Branch Network Business Development Manager

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Location: Leek and the wider branch network

Employment type:Full-time, permanent position.

Salary: £45,000 depending on experience

Working hours: 35 hours per week, worked flexibly.

Reports to: Head of Branch Network and Customer Support

Direct Reports: Branch Managers

The Organisation

Leek Building Society is an award winning, highly admired, local mutual building society that is owned and trusted by its members. We were ranked in the top 10 of UK employers in the Inspiring Workplaces Awards 2024, and we're on a mission to become even stronger.

We're a great place to work, with an exceptional culture - in a recent staff survey, 97% of colleagues said that they were proud to work for Leek Building Society. We've been crowned as Staffordshire's Employer of the Year for 2023, and have been recognised as having the best approach to health & wellbeing in the UK in the 2023 CIPD awards. We're also a socially responsible, inclusive employer, deeply committed to ensuring that everyone is supported to perform at their best.

You'll be joining the business at a fantastic time of growth, with a transformational investment in our systems, people and processes to put our customers at the heart of everything we do.

Job Purpose & Scope

Managing the day-to-day operations of the branch network including responsibility for the successful achievement of sales, service, and community objectives for the branch network. Always ensuring that risk and controls are delivered to the required standard. As well as risk management the role will have a strong focus on improving the member (customer) experience, always delivering good customer outcomes.

To enhance the strengths and skills of all BMs through effective training, coaching and collaboration to deliver desired customer experiences that support the growth of the membership base and increase revenue.

Duties and Key Responsibilities

1. Provide leadership and line management to BM's
2. Through BM's, develop quarterly business plans for the network and each branch to achieve sales, service, and community objectives.
3. Develop activity plans for each branch in line with the goals defined in the Society's Community objectives and Marketing plans
4. To manage resources across the branch network.
   • Ensure effective management of annual leave and TOIL provides the required resources.
   • Manage any recruitment process to minimise the gap between leavers and new recruits
   • Develop the branch network teams to provide potential future candidates for roles
   • Conduct recruitment interviews with BM's
5. Support Induction Training
   • Monitor the progress of new starters against their probation objectives
   • Assist delivery of Induction Training
6. T & C Supervision -Supervision Status
   • Undertake T & C first line supervisory responsibility for all Home Insurance Specialists.
   • Collaborate with the Society's Insurance product provider colleagues to deliver appropriate training and best practice guides.
   • Provide insight and data as directed by the HOBN & CS to support the preparation for product provider governance meetings.
   • Undertake T & C responsibilities at first and second line level responsibility for BM's who act as savings specialist and supervise their own CA's.
   • Create development programmes for key branch customer interviewers across the network.
   • Plan regular observations of savings interviews across the branch network, working with BMs to develop competence of individuals undertaking customer interviews.
   • Build and maintain a best practice guide for member interviews.
7. Ownership of the Branch Network "One Best Way" programme
   • Create and maintain best practice training collateral and guides for areas identified by the HOBN & CS aimed to raise standards and improve consistency of execution across the branch network.
   • Create delivery and embedding plans for new or updated initiatives.
8. Customer Experience (CX) Champion
   • Undertake role of Customer Experience Champion.
   • Familiarise yourself with the concepts and skills to be considered the expert in CX.
   • Promote and role model CX behaviours at all times, supporting the embedding of the CX desired culture across the network.
9. Customer Service:
   • Ensure regular branch meetings/huddles occur to set the expectations of the required activities and output for the day.
   • To ensure that branch staff are identifying customer needs effectively and positively promoting Leek United's products and services, including mortgages, investment, pensions, protection, and home insurance.
   • Demonstrate 'what good looks like' through coaching interventions.
   • Support activities that will drive customer feedback scores to desired levels.
10. Risk Management:
    • To support the embedding of the expected risk culture across the branch network, ensuring that staff understand the risks relevant to their Insurance and Savings specialists' roles and how these risks are mitigated by the Society's policy and procedures.
    • To use the Risk Event system effectively and, where appropriate, seek guidance on the action required to address the incident, and recommend improvements to the Society's procedures and controls.
    • To ensure that the breaches of regulatory requirements, including adherence to the FCA's Code of Conduct that are identified, are raised appropriately.
11. Self-Development:
    • To take proactive ownership of your self-development, including arranging and preparing for regular 1-1 meetings with your line manager.
    • To define your own annual personal development plan.
12. Society Ambassador and Community:
    • To drive and support the achievement of branch network objectives, displaying role model behaviours and promoting a "1 team" culture.
    • To be an ambassador for the Leek Building Society brand when supporting external activities.
13. Contribution to Overall Branch Network Objectives and Projects:
    • Lead and direct the Branch Network when required to support specific objective/projects.
    • Make a positive contribution to all Society management meetings, conference calls and workshops.
    • Collaborate with Customer Service Centre colleagues to improve overall customer experience and operational effectiveness.
14. Any other reasonable duties in line with the responsibilities of the role.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Knowledge

• A good level of numeracy and literacy is essential.
• Knowledge of financial services

Experience

• Previous experience of coaching and developing others is essential.
• Experience of leading teams that develop customer relationships and improve business performance.
• Experience of a customer service environment is essential.
• Experience of working effectively as part of a team is essential.
• Experience of working in a financial services role is preferred.

Skills & Abilities

• Awareness and understanding of learning styles and adapting own style to meet these.
• Passionate about delivering exceptional customer experience through leading and developing customer facing teams.
• Possess effective coaching and feedback skills to develop individuals who help members make important financial decisions.
• Determined, resilient and positive outlook.
• Ability to work unsupervised and demonstrate initiative.
• Strong influencing/ team leadership skills
• Demonstrable ability to build relationships and communicate effectively
• Ability to inspire and motivate.
• Ability to see bigger picture and articulate how the branch contributes to the Society's Corporate Plan
• Ability to identify and address underperformance in a timely manner.
• Confidence to challenge where appropriate and contribute to the overall success of not only the branch but also the wider Branch Network

Other Requirements

• A current and valid driving licence. You will be expected to spend most of your working week spread across the branch network.
• Flexibility to work outside standard hours from time to time, for example to support Leek Building Society community activities or when important deadlines need to be achieved.
• A Basic DBS check will be undertaken upon an offer of employment.

What benefits are on offer:

• Competitive salary rates
• 35 hour working week (full-time)
• Contributory Stakeholder Pension Scheme
• Free health screening
• Minimum of 23 days paid holiday per annum plus bank and public holidays
• Parental Schemes
• Sick Pay guaranteed for 6 months for major illnesses
• Holiday purchase/sale scheme
• Life assurance of 4 times your annual salary
• Employee assistance programme
• Continuous development opportunities
• We're open to discussing working flexibly
• Onsite gym available to employees

If the above sounds like something you'd thrive at, we'd love to hear from you