E+ Senior Customer Service Appeals & Complaints Manager

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries.

We connect. We inspire.

E + Senior Customer Service Appeals & Complaints Manager

Important Information:

Contract Duration: Two years fixed term contract with a possibility of an extension

Pay band: 8

Salary: £38,820

Location: UK - London

Right to Work Requirements: Right to work in the UK at the time of application. The British Council is not able to support or sponsor work visa applications. 

Closing Date:  Applications will close at 23:59 on 29 April 2026 22:59 UK Time

We are operating on the basis that any offer is made pending client confirmation of funds. 

The Department for Education has announced that the British Council is set to take on the role of National Agency for Erasmus+.

In December the UK and EU arrived at a political agreement that the UK would rejoin the Erasmus+ scheme in 2027. That agreement has now been legally formalised under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

The British Council has a longstanding commitment to supporting international exchange. It was a lead partner in the Erasmus+ UK National Agency from 2014-20, where Erasmus+ made a significant contribution to the UK's cultural relations activities, funding 8,091 projects, engaging 583,757 UK participants, and awarding around €1.1 million to UK organisations. 

The Role:
 

The postholder is responsible for managing the day‑to‑day operations of customer support, complaints handling, and appeals casework, ensuring that all services meet contractual obligations, regulatory requirements, and internal quality standards. They provide expert oversight of complex cases, guide frontline teams, and ensure that issues are resolved promptly, consistently, and with integrity.

The role champions a culture of continuous improvement, using customer insight, trend analysis, and feedback to identify service risks and drive enhancements to processes, decision-making frameworks, and customer communications. Working closely with the Head of Customer Experience, Appeals & Complaints, they help shape the customer experience strategy, support governance and assurance activity, and contribute to building a service that strengthens customer trust and protects the programme’s reputation.

The postholder acts as a senior escalation point, ensures robust quality assurance across all casework, and supports workforce capability through coaching, guidance, and operational leadership. They play a pivotal role in ensuring the organisation delivers a consistent, responsive, and outcomes‑focused service to applicants, grant recipients, partners, and stakeholders throughout their journey.

Main accountabilities but not limited to the following:  

Operational leadership of Customer Experience, Complaints & Appeals

• Lead the day‑to‑day delivery of customer support, complaints handling, and appeals casework, ensuring consistent, timely, and high‑quality service.
• Accountable for team performance against the KPI’s and performance indicators
• Oversee case allocation, workflow management, and team performance to meet service level agreements and contractual KPIs.
• Ensure all customer interactions and decisions are fair, transparent, evidence‑based, and compliant with regulatory and programme requirements.

Management of complex and high‑risk cases

• Act as the senior escalation point for sensitive, contentious, or complex complaints and appeals.
• Provide expert judgement, decision‑making support, and case resolution guidance to caseworkers and team leaders.
• Ensure risk factors, systemic issues, or reputational threats are identified early and escalated appropriately to the Head of Customer Experience, Appeals & Complaints

Quality Assurance and Compliance

• Implement and maintain robust quality assurance frameworks across all customer experience and casework activities.
• Monitor adherence to policies, regulations, data protection requirements, and audit expectations.
• Produce case reviews, quality reports, and recommendations to strengthen consistency and compliance.

Customer insight, analysis & continuous improvement

• Analyse customer trends, complaint themes, and root causes to identify service gaps or areas for improvement.
• Lead operational improvement initiatives that enhance clarity, efficiency, and the customer experience.
• Contribute to policy and process revisions, ensuring customer impact is understood and reflected in decision-making.

Stakeholder & cross‑functional collaboration

• Work collaboratively with Erasmus+ teams, legal advisors and senior stakeholders to resolve issues and ensure joined‑up customer experience.
• Provide insight into recurring problems with Erasmus+ colleagues to address root causes.
• Support the Head of Customer Experience, Appeals & Complaints in governance meetings, assurance activities, and external/internal reporting.

Team leadership, capability & development

• Provide day‑to‑day leadership, coaching, and capability building for Customer Experience, Appeals & Complaints colleagues.
• Deliver training, guidance, and tools that strengthen decision‑making, communication skills, and customer‑centred practice.
• Foster a culture of fairness, professionalism, ownership, and continuous learning.

Reporting, Performance Monitoring & Assurance

• Produce regular performance reports, dashboards, and case insights for the Head of Customer Experience, Appeals & Complaints.
• Monitor key metrics such as response times, customer satisfaction, and root‑cause trends.
• Ensure accurate, timely data recording and support audit or assurance reviews.

Safeguarding Programme Integrity & Customer Trust

• Ensure the service upholds the highest standards of fairness, proportionality, and transparency at all times.

Requirements of the role:

• Degree or work equivalent experience
• Knowledge of data protection, confidentiality requirements, and governance frameworks in customer‑facing operations.
• Experience operating in a regulated, high-volume, or high-risk customer environment.
• Ability to spot emerging risks, policy gaps, or reputational threats within customer service and casework.
• Ability to design and apply quality assurance mechanisms, case reviews, and consistency checks.
• Ability to design and embed service standards, workflows, and customer communication approaches.
• In‑depth knowledge of complaints procedures, appeals processes, and investigation techniques.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to convey complex decisions with clarity and fairness.
• Skilled at transforming data into actionable insight and evidence‑based recommendations.
• Comfortable producing reports, dashboards, or briefings for senior leadership

Desirable:

• Experience working with education, youth, or cultural engagement sectors.
• A customer service/experience related qualification is desirable

British Council supports working in new ways such as hybrid working, subject to full approval by line management and conditional upon our ability to provide the appropriate level of service. This may not be appropriate for all roles but can be explored at interview.

#LI-Hybrid

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent. We guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

Safeguarding Statement

The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with. We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989. Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

If you experience any difficulties with submitting your application, please email askhr@britishcouncil.org