National Head of Branch Network
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Wills & LPAs | 10 Branches | c.55 FTE
Salary Negotiable + Bonus Scheme | Permanent
SF Partners are working exclusively with a high-growth legal services business specialising in Wills, LPAs, Probate and Estate Planning to recruit a National Head of Branch Network.
This is a senior national leadership role responsible for leading a 10-branch network (c.55 FTE), including 8 Branch Managers and 35+ Legal Advisors. The function sits at the heart of the organisation's revenue engine, with full accountability for branch performance, conversion, customer outcomes, and operational delivery.
Reporting into the Operations Director / COO, this role replaces a previous regional structure and creates a single point of ownership for the entire branch network. The successful candidate will be responsible for driving commercial performance, embedding operational discipline, and building a high-performing leadership layer across all sites.
The Opportunity
This is a high-impact leadership role combining commercial ownership, multi-site operational management, and people leadership at scale.
The National Head of Branch Network will be responsible for building a consistent, high-performing branch model that delivers strong conversion from appointment to instruction, excellent customer outcomes, and efficient cost-to-serve across all locations.
This is a field-based role requiring a highly visible leader who spends significant time in branches, coaching managers, solving operational issues, and driving performance through direct engagement.
Key Responsibilities
* Commercial Performance & Network Leadership
* Own the performance of the national branch network across revenue, conversion, customer satisfaction, and cost-to-serve
* Deliver and manage branch-level scorecards aligned to commercial and quality outcomes
* Drive key commercial levers including appointment-to-instruction conversion, advisor productivity, and cross-sell performance
* Report monthly performance against EBITDA and network KPIs to the COO and executive team
* Leadership of Branch Managers
* Lead, coach, and develop 8 Branch Managers as accountable site leaders
* Recruit and onboard missing Branch Managers as a priority deliverable
* Establish a structured performance cadence including 1:1s, monthly reviews, and quarterly talent planning
* Build a strong leadership pipeline and succession plan across the branch network
* Set clear expectations for performance, standards, and accountability
* Operating Model & Customer Experience
* Define and embed a consistent branch operating model across all sites
* Oversee customer journey standards, appointment handling, and service delivery
* Maintain the balance between branch-based and home appointments
* Drive local market performance and support branch-level growth initiatives
* Ensure high-quality customer experience and compliance with regulatory standards
* Capacity Planning & Call Centre Partnership
* Work in close partnership with the Head of Lead Generation Call Centre
* Co-own the \"Booked : Instruct\" metric across the organisation
* Align appointment demand with advisor capacity across all branches
* Participate in weekly forecasting and capacity planning reviews
* Ensure efficient scheduling and utilisation of Legal Advisor capacity
* Estate, Growth & Operational Development
* Own branch estate strategy including openings, closures, relocations, and acquisitions
* Support the launch and performance of flagship and new sites (including Manchester)
* Oversee integration of acquired will-banks and customer portfolios
* Work with Property, Finance, and Operations teams on expansion strategy
* Drive continuous improvement across the operating model
* Compliance & Governance Partnership
* Operate within the regulatory framework set by Supervision, Compliance, and Complaints teams
* Ensure consistent adherence to data protection, safeguarding, xsngvjr and regulatory standards
* Embed compliance as part of day-to-day branch performance and leadership behaviour
* Maintain high standards of audit readiness and operational discipline
About You
We are keen to speak with candidates who have:
* Proven experience leading a multi-site branch or regional network (ideally 8+ locations)
* Strong track record of managing managers and leading through a leadership layer
* Commercially driven mindset with clear P&L or EBITDA accountability
* Experience delivering sales or conversion growth across a distributed network
* Strong coaching and leadership capability with a focus on performance improvement
* Experience in regulated, customer-facing environments such as legal services, financial services, insurance, funeral planning, or similar sectors
* Willingness to be highly field-based and spend significant time in branches
Package
* Salary: Negotiable
* Performance-related bonus scheme (EBITDA and balanced scorecard based)
* Indicative OTE available subject to structure
* Senior national leadership role with strategic influence
* Field-based position (UK-wide, HQ Derby)
Apply
For a confidential discussion regarding this opportunity, please contact SF Partners directly.