Client Engagement Lead Associate (12 Month FTC)

Reporting to the Client Engagement Senior Manager (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 Clients client base in line with agreed service standards.

The role will support the delivery of the WBS Client Engagement strategy.  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 covering a period of maternity leave for 12 months. 

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
• Ownership of first line support to WBS clients for all live issues providing timely resolution & analysis of root causes. To include raising of all associated JIRA requests, tracking to completion and appropriate escalation as required
• Ensuring timely and accurate responses to client queries.  Co-ordinating a response with internal stakeholders as required
• Deliver service to agreed SLA’s and proactively engage in regular updates to clients.  Ensuring applicable client SLA metrics feed into wider firm MI to evidence delivery of desired customer outcomes
• Support the delivery of 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.  Effectively delivery will need to involve working closely with the whole Client Engagement Team, Relationship Management, Product & Delivery functions to drive decisions and prioritisation.
• 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. 
• Support successful utilisation and adoption of Client Query Portal.  Help 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
• Work within and maintain control framework in relation to oversight of any outsourced activities that are undertaken on behalf of WBS by Clients
• Stay up-to-date on the latest financial products and services to effectively communicate and recommend them to clients
• Partnering with Relationship Managers and other internal stakeholders ensuring issues are communicated and escalated in a timely manner both internally and directly with the clients
• Communicate and negotiate with clients to reach mutually beneficial solutions
• Engage directly with and build productive relationships with senior client stakeholders to help WBS align with their vision, strategy, and roadmaps
• Own development of customer journey ensuring consideration is given to the needs, characteristics, and objectives of WBS Clients and their underlying retails customers – including those with characteristics of vulnerability – and how they behave, at every stage of the customer journey
• 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
• Create, maintain and update EOS user profiles as required
• Respond to and co-ordinate client due diligence responses ensuring timely and accurate responses.
• Maintain accurate and up to-date client records in CRM system
• Produce detailed analysis of service & operational issues, including provision for timely and accurate Client MI packs
• 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
• 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
• 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

• 2 years+ relevant Institutional Client Relationship Management experience ideally from the Platform/Wealth Management, Custodian 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
• 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

Benefits 

• Competitive salary inclusive of 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 (60% office-based)
• 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

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.