At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead customer experience initiatives, focusing on automation and AI to enhance service delivery.
- Company: Join Nationwide, a purpose-driven mutual bank committed to fairer finances.
- Benefits: Enjoy 30 days holiday, private medical insurance, and a competitive pension.
- Other info: Hybrid working model with opportunities for professional growth and development.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by improving customer outcomes and driving innovation in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership in customer experience, automation, and operational performance.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
As we accelerate the next phase of Group Customer Operations, aligned to the Nationwide Blueprint, our Modern Mutual ambition and our strategic priorities, we are advertising a maternity cover opportunity for a high-performing Head of Customer Experience, Intelligence and Automation. This is a high-impact leadership role at the centre of journey ownership, GCO performance, customer intelligence, automation and AI. The agenda is clear, strategically important and outcome-led: we need to maintain pace, strengthen delivery and continue turning insight, journey performance and intelligent automation into measurable improvements for customers, colleagues and the Society.
This role brings together three critical parts of our GCO agenda: Group Customer Journey Ownership, GCO journey performance, and AI & Automation. It will help set the Society-wide journey ownership framework, make that framework practical, lead the day-to-day performance rhythm in GCO, and drive the business automation agenda by joining up opportunities across journeys, processes, business lines and technology teams. The measure of success is simple: this role must help GCO improve customer outcomes, reduce failure demand, simplify colleague experience, strengthen operational resilience and unlock productivity through intelligent automation and AI.
A major part of the role will be leading the business-wide AI and Automation agenda from a GCO perspective. This means joining the dots between opportunities emerging from business lines, customer journeys, process performance, colleague pain points and operational data. You will work closely with Technology to shape the opportunity pipeline, challenge prioritisation, build confidence in the case for change and ensure automation is delivered against clear customer, colleague, productivity, resilience and control outcomes.
The role will also continue to mature the Group Customer Journey Owner framework. This means setting clear expectations on ownership, measures, outcomes and performance, while ensuring the model is practical, embedded and connected to real delivery. The aim is not to add another layer of process; it is to create clarity, accountability and momentum across end-to-end journeys. This is a 12-month secondment opportunity.
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 be located at our nearest regional office or hub. There will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues for collaboration and in some locations you’ll be expected to spend at least two days a week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, in the office.
Responsibilities:
- You will need to be comfortable operating in ambiguity, influencing senior stakeholders and working across a complex, regulated organisation.
- This role will suit someone who can think strategically, operate commercially and stay close to the work; someone who can shape the agenda, but also make sure it lands.
- This is a high-impact opportunity to lead one of GCO’s most important outcome capabilities — connecting journey ownership, customer intelligence, performance, automation and AI to deliver measurable improvements in service, resilience, productivity and customer outcomes across Nationwide.
About you:
- Proven experience leading customer experience, customer journey, automation, AI, customer intelligence or operational performance capabilities in a complex organisation.
- A strong track record of turning customer, colleague and operational insight into measurable business outcomes.
- Experience building or embedding customer journey ownership, performance management or continuous improvement models.
- Practical understanding of intelligent automation, AI and digital enablement, with the ability to identify opportunities and translate them into deliverable outcomes.
- Strong commercial and operational judgement, with the ability to connect customer experience, efficiency, risk, control, resilience and colleague impact.
- The ability to influence senior stakeholders, challenge constructively and create momentum across teams.
- Strong execution discipline, with evidence of moving work from strategy and design into delivery and measurable impact.
- Experience working in regulated environments, ideally financial services.
- A leadership style that is curious, collaborative, outcome-led and comfortable operating across both detail and strategy.
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:
- 30 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
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.
Head of Customer Experience - Automation in Swindon employer: Nationwide
At Virgin Money, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a supportive and dynamic work environment in Cleckheaton. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through ongoing training and development opportunities, alongside a competitive benefits package that includes generous holiday allowances, health and wellness resources, and a strong pension plan. Join us to be part of a team that values customer care and community impact, where your contributions are recognised and celebrated.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Customer Experience - Automation in Swindon
✨Get Social with Customer Support Communities
Join customer support groups on platforms like Facebook or Reddit. They often share job openings or temp opportunities. Engaging with these communities can help you learn more about the specific skills and experiences employers are looking for, plus you'll meet folks who might know about openings at companies like Nationwide.
✨Leverage Seasonal Hiring Trends
Since customer support roles can spike during busy seasons (think holidays and sales periods), keep an eye out for timelines when companies ramp up hiring. Make sure to apply early and stay active; sending a quick follow-up a week after applying can show your enthusiasm for the role.
✨Flex Your Communication Skills
In customer support, communication is key! Prepare for hypothetical scenarios that test your problem-solving and customer interaction skills. Practising answers to common role-play questions can really help you shine in interviews—trust us, it makes a difference!
✨Make the Most of Job Boards
Use industry-specific job boards like Glassdoor or Indeed to find temporary roles. Don’t forget to set up alerts for customer support positions at companies like Nationwide. The earlier you apply, the better your chances, so keep your finger on the pulse!
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Customer Experience - Automation in Swindon
Some tips for your application 🫡
Highlight Your Communication Skills:In customer support, top-notch communication is key. Make sure your CV showcases any previous experience where you’ve had to clearly convey information or resolve issues. If you’ve handled customer queries via email or chat, mention it! Let’s see those strong verbal and written skills shine through.
Showcase Problem-Solving Experience:Employers love to see how you've handled tricky situations. Include examples in your application where you’ve tackled customer concerns or had to think on your feet. It's all about proving you can keep cool under pressure and find solutions—something super important in a temporary customer support role!
Tailor Your Approach for Temporary Roles:Since this is a temporary gig, make sure your cover letter emphasises your flexibility and eagerness to dive right in. Mention that you're ready to hit the ground running and are adaptable to new tools or systems—this shows that you understand the urgency often needed in temporary positions.
Proof of Customer Satisfaction:If you’ve got any quantifiable achievements from past customer support roles, like improved customer satisfaction scores or successful project completions, make sure to include them. Numbers speak volumes! This not only shows your capability but also gives us a reason to believe you'll bring that same success to Nationwide.
How to prepare for a job interview at Nationwide
✨Master the Customer Interaction Game
In customer support, we need to showcase our people skills. Prepare for role-playing scenarios where you'll demonstrate how to handle difficult customers or resolve complaints. Think about the types of issues common in Nationwide's industry and how you can respond empathetically and effectively!
✨Know Your Products Inside Out
For a temporary role, it's crucial to familiarize yourself with the products or services Nationwide offers. Brush up on key features, common issues, and FAQs. This knowledge will enable you to respond quickly and confidently to customer queries, showing you’re ready to jump in at a moment’s notice!
✨Flexibility is Key - Emphasise Your Adaptability!
Since this is a temporary role, we're looking to convey how quickly we can adapt to new systems or processes. Be ready to share examples of how you've quickly learned new tools or adjusted to changing environments in past roles. Show them you're the go-to person when the pressure's on!
✨Prepare for Quick Conversational Q&A
You might face a rapid-fire round of questions about customer service principles or how you'd handle specific situations. To ace this, think through different customer scenarios ahead of time, and practice your responses to ensure they're concise and impactful. The aim is to demonstrate your quick thinking and problem-solving skills!
