Director – Contact Center Customer Service

Overview:

M&T Bank is a bank for communities, focused on serving our customers better than anybody else can.  The Director of Contact Center Customer Service leads a large team, managing 4 or more senior leaders who in turn oversee hundreds of managers and bankers in our Contact Centers.  The individual in this role shapes culture, drives strategy, maintains high standards of operational excellence, and cultivates and develops talented people.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Inspires and leads a team to deliver world-class service while owning customer experience outcomes across supported channels and customer touchpoints.

• Leads our effort to provide a world-class and uniquely M&T customer experiences during every interaction through clear vision, strategic prioritization, and rigorous continuous improvement routines.

• Guides strategic planning efforts to achieve employee experience, customer experience, operational, and financial goals in partnership with our businesses. Leads strategic planning to achieve employee experience, customer experience, operational, and financial goals that are established in partnership with our businesses.

• Creates staffing strategies in partnership with Workforce Management utilizing forecasting, capacity planning, staffing models, and operational analytics to optimize customer experience and operational performance to support customers of multiple business lines and products while ensuring adherence to service level agreements.  

• Attracts, motivates, coaches, develops, and retains talent while building strong leadership pipelines and succession plans.

• Meets quality levels and compliance standards in accordance with Bank and division policy and applicable laws, regulation, and investor guidelines.

• Utilizes and shares significant industry knowledge and competitive best practices to identify strategic opportunities and support corporate priorities.

• Leverages data, analytics, customer feedback, and frontline insights to drive accountability, improve performance, and identify and solve for customer friction points.

• Maintains strong relationships, close alignment, and transparent communication with internal stakeholders as well as external managed vendors.

• Evaluates procedures, policies, and customer journeys to increase operational efficiency, reduce customer effort, simplify processes, and maximize organizational effectiveness.

• Leads large-scale operational, organizational, and customer service transformation initiatives.

• Leads proactive talent management including development plans, performance appraisals, promotions, compensation recommendations, performance management, and succession planning.

• Understands and adheres to the Company’s risk and regulatory standards, policies and controls in accordance with the Company’s Risk Appetite.  Designs, implements, maintains and enhances internal controls to mitigate risk on an ongoing basis.  Identifies risk-related issues needing escalation to management.

• Promotes an environment that supports a culture of belonging and reflects the M&T Bank brand.

• Maintains M&T internal control standards, including timely implementation of internal and external audit points together with any issues raised by external regulators as applicable.

• Completes other related duties as assigned.

Scope of Responsibilities:

Manages a large contact center team and portfolio of responsibilities with significant complexity. Provides leadership across complex, multi-site, multi-channel customer service operations supporting diverse customer and business needs. Works with senior leadership, internal partners, vendors, customers, and external agencies. 

Education and Experience Required:

Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 11 years’ experience in a financial institution and/or in a customer contact center.    

Minimum of 5 years’ proven and progressive managerial experience with demonstrated superior leadership skills in driving exceptional service in a customer-focused environment.

Proven ability to inspire teams, manage through complexity, and navigate through conflict.

Knowledge or quick ability to learn banking principles and product offerings.

Excellent executive communication and customer service skills with the ability to use tact and diplomacy

Education and Experience Preferred:

Master's degree

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Experience in managing large and complex teams

Customer service leadership experience at a leading customer-centered organization, shaping culture, and driving strategy

Experience in Contact Center growth, maturation, and transformation work

M&T Bank is committed to fair, competitive, and market-informed pay for our employees. The pay range for this position is $154,700.00 - $257,900.00 Annual (USD). The successful candidate’s particular combination of knowledge, skills, and experience will inform their specific compensation.

Location

Williamsville, New York, United States of America