Customer Service & Planning Manager at Howdens

At Howden Work Surfaces, we are committed to delivering exceptional service, operational excellence, and a customer journey that reflects our reputation for quality. As our new Customer Service & Planning Manager, you will lead a large and diverse function that plays a vital role in shaping our customer experience, driving long-term service strategy, and ensuring our operational planning supports continued growth. This role is ideal for a strategic, forward-thinking leader who thrives on developing people, improving processes, and setting a clear direction for future success.

Location | Normanton, West Yorkshire (On-site 4 days a week)

Reporting to | Head of Customer Service & Planning

Why Join Howdens as a Customer Service & Planning Manager:

As Customer Service & Planning Manager, you will play a pivotal leadership role with direct influence over our service operation, planning function, and key customer touchpoints. Joining Howdens gives you the opportunity to:

• Lead at scale – You’ll manage a team of line managers and influence more than 70 colleagues across customer service, planning, and sales order processing.
• Shape long-term strategy – You will help design and deliver a service proposition that supports a £90 million sales opportunity and enhances the full customer journey from order to installation.
• Make a measurable operational impact – You’ll collaborate across supply, field operations, depots, builders, and end customers as well as the wider service function to drive performance, reduce NRFT (Not right first time), and improve service outcomes.
• Be a central point of leadership – As a critical link between customer expectations and operational delivery, your insight and decision-making will directly influence business performance.
• Drive cultural and capability growth – You’ll play a key role in developing team leaders, upskilling teams, embedding best practice, and shaping a high-performing, customer-focused culture.

This role is for a confident, influential leader with the ambition to create meaningful, long-term change.

What Will You Be Doing as a Customer Service & Planning Manager:

You will own the end-to-end management of the Customer Service and Planning function, ensuring smooth delivery, strategic alignment, and exceptional customer outcomes across all touchpoints. In this role, you will:

• Oversee the complete customer journey for quartz supply, ensuring service excellence throughout.
• Lead two senior team leaders and four Team Leaders across Customer Service, Planning, Template & Installation, and Sales Order Processing, guiding their development and improving departmental performance.
• Manage relationships with depots, builders, field teams, and end users, serving as a key point of escalation.
• Develop and implement customer service policies, ensuring consistency, quality, and operational efficiency.
• Manage customer complaints, NRFT (Not Right First Time) cases, and compensation budgets with a focus on root cause reduction and long-term improvement.
• Create and enhance service propositions that support business growth and operational targets.
• Analyse data, customer feedback, and service performance to drive better decision-making and strategic planning.
• Ensure supply is managed within budget and aligned with agreed production schedules.
• Train, support, and develop staff across all customer-facing teams, ensuring capability and confidence at every level.
• Strengthen cross‑department working to improve interdependencies, ensure smooth operations, and enhance overall service delivery.

This role demands strong leadership presence, exceptional organisational ability, and a strategic approach to continuous improvement.

What Do You Need to Qualify for the Customer Service & Planning Manager Role:

We’re looking for a forward-thinking, commercially aware leader with the capability and confidence to manage large, multifunctional teams and shape long-term operational strategy. You will bring:

• Significant experience managing large customer service operations, ideally across multiple functions and high-volume environments.
• Proven leadership capability, with experience managing teams of 70+ and developing future leaders.
• Strong industry knowledge, ideally in solid surfaces, manufacturing, or high-volume call centre operations.
• A strategic mindset supported by analytical ability, enabling you to make informed decisions and create long-term improvement plans.
• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with teams at all levels, both internally and externally.
• Confidence in utilising ERP systems and technology to enhance service performance.
• Exceptional communication, organisational, and decision-making skills.
• A proactive, improvement-focused approach with the ability to lead through change.

What we can offer:

• Competitive salary and bonus scheme.
• Company car or car allowance
• Excellent pension scheme (company contribution up to 12%).
• Free daily meal at on-site canteen.
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays, with the option to buy extra days.
• Share save scheme.
• Exceptional reward and recognition events.