Senior Client Engagement Manager

Reporting to the Head of Client (WBS) this role will serve as the primary advocate for WBS Clients, taking ownership and oversight of WBS client service and engagement.   This role will be responsible for ensuring that WBS services are delivering positive outcomes for the WBS client base in line with agreed service standards.

Key to this is the ability to manage client relationships proactively and directly through regular structured reviews addressing commercial, product, service updates and planning.  Consideration must also be given to the needs of the underlying retail customers and how WBS is helping to promote good customer outcomes.

This role is located in the London office.

Key Responsibilities

• Be the ‘Customer Champion’ for the business, acting as the voice of the customer as appropriate, internally and externally to ensure WBS consistently delivers good customer outcomes
• Regularly reviewing the service provided to WBS Clients and understanding of challenges faced, sharing output regularly with WBS senior management team
• Leadership of a client focused culture. Emphasis on ownership of client service, identifying root causes of issues and/or complaints and implementing sustainable fixes
• Analyse client and operational data to identify trends, performance metrics, and areas for improvement
• Develop and deliver clear, insightful, and visually compelling presentations to internal and external stakeholders.
• Responsible for creation of and subsequent monitoring and review of client SLAs and associated performance against agreed metrics
• Own and deliver the Client engagement strategy.   Consideration should be given to factors including, delivery of good customer outcomes, service excellence, client satisfaction, applicable MI, revenue generation & cost savings.  Effective delivery will need to involve working closely with the Relationship Management, Operations, Product & Delivery functions to drive decisions and prioritisation
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of service, and regularly track and analyse performance data
• Leading the design for any changes to the client engagement model
• Provide propositional/service expertise and leadership on key strategic business projects and actively be the voice of the customer within these
• Ensuring a high quality and collaborative relationship with clients through which WBS can support and facilitate client growth and good customer outcomes
• Ownership of Client Query Portal.  Design and format of query tickets, adherence to agreed SLA metrics on response and resolution, production of internal and external MI to evidence effective delivery of good outcomes and utilisation of MI and service related data to inform decision-making on future enhancements
• Ensure any customer complaints are managed accurately, logged, responded to promptly, with care and in accordance with WBS policy & regulation.  Track root causes and drive change to reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence.
• Ensure oversight of any outsourced activities that are undertaken on behalf of WBS by Clients. Manage robust governance frameworks to enable WBS to evidence ongoing compliance with contractual and regulatory requirements
• Stay up-to-date on the latest financial products and services to effectively communicate and recommend them to clients
• Communicate and negotiate with clients to reach mutually beneficial solutions
• Prepare and present reports on client satisfaction, retention, and growth to senior management.
• Acting as an escalation point across for Clients in relation to operational service issues
• Proactively monitoring service closely to pre-empt upcoming service issues causing client escalations and ensure senior management are aware
• Partnering with Relationship Managers and other stakeholders ensuring issues are communicated and escalated in a timely manner both internally and directly with the clients.
• Contribute to business case creation for new client propositions/change requests and gain buy in from the appropriate forums for approval, funding and change resource
• Overseeing projects for clients, inclusive of ensuring all relevant internal and external parties are aware of ongoing projects and are held responsible for meeting their respective deliverables.
• Engage directly with and build productive relationships with senior client stakeholders and executives to help WBS align with their vision, strategy, and roadmaps. Ensuring WBS are well positioned to support client growth, achieve high levels of client satisfaction and to optimise WBS commercial positioning in the UK Investment industry
• Use robust management information to assist in data driven planning, prioritising & decision-making escalating where appropriate
• Ensure proactive communication with all clients – particularly with respect to service & change
• Build strong relationships with other internal functions and business units and poses strong ability to challenge decisions and positively influence change at all levels across WBS
• Work closely with Product & Business Development to help deliver all agreed solutions for new and existing clients.  Ensuring ongoing alignment to and compliance with the four outcomes linked to the FCA Consumer Duty regulation which are instrumental in helping to drive good outcomes for customers
• Continually review the way the function operates and challenge the robustness of procedures as it evolves, prioritising and facilitating required enhancements accordingly
• Represent the function appropriately to ensure complete adherence to; and understanding of; the risk and compliance frameworks set out by the COO, CRO, and the wider Group as a whole
• Work with other members of the organisation to embed the culture of the Company, its values, policies, and procedures
• To maintain an effective management team to manage the function on a day-to-day basis, through strong talent management and development
• Recruit, direct, motivate and develop staff, maximizing their individual contribution, their professional growth and their ability to function effectively with their colleagues as a team
• To build and maintain a strong culture of compliance, risk management, integrity, client focus and other such Winterflood or Close Brothers values
• Attend industry conferences & forums as appropriate

Required Skills and Knowledge

• 5 years+ relevant Institutional Client Relationship Management experience ideally from the Platform/Wealth Management or Investment Management industry although broader Financial Services experience will still be considered
• Demonstrable experience providing exemplary client services, driving good consumer outcomes and delivering sustainable revenue growth
• Deep understanding of customer journey mapping and techniques for improving customer experience
• Highly effective communicator with both external clients and internal stakeholders
• Adept at creating robust management information to assist in planning, prioritising & decision-making escalating where appropriate
• Proficiency in data visualisation tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Excel) desirable

Benefits 

• Competitive salary plus discretionary annual bonus & annual pay review
• Work Abroad Policy for up to 15 days per year
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays and additional well-being day
• Option to purchase an additional 5 days holiday per year
• Flexible working options available, including hybrid working
• Pension scheme up to 10% employer contribution
• Sharesave scheme
• Income Protection & Life insurance (4 x salary core level of cover)
• Private health care via BUPA
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounted Gym Membership
• Variety of travel to work schemes

Company benefits are provided on completion of either six months service, or a successful probation period whichever is sooner.

Entitlement outlined above is in respect of full-time entitlement, and will be provided to part-time workers on a prorate basis in accordance with the relevant scheme rules.

All benefits are subject to rules of the scheme and associated provider. The Company in its sole and absolute discretion reserves the right to discontinue, vary or amend any of the aforementioned benefits.

At Close Brothers we look to recruit individuals from all different backgrounds and encourage you to apply even if you don’t tick every box. We celebrate diversity, promote inclusivity and are open to discuss flexible work options to help you balance your work and home life.

We appreciate that from time to time, recruitment agencies will have speculative CVs that they may wish to submit to our Talent Acquisition team in relation to a specific role.

To avoid any ambiguity around fees, please note that speculative CVs received by Close Brothers, that have not been authorised in advance, by us, will be ineligible for an agency fee. Thank you.