Contact Centre Director

Role: Director of Careline

Location: Office based role. Ringwood, Hampshire

Reporting to: Managing Director

Working hours: Monday to Friday, 37 hours per week

About the Role

Churchill Estates Management (CEM) is seeking an experienced, commercially minded Director of Careline to shape the future of its Careline service and play a key role in the continued growth of a fast-growing business with over 40,000 connections. This is a newly created position, established in response to the continued growth of the business.

This is a pivotal strategic leadership role with responsibility for developing the Careline proposition, strengthening client and partner relationships, driving service growth and ensuring operational excellence. Working closely with the Managing Director and senior leadership team, you will help set the direction for Careline, identify opportunities for expansion and innovation, and ensure the service continues to deliver outstanding outcomes for customers and external contract partners.

As Director of Careline, you will lead a dedicated team of 40 Colleagues responsible for providing 24-hour emergency response, customer support and monitoring services across our portfolio. Just as importantly, you will bring the ambition, energy and strategic mindset needed to work within a fast-growing business, ensuring Careline is positioned for future growth, commercial success, innovation and long-term customer trust.

This role is office based from our Head Office in Ringwood, Hampshire.

Role Purpose

• Lead the strategic and operational delivery of CEM's Careline service, ensuring a safe, reliable and customer-focused operation.
• Create an exceptional customer experience through responsive, compassionate and professional service delivery.
• Develop a high-performing and engaged Careline team, fostering a culture of accountability, wellbeing and continuous development.
• Drive operational efficiency, service innovation and continuous improvement to enhance customer outcomes and business performance.
• Work closely with the Managing Director to shape the future direction of the Careline service, identifying opportunities for growth, technological advancement and service enhancement.
• Ensure robust governance, compliance and business continuity across all Careline operations.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Provide inspirational leadership to the Careline management team and wider operational colleagues, creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Lead the day-to-day operation of the Careline service, ensuring consistent achievement of service standards, performance targets and customer satisfaction measures.
• Ensure the Careline operation delivers a resilient 24/7 monitoring and response service, supported by effective resource planning and workforce management.
• Monitor operational performance through KPIs, customer feedback and management information, using insight to drive continual service improvements.
• Champion a customer-first culture, ensuring every interaction reflects our values and commitment to delivering peace of mind.
• Ensure appropriate escalation processes are in place for safeguarding concerns, emergency incidents and business-critical events.
• Promote colleague engagement, wellbeing and professional development, ensuring managers are equipped to coach, support and develop their teams.

Service Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Lead the ongoing development of Careline systems, processes and technologies to improve operational efficiency and customer experience.
• Identify opportunities to modernise service delivery through digital innovation, and enhanced reporting capabilities.
• Work collaboratively with internal departments to ensure seamless service delivery and excellent communication across the business.
• Lead service improvement initiatives, embedding best practice and ensuring lessons learned are translated into operational improvements.
• Oversee quality assurance programmes to ensure consistently high standards of customer care and regulatory compliance.

Strategic Leadership

• Work in close partnership with the Managing Director to develop and deliver the Careline strategy, supporting wider business objectives.
• Contribute as a key member of the senior leadership team, supporting organisational planning, performance and continuous improvement.
• Develop business cases for investment in people, systems and technology to support future service growth.
• Identify opportunities to expand Careline services and enhance value for customers and the wider business.
• Build strong relationships with key suppliers, technology partners and external stakeholders to support service development and innovation.
• Oversee and strengthen relationships with external clients and contract partners, acting as a senior point of contact to ensure service expectations are understood, managed and consistently achieved.

Financial & Commercial Management

• Manage the Careline operational budget, ensuring effective financial control and value for money.
• Monitor operational costs, resource utilisation and productivity, identifying efficiencies whilst maintaining service quality.
• Support the preparation of annual budgets, forecasts and strategic investment plans for the Careline operation.
• Ensure contractual obligations with technology providers and service partners are effectively managed.
• Ensure external contract KPIs are clearly monitored, reported and achieved, working proactively with clients and internal teams to address performance risks and maintain strong contractual relationships.

About You

You will be an experienced operational leader with a proven track record of managing large customer service or contact centre operations, ideally within healthcare, emergency response, retirement living, housing, telecare or a regulated service environment.

You will be a strategic thinker with exceptional leadership skills, capable of inspiring teams whilst maintaining a strong operational focus. Comfortable working at executive level, you will build trusted relationships across the organisation and confidently influence business direction.

You will bring:

• Significant senior leadership experience within a customer service, Careline, telecare, contact centre or operational environment.
• Experience leading 24/7 operational teams and delivering high-quality customer outcomes.
• Strong commercial and financial management experience.
• Excellent understanding of operational performance management, workforce planning and service improvement.
• Experience of leading organisational change and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Knowledge of governance, compliance and risk management within a regulated environment.
• Outstanding communication, relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• A collaborative leadership style with a passion for developing people and creating high-performing teams.

How You’ll Be Rewarded

• Competitive salary
• Company Car benefit
• 28 days holiday + Bank Holidays
• Day off on your birthday
• Excellent colleague benefits including Family BUPA Cover, Health Screening, Group Personal Pension Plan and Life Assurance
• £200 John Lewis vouchers for expectant parents
• Colleague wellbeing programmes and ambassadors

About us

As part of the Churchill Retirement group of companies, Careline Support Ltd provides a telephone support service to over 11,000 retired Homeowners in the UK, supporting them to achieve a safe and secure lifestyle and enjoy their retirement.

In 2023, Careline were delighted to win the Outstanding Customer Service Award at the industry recognised ARMA awards ceremony, underpinning the great work that our team deliver every day.

We are committed to maintaining a first-class level of service at all touch points. The creation of Careline has enabled us to elevate our service and our amazing call handling team ensures that no-one is left alone in an emergency.

We are looking for the very best person to join our business and be part of the next exciting chapter. If you feel you have the skills and attributes to make a difference, apply today!

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