Head of Customer Experience Strategy, Planning & Control

Head of Customer Experience Strategy, Planning & Control

*** (Please note this role can be hired across the UK and is not limited to our Loughborough office) ***

We're looking for people to join the Access family, who share our passion for believing in better, and who will help us continue to grow.

Love Work. Love Life. Be You. - is central to our success and how we give our customers the freedom to do more of what's important to them.

What does Access offer you?

We offer a flexible, hybrid working environment where you can balance work and life while maintaining a strong office team-based culture. We deliver on what we say, taking the development of our people seriously. We'll work with you to progress your success plan and provide opportunities to accelerate your career.

On top of a competitive salary, our standard 25 days holiday (which goes up the longer you're with us), and a matched pension scheme, you'll also be able to choose from a range of benefits to suit you. We're an organisation that likes to give back, so you'll also have one charity day allocated to support a cause that matters to you.

Position summary

We are seeking an exceptional Head of CX Strategy, Planning & Control to serve as the strategic architect and operational control centre for all CX Go-Centre-Operations operations. This pivotal role reports to the CX Director and combines forward-thinking strategy with rigorous operational governance, ensuring all elements of our customer experience work together seamlessly.

You'll lead a team of specialists covering quality assurance, resource planning, and operations control whilst driving CX strategy development and acting as the organisational "glue" for all CX activities.

Key accountabilities and responsibilities

- CX strategy development coordination - lead the development and evolution of CX strategy in alignment with business objectives

- Drive AI and automation strategy across all CX operations, identify opportunities for digital transformation, champion modern approaches to operational excellence, ensure CX remains at forefront of innovation Team leadership and development

- Act as the operational control centre ensuring all CX activities are coordinated, maintain strategic calendar of key initiatives and milestones with meticulous attention to detail communications leadership

- Own all internal and external CX communications

- Strategic oversight of workforce planning internationally through Resource Planning Lead, set direction for optimal staffing strategies, oversee seasonal planning and growth requirements

- Guide development of predictive models for customer demand through team, oversee scenario planning for business growth and product launches, ensure forecasting accuracy

- Own CX operational budget, monitor spend against budget, identify cost-saving opportunities, business case development for investments

- Strategic oversight of real-time performance monitoring through Operations Control

Key performance indicators

- CX strategy development and execution milestones

- Team performance and development metrics

- AI and automation initiative implementation success

- Resource utilisation and efficiency metrics

- Staff scheduling effectiveness and coverage metrics

Skills, knowledge, experience & qualifications

- Proven experience (10+ years) in operational roles, with at least 5 years in customer experience, contact centres, or service operations.

- Recognised expertise in one or more areas: workforce management, quality assurance, operational strategy, or contact centre transformation

- Strong understanding of operational planning and control mechanisms

- Financial literacy with experience managing significant budgets

- Data interpretation skills with ability to derive strategic insights from operational metrics

- Experience presenting to and influencing senior stakeholders