Operations / Service Director

Job Title: Operations / Service Director

Company: Telecom Axquisitions Ltd

Location Horsham, West Sussex

Reporting to: Main Board

Function: Service Operations, Customer Experience and Operational Delivery

Role Type: Full-Time, Senior Leadership Role

Working Pattern: Office Based

Salary: Up to £90,000 plus bonus (Possible growth shares and other benefits to be agreed. dependant on experience)

Operations / Service Director

Ready to turn great service into a genuine competitive advantage?

Telecom Acquisitions Ltd is a fast-growing residential telecoms and utilities group with over 70,000 customers expected by the end of August, a £30m turnover forecast for the current year and more than 19,000 Trustpilot reviews. Our brands - including Home Telecom, Fleur Telecom, Eclipse Broadband, Earth Broadband, Open Fibre, Gigabit Networks and Eze Talk - provide broadband, phone, mobile and home utility support to residents, tenants, landlords and homeowners across the UK.

We've grown by keeping service personal: UK-based support, clear communication and a customer-first culture. Now we need a senior leader to help us scale that service without losing what makes it special.

Company Overview

Telecom Acquisitions Ltd is a growing residential telecoms and utilities group headquarters in Horsham, West Sussex. The company operates a portfolio of residential brands, including Home Telecom, Fleur Telecom, Eclipse Broadband, Earth Broadband, Open Fibre, Gigabit Networks and Eze Talk Residential. Its core proposition is built around providing broadband, phone, mobile and home utility support to UK residents, tenants, landlords and homeowners.

The business has a strong heritage in the home-move and residential broadband market, with long-standing relationships across the estate and lettings sector. It has grown through a combination of organic customer acquisition, supplier partnerships and the acquisition of residential customer bases. Telecom Acquisitions Ltd positions itself as a customer-first business, with UK-based support, clear communication and a focus on reliable, flexible residential services.

The business is now at a stage where service leadership is critical. Continued growth, multiple brands, acquisition integration, supplier complexity, fibre migration, customer expectations and telecoms regulation all require a senior operational leader who can build scalable service standards without losing the personal, customer-led approach that has helped the company grow.

Currently the TAL group have over 60,000 customers, increasing to over 70,000 by the end of August and employing circa 105 staff. With a turnover of £30m forecast for the current year and over 19,000 Trustpilot reviews makes this company a remarkable success.

Role Purpose

The Director will be responsible for leading and developing the service operation across Telecom Acquisitions Ltd and its residential brands.

The role will ensure that customers receive consistent, reliable and high-quality experience from order through to installation, in-life support, fault resolution, complaints handling, retention and service improvement.

This is a senior leadership role with accountability for service strategy, operational performance, customer outcomes, team leadership, supplier escalation and regulatory service standards.

The Director will work closely with the CEO, Board and senior leadership team to make sure the service function supports the company's growth plans, protects customer trust, improves operational efficiency and enables the business to scale successfully across multiple brands and customer bases.

This role is not simply about running a contact centre, it is about creating a service operation that can cope with rapid growth, customer base acquisitions, supplier complexity, regulatory requirements and rising customer expectations while maintaining a strong UK-based, human service culture.

Key Responsibilities

1, Service Strategy and leadership

Develop and lead the service strategy across Telecom Acquisitions Ltd and its brands, ensuring the business has the right people, processes, systems and measures in place to deliver consistent customer experience.

Create a clear service vision that supports the wider business growth strategy.

Translate company objectives into practical service plans, team priorities and measurable standards.

Build a scalable operating model that can support organic growth and future acquisitions.

Ensure each brand benefits from consistent service standards while retaining any necessary brand-specific customer approach.

Provide clear leadership across customer service, technical support, provisioning, complaints, escalations and service improvement.

Act as the senior owner for customer experience and service performance at leadership level.

Ensure the service function is proactive, commercially aware and accountable, not just reactive.

2, Customer Experience Ownership

Own the end-to-end customer experience across the customer lifecycle, from initial order and onboarding through to installation, in-life care, support, complaints, renewals and retention.

Ensure customers receive clear, timely and accurate communication at every stage of their journey.

Improve first contact resolution, response times and quality of support.

Reduce avoidable customer effort, repeat contact and service frustration.

Use customer feedback, complaints data, call trends, Trustpilot reviews and service metrics to identify improvement priorities.

Ensure the business delivers a joined-up experience across broadband, phone, mobile and utility-related services.

Work with Sales, Marketing and Retention teams to ensure promises made to customers can be delivered operationally.

Ensure vulnerable customers and customers requiring additional support are identified and handled appropriately.

Embed a culture where teams understand that every service interaction affects customer trust, retention and brand reputation.

3, Operational Delivery and Performance

Lead day-to-day service operations to ensure the business delivers against customer commitments, operational standards and commercial expectations.

Oversee customer service, technical support, provisioning, faults, complaints and escalations.

Ensure orders, installations, switches, migrations and faults are managed efficiently and accurately.

Improve operational workflows to reduce delays, errors, rework and customer dissatisfaction.

Ensure service teams have clear processes, ownership, escalation routes and decision-making authority.

Monitor workload, resourcing, capacity and productivity across service teams.

Set clear service standards and ensure managers have the tools to manage performance effectively.

Reduce cost to serve while protecting the quality of customer outcomes.

Create regular service reporting for the CEO, Board and senior leadership team.

Ensure operational risks are visible, understood and actively managed.

4, Complaints, Escalations and Regulatory Service Standards

Act as the senior operational owner for complaints handling, escalations and customer service compliance.

Ensure complaints are handled fairly, promptly and in line with telecoms regulatory expectations.

Monitor complaint volumes, root causes, response quality, resolution times and escalation trends.

Ensure the business meets relevant Ofcom requirements, including complaint handling, ADR processes, vulnerable customer support, switching requirements and customer communication standards.

Make sure customer complaint data is used as a genuine improvement tool, not just a reporting requirement.

Reduce avoidable escalations, repeat complaints and formal dispute resolution cases.

Ensure all customer-facing teams understand their responsibilities around vulnerable customers, affordability concerns, accessibility needs and service-critical situations.

Work with Compliance, Finance and operational managers to ensure compensation, credits and billing corrections are controlled, accurate and fair.

Ensure the business is prepared for regulatory change and can demonstrate appropriate customer care standards if challenged.

5, Supplier. Network and Partner Management

Lead operational service relationships with key network, wholesale and service partners to ensure customers receive reliable and timely outcomes.

Manage service performance with suppliers, wholesalers, network partners and installation partners.

Build effective escalation routes with suppliers to resolve customer-impacting issues quickly.

Track supplier performance against service levels, installation timelines, fault repair times and communication standards.

Work with Commercial and Technical leadership to challenge poor supplier performance and improve operational outcomes.

Support the business as it expands across fibre, alt-net and multi-network partnerships.

Ensure supplier issues are visible internally and translated into practical customer communication plans.

Help the business balance customer experience, supplier capability and commercial cost.

6, Acquisition Integration and Customer Base Migration

Support the succesful integration of acquired customedr bases into Telecom Acquisitions Ltd's operating model.

Lead the service workstream for customer base acquisitions and migrations.

Ensure customer communication, data transfer, billing arrangements, service continuity and support processes are carefully managed.

Identify operational risks before customer bases are migrated or integrated.

Ensure acquired customers experience a stable and professional transition.

Work with Finance, Commercial, Technology, Compliance and Customer Service teams to ensure acquired bases are integrated efficiently.

Protect customer trust during periods of change.

Capture lessons learned after each acquisition and improve the repeatable integration process.

7, Digital, Systems and Process Improvement

Use systems, automation, AI and process improvement to improve service quality, efficiency and scalability.

Review existing systems, workflows and customer communication processes.

Identify opportunities to automate routine updates, reminders and service notifications.

Support the use of AI and digital tools to improve customer communication and team efficiency without losing the human service approach.

Ensure teams have accurate customer data, clear case ownership and effective dashboards.

Work with Technology and DevOps colleagues to improve service platforms, reporting and customer visibility.

Reduce manual work, duplication and operational bottlenecks.

Ensure process improvement is practical, measured and embedded into day-to-day operations.

8,People Leadership and Team Development

Lead, develop and motivate service teams so they are capable, accountable and aligned with the company's customer-first culture.

Provide clear leadership to managers and team leaders across the service operation.

Create a culture of ownership, urgency, fairness and customer care.

Ensure managers have clear expectations, regular performance conversations and effective coaching routines.

Develop capability across customer service, technical support, complaints, provisioning and escalation teams.

Support recruitment, onboarding, training and succession planning within the service function.

Improve engagement, morale and retention in service teams.

Ensure performance issues are addressed constructively and promptly.

Create a te Job Title: Operations / Service Director

9, Cross-Functional Leadership

Work closely with other senior leaders to ensure service is fully connected to the wider business.

CEO / Board: service performance, risk, strategy, customer outcomes and growth readiness.

Commercial Director: supplier performance, network partnerships, product delivery and commercial service decisions.

Chief Sales Officer / Sales Leadership: customer promises, conversion quality, onboarding experience and retention.

Chief Financial Officer / Finance: billing issues, credits, compensation, cost to serve, cash impact and collections-related customer treatment.

Compliance: Ofcom requirements, complaints, vulnerable customer processes, regulatory change and audit readiness.

Technology / DevOps: systems, automation, reporting, customer communication and workflow improvement.

People / HR: recruitment, engagement, training, performance management and leadership development.

Key Measures of Success

The Director will be expected to improve and report on a clear set of operational, customer and commercial measures.

Area Indicative measures

Customer Outcomes - Customer satisfaction score; Trustpilot/review performance; vulnerable customer handling quality.

Complaints and risk - Complaint volume and rate; complaint resolution time; ADR/deadlock cases; avoidable escalations.

Operational service - First contact resolution; average speed to answer; call abandonment; repeat contact; case backlog and ageing.

Provisional and Technical - Provisioning completion times; installation delay rate; fault resolution times; missed appointment impact.

Commercial impact - Churn linked to service issues; retention performance; cost to serve; compensation and goodwill credit levels.

Supplier performance - Supplier SLA performance; escalation effectiveness; recurring supplier failure themes.

People leadership - Employee engagement; attrition; team capability; manager effectiveness across service teams.

Growth readiness - Successful integration of acquired customer bases; repeatable migration process; operational scalability.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will be an experienced service leader who has operated in a high-volume, customer-facing, regulated or service-led environment. They will be comfortable working at senior leadership level while also being close enough to the operation to understand what is really happening for customers and colleagues.

They will be structured, resilient, commercially aware and capable of building scalable service operations. They will understand that good service is not just about being friendly; it is about clear ownership, reliable processes, accurate data, strong supplier management, fair complaint handling and consistent leadership.

Essential Experience

Senior leadership experience within telecoms, broadband, ISP, utilities, managed services, contact centre, subscription services or another high-volume customer service environment.

Experience leading customer service, technical support, provisioning, complaints, escalations or operational service teams.

Strong understanding of customer experience and service performance management.

Experience managing service KPIs, operational dashboards and board-level reporting.

Ability to improve processes, reduce failure demand and create scalable operating models.

Strong people leadership experience, including managing managers or team leaders.

Experience working with suppliers, network partners or third-party service providers.

Strong complaint handling and escalation management experience.

Commercial awareness, including understanding the link between service, churn, retention, cost to serve and profitability.

Ability to work in a fast-paced, growing business where priorities can change quickly.

Strong communication skills and the ability to influence across departments.

A practical, hands-on leadership style with the confidence to challenge poor performance and drive improvement.

Desirable Experience:

Direct experience in residential broadband, telecoms, ISP or fibre services.

Knowledge of Ofcom requirements, telecoms complaint handling, ADR and vulnerable customer obligations.

Experience of One Touch Switch, provisioning, broadband migrations, number porting or customer base transfers.

Experience working with wholesale providers, Openreach, KCOM, TalkTalk, CityFibre, Virgin Media, Sky, Vodafone, BT or alt-net partners.

Experience integrating acquired customer bases or supporting M&A activity.

Experience improving Trustpilot, NPS, CSAT or other public customer review measures.

Experience implementing customer service technology, automation, AI communication tools or workflow platforms.

Experience working across multiple brands within one group structure.

Understanding of billing, compensation, credits and customer account correction processes.

Skills and Competencies

Strategic Thinking

Able to see the bigger picture, understand the company's growth plans and build a service operation that supports future scale.

Operational Discipline

Able to turn strategy into clear processes, measures, routines and accountability.

Customer Focus

Genuinely committed to improving the customer experience and willing to challenge internal processes that create poor outcomes.

Commercial Awareness

Understands that service quality affects churn, retention, cost, cash, brand trust and future growth.

Leadership Strength

Able to lead managers and teams with clarity, fairness and confidence.

Supplier Management

Able to hold external partners accountable while maintaining productive working relationships.

Change Leadership

Comfortable leading teams through growth, acquisitions, system changes, process improvement and operational transformation.

Regulatory Awareness

Understands the importance of compliant, fair and consistent customer treatment in a regulated environment.

Data-Led Decision Making

Uses evidence, MI and customer insight to identify priorities and measure improvement.

Communication

Able to communicate clearly with customers, colleagues, suppliers and the Board.

First 6 Months: Expected Priorities

Understand the current service operation across all brands.

Review customer journey pain points from order to in-life support.

Assess team structure, capability, workload and leadership routines.

Review complaint data, escalation themes and vulnerable customer processes.

Map supplier performance and escalation routes.

Establish a clear service dashboard and reporting rhythm.

Identify immediate opportunities to reduce repeat contact, backlogs and customer frustration.

Build strong relationships with the CEO, Board, senior leadership team and service managers.

Create a practical 90-day and 180-day service improvement plan.

Begin embedding clearer ownership and accountability across service teams.

First 12 Months: Expected Outcomes

Established a clear service strategy and operating model.

Improved consistency of customer experience across all brands.

Reduced avoidable complaints and repeat customer contact.

Strengthened complaint handling and escalation processes.

Improved visibility of service performance through reliable reporting.

Built stronger supplier escalation and performance management routines.

Improved team leadership, accountability and engagement.

Supported the successful integration of any acquired customer bases.

Delivered measurable improvements in customer satisfaction, operational efficiency and service quality.

Created a service function that is better prepared for continued growth, acquisitions and regulatory expectations.

Personal Attributes

Customer-first without being soft on standards.

Hands-on but able to operate strategically.

Calm under pressure.

Clear, direct and fair.

Commercially aware.

Data-led but people-focused.

Comfortable challenging senior colleagues when service risk is present.

Resilient in a fast-moving environment.

Able to bring structure without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.

Passionate about building a service culture that customers and colleagues can trust.

Why This Role Matters

Telecom Acquisitions Ltd is growing through a combination of customer acquisition, brand development, supplier partnerships and customer base acquisitions. As the business scales, service quality becomes one of the most important factors in protecting customer trust, reducing churn, supporting profitability and maintaining brand reputation.

The Director will play a central role in ensuring the company can continue to grow without losing the service standards, human approach and customer focus that underpin its proposition. This role will help turn service into a genuine competitive advantage across the group.

am environment where people feel supported but are also held accountable for standards.

Why You'll Love Working Here (Some Staff Benefits)

• 50% off Home Telecom broadband after probation - completely FREE after 2 years
• 25 days holiday, rising to 30 days with service + bank holidays + your birthday off
• Salary sacrifice pension scheme
• Local company discounts
• Buy & sell holiday scheme
• Friday fridge (endofweek treats)
• £500 referafriend bonus
• £250 Bright Ideas reward scheme
• Regular company events: summer party, Christmas party, sports day & more
• Aviva Health Care - 24/7 Doctor, counselling & bereavement counselling
• Parking available free / discounted options
• Free eye care vouchers
• Death in service cove