Director of the Customer Hub in Liverpool

If you share our values and are excited about making a significant impact at Riverside, please ensure you attach a current CV and covering letter. At Riverside we recruit to potential not just on skills and experience, so we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all the essential criteria on the job description.

Please note that whilst we will accept applications on the basis of 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 the Director of the Customer Hub:

• The Director of the Customer Hub leads the strategy and delivery of Riverside’s high-volume, customer-facing services, with full responsibility for areas such as customer contact, complaints, income management, lettings, and tenancy services.
• As part of the senior leadership team, the role drives organisational performance and customer experience by using data and insight to improve efficiency and shape service delivery.
• It balances customer outcomes with operational performance and financial sustainability, ensuring effective demand management, strong income collection, reduced void losses, and regulatory compliance.
• The role is key to building trust in the organisation by ensuring consistent, high-quality, and accessible customer interactions aligned with Riverside’s values.

About you:

• You are an accomplished senior leader with a strong track record in high-volume, customer-focused operations within regulated environments.
• You bring extensive experience in areas such as contact centres, income management, lettings, and tenancy services, consistently delivering strong performance and service outcomes.
• Data-driven and strategic, you use insight and customer feedback to improve efficiency, demand management, and the overall customer experience.
• You balance operational performance with financial sustainability, with a solid understanding of regulatory requirements.
• A confident and resilient leader, you inspire high-performing teams, foster collaboration and accountability, and communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
• You are committed to delivering equitable, high-quality services and are CIH qualified (or working towards).

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:

• Competitive pay & generous pension
• 28 days holidays plus bank holidays
• 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. Riverside is a Disability Confident Employer and operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for any applicant who declares they have a disability. If the applicant meets the minimum requirements for the role (as set out in the role profile and/or person specification) they will be guaranteed an interview. 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.

Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to be considered.

Role Profile:

• Play an active role as a member of the Leadership Team, contributing to organisational strategy, service improvement and regulatory assurance.
• Provide visible, values led leadership across communities and colleagues, modelling high standards of communication, accountability and collaboration, aligned to Our Riverside Way.
• Lead and inspire geographically dispersed teams, embedding a strong culture of accountability, customer focus and continuous improvement.
• Build strong relationships and work collaboratively across directorates and with external stakeholders to resolve complex, cross cutting customer and operational challenges, ensuring seamless customer journeys and clear accountability for customer outcomes.
• Act as a senior ambassador for Riverside, representing the organisation in sector forums, benchmarking activity and relevant external partnerships.
• Identify, assess, escalate or mitigate emerging risks, performance issues and demand trends that could impact customer outcomes, service delivery or regulatory compliance.
• Be accountable for Director-level budgets, ensuring efficient use of resources and always striving to deliver increasing value for money.
• Provide clear, evidence based reporting and assurance to Executive Leadership Team, Board and Committees.

Customer Access, Demand and Operational Performance:

• Lead the delivery of multi-channel customer contact services ensuring:
• Timely response to customer enquiries
• High levels of first contact resolution
• Consistent and high-quality customer experience
• Ensure customer demand across all channels is effectively managed through appropriate resourcing, scheduling, workflow management and operational performance oversight.

Complaints Handling & Resolution:

• Lead the management of formal complaints, ensuring fair, timely and effective responses in line with regulatory requirements and Housing Ombudsman expectations, ensuring clear communication and a focus on capturing learning.
• Provide executive oversight and assurance relating to complaints performance, compliance and customer outcomes, acting as a key point of accountability for Housing Ombudsman engagement and regulatory assurance.

Income Management & Arrears:

• Lead the delivery of income collection and arrears management services, balancing financial performance with early intervention, tenancy sustainment and customer support.
• Ensure effective management of desk-based arrears activity including:
• Arrears monitoring
• Customer contact & engagement
• Repayment arrangements
• Escalation & enforcement activity where appropriate
• Use customer behaviour, arrears performance and operational data to proactively identify financial risk and emerging trends.
• Ensure appropriate & effective referral to Neighbourhood Teams for face-to-face intervention where required, including court attendance.
• Hold accountability for rent collection performance, arrears recovery and associated operational performance measures.

Allocations, Lettings and Desk-Based Tenancy Management:

• Lead the delivery of desk-based tenancy management services ensuring customers receive efficient, consistent and compliant support throughout the tenancy lifecycle.
• Ensure effective management of allocations & lettings activity including:
• Application management
• Eligibility & prioritisation
• Offer management & tenancy sign up co-ordination
• Co-ordination of empty homes management
• Ensure allocations and lettings processes are delivered fairly, efficiently and in line with policy and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure appropriate referrals to Neighbourhood Teams for face-to-face intervention where required for property viewings, tenancy sign-ups and local customer support.
• Hold accountability for rent lost through empty homes, ensuring effective co-ordination of empty home management activity and timely progression through the customer journey.

Person specification:

Essential Knowledge & Experience:

• Proven track record of success in a senior leadership role, leading large-scale operational performance, service recovery, customer outcomes and organisational impact within a complex, customer-focused environment.
• Significant experience of leading high-volume customer operations or contact centre services within a regulated environment.
• Experience of delivering strong financial and operational performance across income collection and arrears management, allocations & lettings, tenancy or customer service operations.
• Strong understanding of customer operations and service delivery, operational performance and demand management within a customer-focused organisation.
• Experience of operating within a regulated environment, with a strong understanding of Consumer Standards, Housing Ombudsman expectations and complaint handling requirements.
• Experience of using operational insight, customer demand and performance information to improve efficiency, customer experience and service outcomes.
• Must be CIH qualified or equivalent, or prepared to work towards achieving the qualification.

Skills & Capabilities:

• Customer Focus: Deep commitment to delivering excellent customer outcomes and experiences, responding to diverse customer needs and supporting equitable service delivery.
• Strategic Thinking & Decision Making: Ability to understand and operate within a complex organisational system, balancing customer outcomes, operational performance and financial considerations.
• Leadership, Communication & Influence: Proven ability to lead and inspire large, geographically dispersed and high-performing teams.
• Ability to build a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous learning.
• Resilient and adaptable, able to operate effectively in a complex and changing environment.
• Highly effective communicator, able to engage and influence at all levels, including senior leaders, partners and stakeholders.
• Ability to represent the organization with credibility and build trust and confidence externally.