Customer Service/Operations Manager

Job Purpose

This role sets out to drive competitive advantage through the delivery of market leading, proactive customer service through our people, processes, and technology. This role contributes to the Commercial Unit strategy execution plan and sales & profitability targets and takes a lead in defining, and owning, the specific implications for the region.

Key Accountabilities

• Managing a fit-for-purpose Customer Operations organization which best serves the needs of the business and is in line with the BU mandates; Building a team of highly motivated, competent, and customer oriented customer service representatives who ensure leading service delivery to all AkzoNobel customers.
• Ensuring excellence in service delivery to all AkzoNobel customers every minute of every day. Initiating and implementing proactive, as well as corrective, actions as needed in order to ensure that market leading standard of service and a high level of customer satisfaction/loyalty are maintained.
• Balancing daily operations with our drive for transformational change. Embedding the right knowledge, processes and ways of working across the organization that build a culture of customer first mentality and continuous improvement to better serve our customers
• Contributing to the strategy execution plan and taking a lead in defining, and owning, the specific implications for the region
• Ensuring we invest in our people and build the right capability and talent for success
• Act as subject matter expert and single point of contact for all Order to Cash related topics within the Commercial Unit/cluster.

Key Activities

• Accountable for the end-to-end order management process for all customer orders including both local and export orders for the Commercial Unit/cluster (including, adherence to adequate standard operating procedures).
• Represents customer needs to Supply Chain (and other internal stakeholders), instigating and implementing efficiencies and improvements to enhance customer service levels
• Help drive any projects aimed at Customer Service continuous improvement and/or transformation across the people/process/system spectrum
• Responsible for standard reporting on a daily/weekly/monthly basis on Customer Operations activities in line with defined KPIs. Presents and explains content of the reports reflecting performance of the supervised unit to cluster / country management
• Contributes to the IBP Process via the Demand Control and SOE Meetings
• Determines and supervises process of registering & archiving of customer service-related documentation.
• Ensures job profiles are in place, sets objectives for team members, reviews development and provides clear, open and constructive feedback on performance combined with the appropriate actions
• Develop the functional team capability, skills and resources to drive the change in our customer service levels.

Experience

• At least 5+ years’ functional expertise in the field of customer service/operations in a complex/matrix multinational B2B organization is highly preferred including the understanding and implementation of technology solutions to lead the drive for exceptional service and efficiencies.
• Excellent leadership and people management skills, as well as the ability to inspire and manage a diverse team and team roles with differing needs and expectations.
• Ability to prioritize and re-prioritize department resources to meet changing business conditions.
• Thorough knowledge and experience with OneSAP and BI.
• Excellent analytical skills: a high level of proficiency with Excel and Microsoft office programs.

Education

• Minimum Bachelor level of working and thinking; Masters degree/MBA preferred.
• Must work well under pressure, be able to juggle many projects simultaneously, and have excellent interpersonal and communication skills with fluency in English; additional language skills in French, Spanish & Italian also highly desirable.