and others. You will also partner with colleagues from our creative, design and strategic agencies to optimise customer communication experiences.

As a people leader within LRM Customer Communications, you will play a key role as both role model and coach, creating a positive squad mentality and building a culture of continuous improvement.

About you

For this role, you will:

• Evidence a positive, continual improvement mindset, with examples of driving change or improving outcomes within communications or delivery environments.
• Demonstrate significant experience in communications leadership, including defining and delivering high-quality customer communications that balance business and customer needs.
• Show proven experience of leading, developing and managing teams, including setting direction, managing performance and supporting capability growth.
• Evidence experience of managing multiple priorities, coordinating team and third-party resources, and delivering against competing deadlines.
• Bring experience of designing and delivering personalised, data-driven communications, or clear evidence of working with data led tools and templating solutions.
• Deliver end-to-end communication activity, from insight led briefing through to design, production, delivery and performance monitoring.
• Create and deliver communications across multiple channels, such as print, digital, SMS, push notifications and video.
• Lead through change and embed new ways of working, with examples of improving processes, tools or team approaches.
• Use workflow or project management tools to manage delivery, such as Adobe Workfront or similar systems.
• Evidence experience of working in, or leading, a squad based or cross functional delivery environment.

Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:

• Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind.
• Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand.
• Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development.
• Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes.

You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.

The extras you’ll get

There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:

• 25 days holiday, pro rata.
• Access to private medical insurance.
• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement.
• Access to an annual performance-related bonus.
• Training and development to help you progress your career.
• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme.
• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death.
• Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness.
• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year.

Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society. We forge our own path at Nationwide. As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives. If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us. At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community, we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society. We are purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.

What to do next

If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us. We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.