We’re making a difference: Together, we can ensure that there is enough water for everyone, now and in the future.
Portsmouth Water is seeking a collaborative Senior Customer Operations Manager to lead customer operations, ensuring outstanding service delivery while enhancing operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction (C-MeX and UKCSI). A key focus will be overseeing the integration of Smart Metering, managing its transition from pilot to full-scale operations, and driving a digital-first approach to optimise customer experiences.
This role will leverage data-driven insights to enhance customer journeys, efficiently resolve complaints, and develop proactive engagement strategies. The successful candidate will also play a vital role in customer affordability initiatives, supporting social tariff expansion, debt prevention, and financial assistance programmes. Additionally, they will oversee customer contact operations, Smart Meter engagement, and digital transformation, driving automation, self-service tools, and workforce resilience to meet business and regulatory objectives.
Key Responsibilities
You will lead the Customer Service operations, managing a team of approximately 50 people covering all front-line operations, ensuring strong team performance and a commitment to achieving service level targets.
Nurture the delivery of Smart Meter customer operations, ensuring alignment with business and regulatory requirements and a seamless transition into business as usual.
Lead the customer operational aspects of the wider Demand Reduction Programme, ensuring Smart Meter insights, behavioural change strategies, and customer engagement drive sustainable water efficiency.
Use data-driven insights to inform strategy, drive targeted interventions, and improve customer satisfaction (C-MeX, UKCSI).
Develop and maintain robust processes to resolve customer complaints efficiently, ensuring regulatory compliance, root cause resolution, and proactive service improvements.
Implement initiatives to enhance customer satisfaction (C-MeX, UKCSI) by leveraging customer feedback, data insights, and service optimisation strategies.
Oversee resource planning and workforce resilience, ensuring appropriate staffing, training, technology adoption, and budget allocation to support Smart Meter operations and broader customer service objectives.
Support and guide the credit control function, ensuring alignment with business targets on revenue collection and bad debt management, working closely with finance, debt recovery teams, and external partners (e.g., UK Search, DCAs).
Drive continuous improvement in customer operations, enhancing efficiency through the adoption of digital self-service tools, automation, and AI-driven customer support.
Represent Portsmouth Water in regulatory and industry discussions, engaging with Ofwat, CCW, local councils, and other external stakeholders to drive compliance, policy influence, and customer advocacy.
Skills, Qualifications & Competencies
Supportive leadership and team management skills, with a proven track record in customer operations, service delivery, and performance management.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities, with experience in engaging internal teams, regulatory bodies, and external partners.
Proficiency in analysing customer data and operational insights, using evidence-based decision-making to drive improvements in customer experience, complaint resolution, and revenue collection.
Ability to manage and resolve customer complaints, ensuring alignment with industry best practice and regulatory expectations (e.g., Ofwat, CCW).
Experience of working with financial recovery processes, supporting credit control, cash collection, and bad debt management while aligning with business revenue targets.
Extensive experience in a customer operations role, ideally within a regulated industry (e.g., utilities, telecoms, financial services).
Proven track record of improving customer satisfaction (e.g., C-MeX, UKCSI) and delivering measurable improvements in operational performance and service efficiency.
Strong understanding of regulatory requirements related to customer operations, financial resilience, and consumer protection (e.g., Ofwat, PR24, CCW,).
Excellent IT skills, with experience using CRM and customer service platforms (e.g., Kraken, Salesforce, or similar systems) to drive operational improvements.
We recognise people want to work in a variety of different ways, this means we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements. Please talk to us at the interview about the flexibility you may want.
We support equality, diversity and inclusion and encourage applications from all sections of society. The Company has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to work and live in the UK.
Due to the high volume of applications received we are unable to respond to unsuccessful candidates. If your application is of interest to us, we will normally contact you within 4 weeks of receiving your application.