Interim Customer Experience Lead

Location: Norfolk (full-time, office-based)

Contract: 3 months (with potential to extend)

Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week

We are partnering with a well-established housing association in Norfolk seeking an Interim Customer Experience Lead to provide senior leadership and stability to their Customer Experience team during a period of change and high operational demand.

This is a hands-on interim leadership role focused on steadying a relatively new team, maintaining service standards, driving continuous improvement, and ensuring high-quality customer outcomes across all touchpoints. You will take ownership of both day-to-day performance and longer-term quality and improvement activity.

About the Role

As Interim Customer Experience Lead you will oversee the operational delivery of the customer experience function, coach and develop the team, monitor performance against service standards and KPIs, and act as a visible champion for continuous improvement. The role requires strong leadership presence, resilience, and the ability to calm and focus a team where a significant proportion of staff are relatively new in post.

You will work closely with the Assistant Director of Customer Experience and play a key part in ensuring services are delivered consistently, fairly, and to a high standard in line with the organisations Customer Charter.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the day-to-day operational delivery of the Customer Experience team, including call traffic, email queues, and service level performance.
• Provide clear leadership and coaching to a team with a high proportion of newer staff, building confidence, resilience, and consistent performance.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying weaknesses in service delivery, analysing data and insight, and implementing practical solutions.
• Establish and maintain quality assurance processes so that services consistently meet or exceed the standards set out in the Customer Charter.
• Monitor KPIs and operational metrics, report on performance, and take proactive action to address underperformance or emerging risks.
• Ensure accurate recording and use of customer data and insight to improve the customer journey.
• Champion appropriate use of digital and self-service tools while protecting access for customers who need personal support.
• Escalate service risks, trends, and high-priority issues to senior management in a timely manner.
• Promote a collaborative, one-team approach across Customer Experience and partner teams (including repairs and maintenance).
• Contribute to the overall stability and success of the customer function during the interim period.

Requirements

• Proven experience in a customer experience, customer service, or housing management leadership role.
• Strong people leadership skills with the ability to coach, motivate, and stabilise a team that includes a high proportion of newer staff.
• Experience driving continuous improvement and using data/insight to identify and resolve service issues.
• Ability to balance operational delivery (service levels, queues, response times) with quality and longer-term improvement work.
• Resilient, calm under pressure, and comfortable working at pace in a busy operational environment.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills across all levels.
• Experience of working within housing, social housing, or a regulated customer-facing environment is highly desirable.
• Confidence working full-time on-site and leading by example.