Senior Manager – Complaints Operations (Life & Pensions)

Location: Belfast City Centre
Salary: Competitive + Benefits
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm
Hybrid Working: Available following successful completion of probation

Lead a growing Life & Pensions Complaints operation

Ashton Recruitment is delighted to be partnering with a leading global technology and business services provider to recruit a Senior Manager – Complaints Operations (Life & Pensions).

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced operational leader to take ownership of a specialist complaints function supporting major UK financial services organisations. The successful candidate will be responsible for leading complaint handling operations, driving performance, ensuring regulatory compliance and delivering exceptional customer outcomes across Life & Pensions products.

You will play a pivotal role in managing operational delivery, developing high-performing teams and building strong client relationships while driving continuous improvement across the service.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee the day-to-day delivery of a Life & Pensions complaints operation
• Drive operational performance against agreed service levels, quality standards and customer outcomes
• Provide leadership and direction to Team Leaders, Quality Analysts and Complaints Handlers
• Ensure all complaints are managed in accordance with FCA regulations, DISP requirements and client expectations
• Oversee workload planning, resource allocation and operational efficiency
• Analyse performance data, identify trends and implement improvement initiatives
• Lead root cause analysis activities and ensure meaningful actions are implemented to reduce complaint volumes and improve customer journeys
• Produce and present operational performance reports to senior stakeholders and clients
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal departments, external clients and key stakeholders
• Support business growth, operational planning and change management initiatives
• Identify and mitigate operational, regulatory and reputational risks
• Foster a culture of accountability, customer focus and continuous improvement

Essential Criteria

• Proven experience leading complaints operations within a Financial Services environment
• Strong knowledge of Life & Pensions products and customer journeys
• Experience managing operational teams within an FCA-regulated environment
• Demonstrable experience delivering against operational KPIs, SLAs and quality targets
• Strong understanding of complaints governance, regulatory requirements and customer outcome frameworks
• Experience managing performance, coaching leaders and developing high-performing teams
• Excellent stakeholder management and client relationship skills
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making abilities
• Experience driving operational improvement and change initiatives

Desirable Criteria

• LF1 qualification or equivalent Life & Pensions qualification
• Additional financial services qualifications such as CF1, FA1, FA2, CeFA or R01
• Experience within outsourced business services or contact centre operations
• Knowledge of Consumer Duty requirements and complaint handling best practice
• Experience leading transformation, change or service improvement projects

What’s on Offer?

• Opportunity to join a global organisation with ambitious growth plans
• Senior leadership position with significant responsibility and influence
• Hybrid working model
• Competitive salary and benefits package
• Ongoing professional development and career progression opportunities
• Opportunity to shape and develop a specialist Life & Pensions complaints function

Important Information

Any offer of employment will be subject to the successful completion of Fit and Proper Person checks in line with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requirements. These checks may include regulatory references, criminal record checks and verification of qualifications and employment history.

Ashton Recruitment is acting as a Recruitment Agency in relation to this vacancy.