Customer Service Team Leader

We’re recruiting a Customer Service Team Leader on behalf of a well-established, globally operating advanced materials business headquartered in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. This is a full-time, permanent position with hybrid working available — and a genuine opportunity to step into a leadership role with real scope to grow as the customer service function expands.

This role sits at the heart of a busy, technically diverse customer service operation, combining people leadership, escalation ownership, process discipline and a proportion of hands-on operational work (around 20–30%) to keep you close to the day-to-day realities of the team. You’ll be building a capable, motivated team that delivers responsiveness, accuracy and strong customer outcomes across a global client base spanning aerospace, research, engineering, medical science and emerging technology. If you’re an experienced people leader with a customer-first mindset and a structured approach to continuous improvement, this is a role worth exploring.

Main Responsibilities:

Leading, coaching and developing a team of Customer Service professionals through regular one-to-ones, development plans and performance conversations

Managing workloads, prioritisation and resource allocation across the team on a daily basis

Acting as the point of escalation for customer complaints, issues and internal process barriers, and seeing them through to resolution

Monitoring SLA performance and taking proactive steps to manage risk and maintain service levels

Creating and maintaining SOPs for high-frequency and high-value processes

Driving a structured approach to continuous improvement, including identifying recurring issues and working cross-functionally to resolve them

Championing adoption of internal tools and supporting automation and process streamlining

Supporting onboarding and coaching of new team members

Collaborating with stakeholders across the business to resolve issues early and clearly

Contributing to projects that shape how customer service is structured and delivered across the wider group

Skills/Experience:

Previous experience in a customer service environment — essential

Demonstrated ability to coach, influence and support others — essential

Strong written and verbal communication skills with excellent stakeholder management

Confident problem solver with sound judgement in complex situations

Able to manage competing workloads, SLAs and internal and external priorities

Competent with core IT systems — experience with D365, MS Office or Salesforce desirable

Previous leadership, mentoring or senior agent experience — desirable

Exposure to SLA-based operations — desirable

Understanding of the order-to-cash cycle and order fulfilment — desirable

Familiarity with AI-assisted workflows or process automation — desirable

Experience working across multiple sites, teams or business units — desirable

Salary & Working Hours:

Salary is competitive and dependent on experience. Full-time, permanent position with hybrid working. Typical hours are 8:00am–4:00pm or 9:00am–5:00pm, Monday to Friday. Based in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

Benefits

• Competitive salary with scope, progression and reward reviewed as responsibility grows

• 22 days annual leave rising to 25 days

• Hybrid working arrangements

• Company-funded private healthcare

• Employer pension contribution of 5%

• Critical illness and life assurance cover

• Company sick pay scheme

• Employee Assistance Programme

• Professional development and training support

• Onsite parking and complimentary refreshments

• Programme of social events throughout the year