Customer Service Manager

The Vacancy

We’re looking for an experienced Customer Service Manager to lead and oversee customer services on our social housing responsive maintenance contracts in London.

This is a key leadership role, responsible for ensuring residents receive a consistently high‑quality, responsive and empathetic service. You’ll manage customer-facing teams and processes, oversee complaints and performance, and work closely with operational colleagues to drive service improvements and customer satisfaction across the contract.

If you’re passionate about customer experience, thrive in a fast‑paced environment and have experience within social housing or repairs and maintenance, this is an excellent opportunity to make a real difference to residents’ lives.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead, motivate and develop customer services teams including schedulers, customer liaison officers and administrators
• Own the end‑to‑end customer journey for responsive repairs, ensuring excellent communication and timely resolution
• Manage customer complaints effectively, producing high‑quality responses and preventing escalation

Analyse complaint data, customer feedback and KPIs to identify trends and drive continuous service improvement

Monitor work‑in‑progress, identifying risks to performance and taking proactive action

Work closely with Contract Managers, Supervisors and planners to ensure service delivery meets contractual standards

Produce regular performance reports and insights for internal and client stakeholders

Champion a customer‑first culture while ensuring compliance with health, safety and operational frameworks

What we’re looking for

• Proven experience in a Customer Service Manager or similar role within social housing responsive maintenance or repairs
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing customer service or scheduling teams
• Confident handling complaints, performance management and service recovery
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence across operational and senior stakeholder groups
• Highly organised, data‑driven and able to thrive in a fast‑moving, high‑volume environment
• A genuine commitment to delivering outstanding service to residents
  
  

Given the nature of this position, you will need to undergo a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) at offer stage. Applicants with criminal convictions will be assessed individually, and we assure you that we do not discriminate based on an applicant's criminal record or the details of any disclosed offenses. Additionally, certain roles may be subject to additional pre-employment checks.

To learn more about the checks included in this process, please click on the following link: National Security Vetting

Work for Wates

Wates is one of the UK’s leading family-owned development, building and property maintenance companies. Founded over 125 years ago, we have a proud legacy in the built environment.

We are driven by our purpose, ‘reimagining places for people to thrive’ and our three promises:

Thriving places – working with customers, partners and communities to create places that are more sustainable, inclusive, and full of opportunity.

Thriving planet – protecting nature and taking action on climate change by collaborating and innovating with our partners.

Thriving people

– creating opportunities and relationships so that everyone who works for and with us feels included, invested in, and treated with care.

We are proud to be recognised as Gold Investors in People and as a Disability Confident employer. We also ensure that our recruitment processes do not treat anyone less favourably due to an offending background.

Work for Wates

Wates Group is one of the largest, and most successful family-owned private construction, development, and property services companies in the UK. We are building a place to work where everyone belongs, by one small act of inclusion at a time. We celebrate difference and welcome diversity.

As a responsible and inclusive employer, we are committed to equality and are proud to have been recognised for this through a range of accolades including gold accreditation with Investors in People, we are also a Disability Confident employer. Being a family owned, business means we understand and value long term relationships.

The Wates Group are committed to three ambitious environmental targets for 2025: Zero Waste, and Zero Carbon, from our operations and Positive Nature Enhancement. Wates are pushing to take a leading role in reducing our industry’s environmental impact.