Director of Quality Recruitment for a FTSE 100 Telecommunications Business

Executive Search Recruitment Case Study Telecommunications

Douglas Jackson was engaged by a FTSE 100 telecommunications business to support the appointment of a senior customer operations leader into a large scale service environment requiring significant transformation.

The organisation needed an experienced telecoms leader capable of taking end to end responsibility for a major operation, improving customer service performance, strengthening operational standards and reducing complaints across a complex regulated environment.

The successful individual went on to build an almost ten year career with the organisation, progressing in responsibility and ultimately becoming Director of Quality.

Search at a glance

Sector: Telecommunications
Organisation: FTSE 100 plc
Role: Senior General Manager / Director of Quality
Level: Senior Leadership
Search Type: Executive Search
Scale: 900–1,000+ FTE operational environment
Key Challenge: Turn around underperforming customer service, quality, complaints and compliance
Outcome: Long term successful hire, promoted internally and recognised through multiple awards and industry accolades

The Challenge

The organisation was considering a number of new leadership roles to deliver its strategic customer service vision across a large scale operation.

The successful individual would need to take responsibility for a significant business area requiring transformational change.

The operation faced challenges across:

• Customer service delivery
• Operational process
• Complaints
• Regulatory requirements
• Service standards
• Efficiency
• Technology
• People and leadership

The business therefore required an experienced telecommunications professional capable of defining the end to end strategy and putting the right people, processes, technology and operating disciplines in place to deliver significantly improved performance.

The Scale of the Leadership Requirement

This was a substantial leadership environment.

Comparable senior Customer Care roles within the organisation carried accountability for around 900 FTE, spanning UK and offshore operations, customer satisfaction, complaints, operational costs, employee engagement and service performance.

The wider remit included:

• leading multiple sites
• providing strategic direction across customer-care operations
• managing outsourced/BPO relationships
• improving customer satisfaction and loyalty
• reducing cost and improving operational efficiency
• developing service standards
• using insight to drive improvement
• working across Commercial, Forecasting, Planning and Resolution functions

The search therefore required more than a strong operator.

It required a leader capable of influencing across a complex FTSE 100 organisation while simultaneously improving day to day performance.

Our Search Approach

The client had a relatively focused view of where the strongest candidates were likely to be found. We were coming in to a process where an internal talent acquisition team had already tried to engage across the market, unsueccessfuly so far.

Three to four primary target organisations were identified, creating a deliberately concentrated search across a small number of relevant telecommunications businesses.

Douglas Jackson already had established relationships across much of this market.

Many of the key individuals were known to the team through previous conversations or candidate relationships, allowing direct engagement to begin immediately while additional market mapping identified further relevant talent.

This existing network was particularly valuable in a tightly defined talent market where the strongest individuals were unlikely to be actively looking for a new role.

Shortlist and Selection

Following direct engagement and face to face assessment, Douglas Jackson selected three senior leaders to present to the client.

All three were interviewed and progressed to assessment with the senior leadership team and Executive stakeholders.

One candidate was subsequently offered the role and accepted.

Outcome

The original case study recorded that, six years after appointment, the successful individual remained with the organisation, had taken on additional responsibilities and was repeatedly described by the Managing Director of Customer Service as a highly valued hire. Their tenure ultimately extended to almost ten years.

During that period, they progressed into broader leadership responsibility and ultimately became Director of Quality.

They were instrumental in transforming previously underperforming areas across quality, complaints and compliance, with the resulting functions going on to receive multiple awards and industry recognition. The original case study already recorded that these areas had been transformed and subsequently recognised through numerous awards.

This makes the appointment a particularly strong example of Executive Search creating long-term organisational value rather than simply filling an immediate vacancy.

A Long Term Client Relationship

This appointment also sat within a broader relationship between Douglas Jackson and the organisation.

Over a number of years, Douglas Jackson supported the business with multiple senior leadership hires across Customer Digital and Operational functions.

That depth of relationship gave the team a strong understanding of the organisation, its leadership environment and the type of individuals most likely to succeed within it.

What This Demonstrates

The strongest Executive Search outcomes are not measured only at the point of offer.

This appointment demonstrates the value of identifying a leader with the capability not only to solve the immediate problem, but to continue growing with the organisation.

The successful individual:

• Joined a complex FTSE 100 environment
• Helped transform an underperforming operation
• Improved quality, complaints and compliance
• Took on broader responsibilities
• Progressed internally
• Remained with the organisation for almost ten years
• Contributed to teams and functions that received multiple awards and external recognition

Hiring a Senior Operations, Customer or Quality Leader?

Douglas Jackson works with organisations appointing senior leaders across Operations, Customer, Transformation, Quality, Strategy and wider Executive leadership.

We help identify leaders capable of delivering immediate performance improvement while also having the depth and potential to create long-term value.

Talk to us about your next senior leadership appointment →