Customer Services Team Leader

Salary: £27,319 - £28,301 with progression to £29,588  per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 09 March 2026

Newcastle University is seeking to appoint a Customer Services Team Leader to join the Accommodation Services team within Estates and Facilities. 

This role is central to delivering a high-quality, professional, and student-focused customer service across the University-owned accommodation receptions. You will lead and support a team of Customer Services Assistants, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations and consistently high service standards. 

Reporting to the Assistant Customer Services Manager, the Customer Services Team Leader will act as a first point of escalation for complex customer queries and operational issues. The role requires a visible and approachable leadership presence, providing hands-on support to staff and leading by example during busy periods. 

You will work closely with a range of internal stakeholders and customers, including Accommodation Managers, Estates and Facilities colleagues, and University teams. You will represent Customer Services in meetings, contribute to operational planning, and support the coordination and delivery of key activities such as student intake periods, Open Days, and summer residential business. 

Accommodation Services operates in a fast-paced, student-facing environment with significant peaks at key points in the academic year. The successful candidate will be comfortable adapting to change, supporting staff through periods of pressure, and maintaining a calm, consistent, and supportive approach. You should have excellent communications skills and demonstrable experience of working in a face-to-face customer service.

For a confidential discussion about his vacancy please contact Robbie Carruthers - Assistant Customer Service Manager,  Robbie.Carruthers@ncl.ac.uk

To apply please upload a copy of your CV along with a cover letter evidencing how your skills and experience  align to the person specification as outlined within job description.

The Role

Newcastle University is seeking to appoint a Customer Services Team Leader to join the Accommodation Services team within Estates and Facilities.

This role is central to delivering a high-quality, professional, and student-focused customer service across the University-owned accommodation receptions. You will lead and support a team of Customer Services Assistants, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations and consistently high service standards.

Reporting to the Assistant Customer Services Manager, the Customer Services Team Leader will act as a first point of escalation for complex customer queries and operational issues. The role requires a visible and approachable leadership presence, providing hands-on support to staff and leading by example during busy periods.

The postholder will work closely with a range of internal stakeholders and customers, including Accommodation Managers, Estates and Facilities colleagues, and University teams. They will represent Customer Services in meetings, contribute to operational planning, and support the coordination and delivery of key activities such as student intake periods, Open Days, and summer residential business.

Accommodation Services operates in a fast-paced, student-facing environment with significant peaks at key points in the academic year. The successful candidate will be comfortable adapting to change, supporting staff through periods of pressure, and maintaining a calm, consistent, and supportive approach.

The post is full time, permanent.

Key Accountabilities

• To supervise a team of staff responsible for providing reception cover at all three receptions, to ensure best use of resources and continuity, making sure that high levels of customer service are maintained at all times
• To manage all Reception related services and ensure that the reception team are proactive in finding solutions to customer issues. Daily they would ensure that the receptions (and reception-based tasks e.g. post, parcels, key management fault reporting) are managed and running appropriately and efficiently
• To work with the Assistant Customer Services Manager to develop the broader two-way communications between Accommodation Services and other stakeholders, using digital communication channels and other appropriate methods 
• Work closely with the Customer Services Assistants to develop and maintain service standards so that enquiries across the Service are handled in an efficient and helpful manner, seek feedback from customers and suggesting and implementing improvements. This will be achieved by developing Service   Level agreements, promoting better communications between areas and ensuring that procedures in different areas do not work in opposition to each other
• To oversee service delivery on open days, student intake periods and large conferences 
• Recruit, manage and supervise staff and their workload so that service level standards are reached. To provide day-to-day guidance and support to staff and implement University and Service policies and procedures
• Using the University’s financial system (SAP), supervise the accurate processing and recording of purchases
• Ensure a safe environment for staff, residents and visitors by coordinating and implementing relevant statutory, University and Service guidelines, policies and procedures (e.g. Health and Safety legislation, UUK Code of Practice for Student Accommodation)
• Fully support the Service’s commitment to training by participating in courses and/or events to develop personal skill levels and knowledge to perform duties of the post; oversee training and development of staff. plan, coordinate and deliver training activities
• Act as a first point of escalation for complex customer queries, complaints and operational issues, supporting resolution and maintaining service standards
• Provide a visible and approachable leadership presence within receptions, particularly during peak operational periods
• Support staff through periods of pressure and change, providing clear communication, consistency and reassurance

The Person (Essential)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Previous experience of providing a professional service in a busy face to face customer services environment
• Experience of supervising / managing people, preferably within a customer focussed business
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both orally and in writing
• Experience of working to policies, processes and procedures
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office, and experience of using a range of web based software
• High levels of numeracy and accuracy

Attributes and Behaviour

• Able to work effectively as a member of the team and to develop effective working relationships with colleagues and external contacts
• Prioritises tasks in a clear and accomplished manner to ensure optimal service needs
• Excellent planning and organisational skills
• Influencing, persuasion and negotiation skills
• Accepts the reality and requirements of change as part of achieving organisational goals, including flexibility in working hours and patterns to meet business needs
• Has a continual improvement mindset, working towards optimising service and changing demands
• A strong creative and problem-solving ability to overcome obstacles or challenges you may face

Qualifications

• Educated to a minimum of 5 GCSE grade A-C Grade 4 and above (including Mathematics and English) or equivalent standard by experience
• NVQ Level 2 in Customer Services (Desirable)

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 29113