Service Centre Team Leader (Customer Service / Operations)
Location: Farnborough Business Park (Office-based role)
Working pattern: 4 days on / 4 days off shift pattern (Rotating shifts, 7am-7pm / 7pm-7am)
Hours: 38.5 hours per week
Job type: Full time, Permanent
Competitive salary + Shift allowance + Overtime + Full training - 25 days annual leave
Telent are looking for an experienced Service Centre Team Leader to join our growing 24/7 Service Centre operation based at our Farnborough office. This role sits within the same division as our Service Desk Analysts and plays a critical leadership role at the heart of our service delivery function.
The Service Centre operates as a single point of contact for a wide range of customers, supporting incident management, coordination, customer communication and service performance. As a Service Centre Team Leader, you will lead the Service Desk Analyst team on shift, act as a point of escalation, and ensure services are delivered in line with agreed SLAs, KPIs and operational processes.
This is a people-focused leadership role, not a technical IT role. Experience in retail, customer service, service centres, contact centres or call handling environments is highly welcomed.
THIS IS A SHIFT-BASED ROLE - 4 days on / 4 days off, working 11-hour rotating shifts: 7am-7pm (days), and 7pm-7am (nights).
The role is office-based in Farnborough, therefore candidates must be commutable to the office (typically within a 20-mile radius of GU14 7DL).
Service Centre Team Leader - What you'll do
* Lead and support the Service Centre team while on shift, ensuring smooth and effective service delivery
* Act as the primary escalation point for customer issues, incidents and service concerns
* Take ownership of major incidents out of hours, coordinating internal teams and stakeholders through to resolution
* Ensure incidents, requests and queries are logged accurately and managed effectively
* Monitor call queues, workloads and resource levels to maintain service continuity
* Drive performance against SLAs and KPIs, escalating risks where targets may not be met
* Line manage team members, including 1:1s, coaching, performance management and development planning
* Manage rotas alongside other Team Leaders, including holiday planning and coverage
* Support continuous improvement initiatives to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency
* Provide cover for senior operational colleagues where required
Service Centre Team Leader - Who you are
You are a confident, people-focused leader with a strong background in customer service or operational environments. You are calm under pressure, comfortable managing escalations, and motivated by delivering a high-quality customer experience.
This role does not require a background in IT, Networks, Cloud, Cyber or ICT. Instead, we are looking for someone who brings:
* Strong customer handling experience
* Team lead experience
* A proactive, solutions-focused mindset
* Confidence leading teams on shift and making decisions
Full training will be provided on Telent systems, processes and services.
Service Centre Team Leader - Key requirements
* Previous experience in a customer service, service centre, contact centre, call centre or operational environment
* Experience supervising, leading or mentoring others (formal line management desirable, but not essential)
* Confident communication skills, including handling escalations and difficult conversations
* Ability to prioritise, multi-task and remain effective in a fast-paced, 24/7 environment
* Comfortable working rotating days and nights on a 4 on / 4 off shift pattern
* Competent using Microsoft Office tools (Word, Outlook, Teams, Excel)
* Eligible for SC (Security Clearance) - including meeting minimum UK residency requirements
* Able to commute daily to Farnborough
Desirable (but not essential):
* Experience in service desk, triage or incident-based environments
* Previous rota or resource planning responsibility
* ITIL awareness
Telent - What we offer
A career at Telent gives you the opportunity to work across customers, services and teams while developing leadership skills in a supportive, inclusive environment.
We offer:
* Ongoing training and career development
* Company matched pension
* Flexible benefits portal
* Family-friendly policies
* Occupational health & wellbeing support
* Discounts via the Telent Reward scheme
About Telent
Telent is a leading UK technology company specialising in the design, build, support and maintenance of the UK's critical digital infrastructure. Our work supports essential services across transport, emergency services, defence and telecommunications.
We are guided by our core values:
* Be Inclusive
* Take Responsibility
* Be Collaborative
* Be Customer Focused
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