Complaints Lead in London

Contract Type: 6 Months Fixed Term

Salary: £52,065.35 Per Annum

Working Hours: 35 hours per week

Working Pattern: Monday - Friday

Location: London / Hybrid - 2 days a week in the London office

Please note that whilst we will accept applications based on any form of valid legal permission to work in the UK, we will be surrendering the Riverside Sponsorship licence, so for the avoidance of doubt, we are unable to apply for any further sponsorships whether on behalf of existing colleagues or candidates.

The difference you will make as Complaints Lead:

• The Complaints Lead (CL) will be accountable for a team of complaints professionals, ensuring they are delivering against all objectives and performance measures and providing complaint resolution service to customers ensuring an empathetic approach at point of contact.
• Support the Complaints Operations Manager to actively & visibly champion the customer and embed a coaching & performance culture across the team.
• Maximise team productivity, quality of service and customer satisfaction through an innovative approach.

About you:

• Knowledge of the Housing Ombudsman’s complaint handling code.
• Customer first ethos and the ability to elicit customer needs quickly and deliver to those needs, where possible.
• Excellent coaching skills with the ability to drive performance.
• Experience of complaint handling.
• Knowledge of identifying service improvements as a result of feedback, service failures and complaints.
• Experience of liaising and working with senior colleagues of all levels.
• Experience of managing and developing a new team.
• Provision of providing high quality business focused customer service.

Why Riverside?

At Riverside, we’re a housing association with a difference – enhancing the everyday for all our customers. For 90 years, we’ve been revitalising neighbourhoods and supporting communities by providing the homes they need to live full, fulfilling and rewarding lives. We have a portfolio of over 75,000 affordable residential and retirement homes across the UK. Our work ranges from homelessness services to social care, employment support to retirement living, and we need the best people on board to help us.

Working with us, you’ll enjoy:

• Flexible working options available.
• Investment in your learning, personal development and technology.
• A wide range of benefits.

Diversity and Inclusion at Riverside:

We are inclusive. At Riverside, we value diversity in all its forms. We foster a workplace where all individuals are respected, empowered, and heard. Our commitment to inclusivity drives our success and enriches the lives of our customers and colleagues. This role also falls under our Ethnic Diversity guaranteed interview scheme. If you are Ethnically Diverse and demonstrate you meet the minimum criteria for the role you will be guaranteed an interview.

Role Profile:

• The CL will lead and develop their team to create a culture that encourages individual autonomy and freedom to solve customer problems within milestones.
• The CL is accountable for the performance and delivery of their team and is responsible for the management of and continuous development of people, processes, systems and governance within the complaints process working with the Operations Manager and Head of Complaints.
• The CL will ensure that all complaints and disputes are investigated or reviewed fairly and impartially, using an evidence-based approach.
• The CL will ensure that the team are working efficiently and effectively and in accordance with agreed performance targets, service standards and quality standards.
• The CL will work closely with other key areas of the business to share learnings and to ensure delivery of service improvements as a result of customer feedback.
• Lead on local continuous improvement activity.
• Work with the wider Complaints leadership team to create a highly engaged workforce within the group Complaints Centre of Excellence.
• To ensure knowledge of Riverside policies & processes is maintained in order to support colleagues with more complex enquiries & resolve issues where intervention at a more senior level is necessary.
• Manage the operational performance of a team of between 8 to 10 Complaint colleagues.
• Allocate casework appropriately and monitor completion of work in line officer’s targets to contribute to Riverside’s corporate objectives.
• Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory and statutory obligations within their team including QA being delivered.
• Work closely with colleagues in the Business Information and Insight and other teams to ensure service improvement is a natural step alongside customer involvement and links Tenancy Satisfaction Measures (TSM’s) and Consumer Standards and ensuring that actions are completed, and the impact of actions is monitored and can be evidenced.

Person specification:

• Essential Knowledge of the Housing Ombudsman’s complaint handling code.
• Customer first ethos and the ability to elicit customer needs quickly and deliver to those needs, where possible.
• Excellent coaching skills with the ability to drive performance.
• Experience of complaint handling.
• Knowledge of identifying service improvements as a result of feedback, service failures and complaints.
• Experience of liaising and working with senior colleagues of all levels.
• Experience of managing and developing a new team.
• Provision of providing high quality business focused customer service.
• Proven track record within a customer service environment.
• Outcome and solution focused with ability to show initiative and propose solutions to issues identified.
• Strong organisation skills with the ability to prioritise conflicting demands.
• Resilience and tenacity to see things through to conclusion.
• Excellent team player able to work in collaboration and flexible to meet business requirements.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office.

Desirable:

About Us:

Riverside is one of the UK’s leading not-for-profit social housing and regeneration organisations, owning or managing around 75,000 homes from Irvine to Kent. We are a leading provider of supported housing services, particularly for those affected by homelessness, and our track record of transforming lives and revitalising neighbourhoods dates back over 90 years. We have plans to build over 15,000 affordable homes over the next decade.