Senior Manager Transaction Services - Homes England - Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
(2022-08-18 - 2023-06-30)
Assist the Head of transaction services with the management of Homes England fleet team as we transition the whole fleet to electric vehicles.
- Prompt provision of quotes through to the ordering of fleet vehicles
- Ensuring all lease car applications are appropriately authorised in compliance with delegations & ensuring that all applicants qualify for the scheme
- Direct liaison with lease companies, manufacturers & preferred car dealerships
- Calculate and reconcile lease car payroll deductions and maintain P11D information
- Support the team with insurance requirements, including liaison with Insurers and appointed legal representatives to ensure all claims are concluded satisfactorily
- Working as part of a team to deal with post, manage shared mailboxes and respond to telephone enquiries received from internal and external customers, ensuring a satisfactory resolution within agreed timescales, delivering a 1st class service every time
- Ensure the Directors and Board members have accurate, relevant and timely information on its performance, financial and outputs, so that management decisions are based on good information. This also includes the preparation and publication of Official Statistics (outputs).
- Report to DCLG on performance against budgets and towards targets.
- Provide advice, guidance and direction to teams on outputs definitions and financial treatment of transactions.
- Role of 'critical friend' to teams considering investment decisions and performance.
- Management and reporting of Homes England admin budget.
- Ensure that Homes England complies with all financial and performance, statutory and regulatory requirements, including annual accounts, corporate taxation, resource and government accounting needs.
- Submission of all financial and performance returns at Homes England level to MHCLG and HM Treasury.
- Lead the annual external audit process.
- Role of 'critical friend' to teams considering investment decisions and peer review.
Customer Centre Manager - Cazoo Car Dealership - Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
(2022-03 - 2022-06)
General manager for the whole centre, responsible for the team based on site, spanning Delivery and handover specialists, customer service advisors, workshop based technicians, valeters and customer support.
- Managing site and teams KPI's focused on delivering exceptional customer service and experience whilst also managing costs.
- Developed a one fits all customer interaction which means we can offer the very best service to every customer every time and measure the result.
- Responsible for ensuring that the multifunctional team across customer support, operations and logistics operates as one seamless team to ensure that the customer has an amazing customer experience, whether they are browsing for a car, picking up or returning a car or returning to the centre with a post sales issue.
- Act as an escalation point for customers when issues cannot be resolved by onsite Customer Support Specialists.
- Manage priorities and resolve any conflicts between individuals and their teams.
- Act as primary key holder for the site, ensuring the site is opened and closed inline with trading hours and is secure in & out of trading hours.
- Responsible for ensuring health & safety standards are adhered to, ensuring all members of the team are trained and managing risk proactively
- Work closely with central functions such as logistics regional managers, and, health, safety & environment manager to ensure the CCC follows central processes and share opportunities for further refinement or development.
- Onsite support for logistics team leaders. acting as a point of contact for escalation and welfare
- Developing and mapping processes including identifying opportunities & risks
- Manage priorities and resolve any conflicts between teams
- Budget and cost management
- Escalation for issues / potential risks with deliveries and collections, support with resolution and mitigating actions
Regional Manager - Safestore Self storage - Northeast and Scotland
(2014-09 - 2022-03)
Fully accountable for 10 branches in all aspects of performance
- Ensured my team followed up on enquiries and advised customers on the best solution for their needs, including selling merchandise and insurance to drive store performance (P&L) and achieve related KPIs.
- Created a culture of exceptional customer service that exceeded customer's expectations – Every customer every time.
- Ensured security procedures were being followed as per company guidelines.
- Managed discipline and grievance with integrity and within timescales.
- Lead and motivated the store team through coaching, conducting 1-2-1 and role play sessions taking people out of their comfort zone for the greater good.
- Was solely responsible for the recruitment for 10 stores spanning the Northeast and Scotland.
- Branch & employee standards.
- Designed and implemented the company wide debt process in line with FCA regulations.
- Ran all 10 stores and maintained standards while empowering managers.
- Developed new training initiatives allowing the team to work as a seamless unit.
- Delivered new company training sessions and facilitated training days ensuring new initiatives were delivered in the most effective way possible throughout the company ensuring team and individual buy in.
Cluster Manager - Access Financial Europe - County Durham
(2013-09 - 2014-09)
Fully accountable for 4 branches in all aspects of performance
- Ensured all stores were operating within the correct guidelines set of by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) through checking data integrity on a weekly basis.
- Trained all staff in health and safety risks (prevention better than cure).
- Completed weekly cash audits to ensure all information declared was correct.
- Ensured weekly competitor checks were being completed to on order for us to have the very best opportunity when attempting to solidify new business.
- People Development – Recognised and inspired individuals with potential, and a desire to develop skills themselves through coaching.
- Team Building – Enjoyed the challenge of working as part of, and contributing towards, the success of a team. Liaises regularly with all team members, sharing best practice and ideas.
- Communication and Interpersonal style – Listened attentively to internal and external customers' needs and then communicated clearly and concisely to all individuals ensuring consistent service levels are maintained throughout.
- Customer Service – Integrated an ability to adapt an approach personalised towards each customer while understanding the benefit of an excellent customer experience.
Business Development Manager - TBT Catering - Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
(2008-05 - 2013-09)
Fully accountable for 1 branch between May 2008 and May 2010 before being promoted to BDM where I became fully accountable for 15 branches through the North East of England
- Lead a team of 15 store managers, 10 deputy managers and the team members reporting to them.
- Stimulated and encourage participation in promotional activity, through planning, preparing and applying individual and realistic targets to exceed performance.
- Embed and role model the principles of the company's vision and strategy.
- Drive the company ambitions through engaging colleagues and customers with new products and supporting on-going development of technology.
- Established minimum service levels to enhance the customer experience of new and existing customers, exceeding Retail Eyes measures as key indicators of outstanding service.
- Resolve escalated customer service disputes and remedy root causes as required.
- Coach and develop teams to deliver outstanding service standards, celebrating successes in delivery of a great customer experience and addressing below par performance.
- Actively built and implement succession planning by identifying and growing talent throughout.
- Implement self-motivated development plans personalised to the individual based upon their current skill set and ambitions.
- A proven track record in supporting, through coaching and mentoring team member's advancement.
- Worked in partnership with outside agencies to promote a new recruitment strategy more suitably tailored to the demands of the business.
- Communicate company information effectively, providing support and guidance, in a timely manner.
- Built strong working relationships through networking of key members of internal and external support functions.
- Drive consistent brand standards in line with company guidelines.
- Forecast, plan and implement the recruitment of staff to maintain effective resourcing and maintain establishment levels.
- Ensure full compliance to health and safety standards and responsibilities.
- Deliver a fully compliant environment across all stores and with all team members complying with our regulatory objectives.
- Manage controllable costs, with emphasis on staff through scheduling and deployment.
