To find out more about the role please visit www.cornerstonehousing.net/work-for-us/ and complete an application.
If you are not able to complete an application, please ensure you include a cover letter with your CV detailing how you meet the requirements of the role. Please note that we will not consider a CV without a cover letter.
Responsible to : Director of Customers & Communities
Responsible for : Customer Service Team Manager, Advisors & Repairs Hub
Salary : £46,326 a year depending on experience and qualifications
Contract: full time (35 hours), permanent.
Closing date for applications: 9am Wednesday 26th August 2026.
Interviews: TBC.
We reserve the right to close this job advert early if we receive a high volume of applications or find a suitable candidate.
OVERALL AIMS OF THE JOB
To lead and manage the delivery of high-quality, customer-focused services across the organisation, ensuring an excellent end-to-end customer journey. The role is responsible for overseeing customer service operations and the repairs hub, driving service improvements, and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and organisational objectives.
The postholder will act as the organisational lead for customer experience, ensuring customer feedback, insight, complaints learning and engagement activities are systematically captured, analysed and used to improve services, customer outcomes and organisational performance. Working collaboratively across teams, they will champion a culture of continuous improvement, accessibility and service excellence.
MAIN TASKS
1. Lead and develop the Customer Services and Repairs Hub teams, across two locations, to deliver excellent, efficient and customer-focused services.
2. Act as the organisational lead for customer experience, using customer feedback, insight and engagement to drive continuous service improvement and better customer outcomes.
3. Oversee customer enquiries, complaints and repairs services, ensuring high standards of service delivery, communication and customer satisfaction.
4. Monitor performance, compliance and customer satisfaction, using data and reporting to identify trends, manage risks and support strategic decision-making.
5. Work collaboratively with customers, colleagues, contractors and partners to improve customer journeys, embed organisational learning and deliver service excellence.
6. Develop and implement the organisation's Customer Experience Strategy, ensuring customer insight drives service improvements and organisational decision-making.
7. Ensure compliance with the Regulator of Social Housing Consumer Standards and the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code, embedding customer-focused best practice across all services.
8. Lead the continuous improvement of customer journeys by embedding service design principles, optimising technology, advancing digital innovation, and driving organisational learning.
JOB ACTIVITIES
1. Leadership & Management
1.1. Lead, develop and motivate the Customer Services and Repairs Hub teams to deliver excellent customer service and achieve organisational objectives.
1.2. Set performance expectations, undertake supervision and appraisal processes, and support employee development and succession planning.
1.3. Promote a positive, customer-focused and values-led culture that encourages accountability, innovation and continuous improvement.
1.4. Develop customer service capability through coaching, training and professional development activities.
1.5. Contribute to organisational leadership, change programmes and delivery of the Corporate Plan.
1.6. Champion customer experience across the organisation and support managers to embed customer-focused ways of working.
2. Customer Experience & Service Delivery
2.1. Lead the development and delivery of the Customer Experience Strategy.
2.2. Oversee customer contact services across all channels, ensuring enquiries, service requests and complaints are handled professionally, consistently and efficiently.
2.3. Develop and maintain customer service standards, procedures and best practice frameworks.
2.4. Ensure customer feedback, engagement activities, Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs), surveys and perception data are effectively collected, analysed and used to improve services.
2.5. Use customer insight, complaints learning and performance data to identify trends, inequalities, risks and opportunities for improvement.
2.6. Lead customer journey reviews and service redesign initiatives to improve accessibility, inclusion and customer outcomes.
2.7. Promote digital inclusion and support the development of effective digital services, automation and self-service options.
2.8. Ensure services meet the needs of vulnerable customers and those requiring reasonable adjustments.
2.9. Benchmark performance against sector best practice and identify opportunities for service innovation.
3. Repairs Hub Management
3.1. Oversee the effective operation of the Repairs Hub, ensuring repairs are accurately diagnosed, prioritised, allocated and completed in accordance with organisational policies, statutory obligations and customer needs.
3.2. Work collaboratively with contractors and maintenance teams to ensure timely and high-quality repairs.
3.3. Monitor repairs performance, including response times, completion rates, contractor performance and customer satisfaction.
3.4. Address service failures and implement improvement plans where required.
3.5. Ensure customers are kept informed throughout the repairs process.
3.6. Support organisational responses to emergency repairs, major incidents and business continuity events.
3.7. Ensure repairs services contribute to regulatory compliance, value for money and positive customer outcomes.
4. Complaints, Customer Insight & Continuous Improvement
4.1. Oversee complaint handling arrangements, ensuring compliance with organisational policies and relevant regulatory frameworks.
4.2. Promote a positive complaints culture where feedback is welcomed and used to improve services.
4.3. Analyse complaints, customer feedback and dissatisfaction trends to identify root causes and improvement opportunities.
4.4. Coordinate organisational learning from complaints, audits, customer insight and regulatory reviews.
4.5. Lead and monitor service improvement programmes that enhance efficiency, service quality and customer outcomes.
4.6. Ensure improvements are implemented, monitored and evidenced.
5. Performance, Compliance & Risk Management
5.1. Ensure compliance with the Regulator of Social Housing Consumer Standards and the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code.
5.2. Act as operational lead for customer experience performance reporting, including TSMs and customer satisfaction measures.
5.3. Ensure customer, repairs and performance data is accurate, reliable and effectively used in decision-making.
5.4. Monitor service performance against KPIs, service standards and organisational objectives.
5.5. Identify, manage and escalate operational risks in accordance with the Risk Management Framework.
5.6. Support audits, regulatory inspections and assurance reviews.
5.7. Produce reports and performance information to support operational and strategic decision-making.
6. Stakeholder Engagement
6.1. Develop effective working relationships with customers, colleagues, contractors, partners and external agencies.
6.2. Work with tenant groups, resident panels and engagement forums to ensure customer voices influence decision-making.
6.3. Represent the organisation at customer forums, benchmarking groups, professional networks and sector events.
6.4. Promote partnership working that improves customer experience and service outcomes.
6.5. Support collaborative working and service integration across organisational teams.
7. Systems & Process Improvement
7.1. Ensure housing management, CRM and repairs management systems support effective service delivery and reporting requirements.
7.2. Identify opportunities to streamline processes, improve efficiency and enhance customer experience.
7.3. Support digital transformation initiatives and service redesign programmes.
7.4. Ensure systems effectively capture customer feedback, performance information and management data.
7.5. Promote the effective use of technology to improve service delivery and customer outcomes.
8. Financial Management
8.1. Manage Customer Services and Repairs Hub budgets to ensure effective resource utilisation and value for money.
8.2. Contribute to business planning, budget setting and financial forecasting processes.
8.3. Monitor expenditure and identify opportunities for efficiency and service improvement.
8.4. Ensure resources are deployed effectively to meet customer demand and organisational priorities.
9. Safeguarding
9.1. Recognise safeguarding concerns and ensure appropriate action is taken in line with organisational procedures.
9.2. Promote a culture where safeguarding, wellbeing and customer welfare are central to service delivery.
10. General
10.1. Promote Cornerstone’s vision and values in all that you and the team do.
10.2. Work positively and collaboratively with customers, colleagues, other agencies, and third parties to ensure strong working relationships and a good standard of service delivery to customers.
10.3. Ensure that you are fully acquainted with and follow the law, regulation, policies and procedures as they relate to your post.
10.4. Observe and promote Cornerstone’s Health & Safety policies and procedures at all times.
10.5. Ensure all data is handled in accordance with GDPR and in line with both the Information security and data management policies. Take ownership of the quality and accuracy of processing data and its appropriate storage, transfer and retention
10.6. Treat customers and colleagues with respect ensuring people feel included and that diversity is valued. Observe and promote our Equality, Diversity & inclusion policies and procedures at all times.
10.7. Take ownership of your own professional development as relevant to your role.
10.8. Keep all duties of the post-holder under review and make recommendations for any improvements in policies and procedures to your line manager.
10.9. Occasional after hours work may be required within the scope of the role, including attendance at meetings.
10.10. Any other duties appropriate to your position as may be identified from time to time.
11. Deputising
In the post-holder’s absence, duties will be performed by other members of the staff team as agreed with the Executive Team.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Basic Eligibility
Essential
- Right to work within the United Kingdom
- Basic DBS check
- 2 satisfactory references
- Valid drivers licence (to be able to commute between two locations)
Qualifications
Essential
- Relevant professional qualification (e.g. CIH Level 4 in housing, customer service, management)
- Evidence of continuous professional development
Experience
Essential
- Experience in a customer service, customer experience or service delivery management role
- Experience managing teams in a service delivery environment
- Experience within social housing, property services, or a similar customer-focused sector.
- Experience overseeing complaint handling and service improvement initiatives
- Experience managing performance against KPIs and service standards
- Experience of using customer feedback, engagement and insight to improve services and customer outcomes
- Experience of working collaboratively across multiple service areas to deliver improvement.
Desirable
- Experience leading a repairs hub, contact centre or customer services operation
- Experience working with contractors and service providers.
Knowledge
Essential
Knowledge
- Understanding of social housing regulations and standards (e.g. Tenant Satisfaction Measures)
- Knowledge of repairs and maintenance processes
- Understanding of customer journey mapping and service improvement
- Understanding of inclusive and accessible service delivery principles.
- Understanding of customer journey mapping and service design approaches.
- Familiarity with CRM and housing management systems.
Desirable
- Knowledge of complaints handling frameworks (e.g. Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code)
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Strong leadership and people management skills
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and work under pressure
- Analytical skills with the ability to interpret performance data
- Problem-solving and decision-making skills
- Ability to influence and drive change across teams.
Other
Essential
- Customer-focused and committed to service excellence
- Resilient and adaptable
- Proactive and solutions-oriented
- Collaborative and inclusive
- High level of integrity and professionalism
- Committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in service delivery and people management.
Job Types: Permanent, Full-time
Pay: £46,326.00 per year
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Company events
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Flexitime
- Free flu jabs
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Paid volunteer time
- Sick pay
- Work from home
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Exeter EX1 1AL: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Application question(s):
- Have you submitted a cover letter with your CV stating how you meet the requirements? Applicants will not be considered without a covering letter.
Licence/Certification:
- CIH Level 4 qualification or willing to work towards? (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
