Customer Operations Team Leader in East Grinstead

At TR, part of Trifast plc, we’re more than fasteners—we’re the trusted partner behind some of the world’s most advanced industries. As a global leader in the design, engineering, manufacture, and supply of fastenings and Category ‘C’ components, we deliver smart, efficient solutions that enhance performance across major assembly operations.

From Automotive to Smart Infrastructure and Medical Equipment, our focus on engineering excellence and streamlined supply keeps us at the forefront of progress.

We’re looking for a driven and dynamic Customer Operations Team Leader to contribute to our continued success on a permanent basis.

The role will be based at our East Grinstead site (RH19 1XZ). The role is 37.5 hours per week 08:30 – 17:00 Monday – Thursday and 08.30 – 15.45 on a Friday.

For the first 6 months the role will be fully office based. Upon completion of a probation period, this will be reviewed with the possibility of going hybrid.

The Role

Reporting to the Customer Operations Manager we are looking for someone to deliver excellent customer service, to take responsibility for the day to day running of the Contract Sales department, to lead, motivate, and develop the team.

As a Team Leader, you will be responsible for supporting the day-to-day operations, leading a team to achieve performance targets, and creating a positive and productive working environment.

Key Tasks

• Lead, coach, and motivate the team to achieve individual and departmental objectives.
• Conduct one-to-one meetings, performance reviews, probation reviews, return-to-work meetings, and wellbeing discussions.
• Manage attendance, absence, performance, capability, and disciplinary matters in line with company policies.
• Identify training needs, develop employees, and deliver inductions and mandatory training.
• Plan workloads and monitor team performance to meet operational and customer service targets.
• Support recruitment activities, including shortlisting, interviewing, onboarding, and training new employees.
• Manage key customer accounts, resolve escalations, and maintain high standards of customer service.
• Liaise with customers and internal teams to ensure successful delivery of ongoing business and projects.
• Monitor sales performance, drive revenue growth, maintain profit margins, and manage pricing reviews for key accounts.
• Produce management reports, communicate business updates, and support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, health and safety requirements, and key performance indicators, including stock reduction targets
• Manage price review projects on key accounts
• Understand how Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) accounts operate, and the responsibilities & requirements involved to ensure these are managed effectively to avoid line-stop situations.

The Candidate

We are looking for an experienced and ambitious team leader who is passionate about achieving outstanding results and driving high performance. You will have previous experience managing a sales team and be motivated to lead by example, inspiring others to be the best they can be. A strong focus on process and compliance is essential, with the ability to ensure work is completed accurately and consistently while maintaining high standards across the team.

The ideal candidate will possess excellent decision-making and problem-solving skills, along with exceptional verbal and written communication abilities. You will be customer-focused, committed to delivering service excellence, and confident in handling customer queries and escalations professionally. Experience coaching, developing, and supporting team members through regular feedback, training, and performance management is important, as is the confidence to lead and facilitate monthly sales meetings.

Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook, is required, while experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) would be advantageous.