Senior Customer Service Manager

Role and responsibilities  

Team Leadership & Development 

• Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing team of Support professionals 
• Drive the transformation of a legacy technical support function into a modern, scalable, and customer-first operation 
• Conduct regular performance reviews, deliver constructive feedback, and create meaningful development plans for every team member 
• Identify training needs and partner with the Customer Leadership to design and implement targeted learning programmes 
• Foster an open, collaborative team culture where knowledge sharing and continuous improvement are the norm 
• Own QA strategy ensuring a reliable process, providing consistent, relevant, and timely feedback is enacted through the QA specialist and team managers 
• Manage and evolve the relationship with our outsourced inbound team, with a focus on performance, metrics, and long-term in-housing strategy 

Support Operations 

• Oversee daily support operations, ensuring efficient and effective resolution of customer issues across all channels 
• Develop and embed best practices, SOPs, and quality standards for the support desk 
• Monitor and report on key performance indicators including CSAT, resolution times, and first-contact resolution rates 
• Analyse customer feedback and data to identify systemic issues and opportunities to improve product documentation, processes, and tooling 
• Champion the strategic shift from outsourced front-line support to a fully in-house, technically confident first line team 
• Continuously look for opportunities to improve, automate, and streamline processes 

Known Issues, Incident Management & Cross-functional Partnerships 

• Own and develop the Known Issues (KI) programme — ensuring it is well-maintained, clearly communicated, and genuinely useful to both the support team and customers 
• Lead the strategy that powers the end-to-end incident management process from the Technical Support perspective— from detection and internal communication through to customer-facing updates and post-incident reviews 
• Define and embed incident response protocols, ensuring the support team is equipped to respond quickly, communicate clearly, and minimise customer impact 
• Build and foster a strong, trust-based partnership with the Product and Engineering teams — acting as the bridge between customer experience and product development 
• Ensure customer insights, support trends, and known issues are regularly fed back into Product and Tech roadmap conversations — turning support intelligence into product improvement 
• Represent the customer’s voice in cross-functional forums, driving accountability and alignment across teams when issues arise 

Customer Relationship Management 

• Act as the senior escalation point for complex, high-stakes customer issues — handling these with empathy, professionalism, and a solutions-first mindset 
• Facilitate smooth cross-functional escalations, working closely with technical, product, and commercial teams to resolve issues quickly and fairly 
• Serve as the voice of the customer internally, ensuring feedback loops are closed and insights influence wider business decisions 
• Build and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with key customers and partners 

Stakeholder Management 

• Build strong relationships with key stakeholders across the business, including technical teams, product, sales, and senior leadership 
• Communicate clearly and credibly at all levels — from front-line team to Director 
• Manage expectations transparently, resolve conflicts constructively, and champion your team’s work across the organisation 
• Collaborate consistently with peer teams across the wider Customer organisation to drive joined-up thinking and shared outcomes 

Essential Experience & Skills 

• At least 5 years’ experience in a customer service management or leadership role, ideally within a SaaS or technology environment 
• Proven track record of transforming or significantly upskilling a technical support team 
• Experience managing distributed or offshore teams, with the ability to lead effectively across geographies and cultures 
• Strong operational instincts — comfortable with data, KPIs, and using insight to drive improvement 
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to adapt your style to your audience 
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver consistently under pressure 
• Intermediate to advanced skills in Excel, Word, and Outlook 
• Fluent in English (native or equivalent) 

Advantageous 

• Experience leading both L1 support and technical support teams 
• Experience with Salesforce CRM, Zendesk or similar platforms 
• Background in a high-growth or scale-up SaaS business 
• Exposure to bringing outsourced functions in-house