DESCRIPTION

Technical: You will be responsible for the quality of work delivered in the Credit Hire teams (Litigation & Pre-Litigation) with unlimited values.
Technical & Delivery: You will ensure that quality and technical frameworks and processes in the Credit Hire teams are working effectively and delivering value and mitigating risk.
Clients: You will be responsible for delivering the services in line with specific clients SLAs and claims handling requirements
Collaboration: Working closely with the Technical Director, Growth / Sales and the Operational team to ensure that the claims handling model is consistent with the service expected by our clients and delivers an agreed level of profitability required.
Support Technical Director / Operational Team with technical input in Credit Hire bids.
Work closely and collaboratively with Technical Director, Operations Directors and Managers, and the Credit Hire partners and client service team in order to help to drive the integrated delivery of team wide projects.
Development & Growth: Working closely with the Technical Director and Technical Managers identify training needs, process improvements, general best practice and legal developments which will improve the quality of service and KPI performance that the team delivers.
Quality: Managing an effective audit function which delivers both internal and external audit requirements and forms an integral part of the technical framework for improving quality and service delivery.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE

• Solicitor / Legal Executive
• A proven track record of credit hire litigation file handling and passion for results driven performance and client care.
• Financial Authority of at least £100k.
• Over 5 years’ experience of handling claims including litigation. Pre Litigated experience also preferable.
• Experience of leadership either in a Team Leader role or supervisor role.
• Experience as a Technical Manager / Lead.

To be successful the appointee will need to build relationships, carry out meaningful consultation and demonstrate the ability to lead in a way which is soundly based on listening, perception and co-operation.

• A good communicator, adept at managing multiple initiatives simultaneously and liaising with unrepresented & vulnerable claimants
• Capable of strategic thought, but enthusiastically hands on, understanding of the critical importance of striving for the balance between excellence and profit
• Enthusiastic in the drive for passion around quality, client care and results; will win ‘hearts and minds’ on one level, yet be organised and detail orientated in terms of delivery
• Proactive, able to facilitate change decisively but sensitively, understanding that law firms tend to embrace change at a moderate pace
• Energetic, leading by example and prepared to ‘sell’ to others to recruit champions who will embrace best practice in their teams and offices
• Adept at setting, balancing and communicating competing priorities

Required Soft Skills

• Effective communication skills.
• Teamwork.
• Dependability.
• Adaptability.
• Conflict resolution.
• Flexibility.
• Leadership.
• Problem-solving.

• Own the quality of work produced in Credit Hire - results, performance and client care.
• Align the approach to quality and risk with the wider Volume Legal teams in Keoghs, developing and driving a holistic and commercial and approach to delivery aligned with Operations –shining a light on crucial areas of focus and following up initiatives and agreed actions
• Working collaboratively with other Technical Directors/Managers/leads across the business as well as Growth/Sales/ CAMs, develop and report against a range of key performance indicators against which the success or otherwise of quality and client care are measured
• Be accountable for implementing strategies to be adopted across the whole of Credit Hire to improve performance metrics and client care with plans to support planned volume and profit goals, managing and coordinating the efforts of supervisors and the thinking minds and technicians within to achieve overall quality objectives. Working with the Technical Director identify, co-coordinate and communicate such strategies.
• Monitor, report and undertake trends analysis on performance against key KPI and co-ordinate and drive activity to improve performance such that we are seen as leaders in the field and outperforming competitors.
• Monitor, report and undertake trends analysis on professional indemnity spend and loss of profit linked to errors and complaints and co-ordinate and drive reductions in the cost of mistakes and damage to the Keoghs brand.
• In conjunction with operational colleagues devise and deliver supervisory and case handling models (spans of control for supervision, optimum caseloads, review and auditing requirements etc.) that deliver the right focus on quality which are both pragmatic and commercial.
• Influence, guide and lead supervisors to deliver improved quality and client care leading the debate on areas for continuous improvement and development of capability, anticipating trends, recommending innovative ways to secure pragmatic and commercials solutions
• Identify risk and potential risk and suggest pragmatic and commercial solutions to avoid or mitigate damage
• Provide assistance to Growth/Sales/CAMS and PPCs to enhance client communication around performance and client care including attendance at client meetings, reporting , feedback, satisfaction monitoring, service and lifecycle reviews, and have proactive discussions about improvements and innovations that the firm could effect to improve client service, satisfaction and loyalty
• Undertake the above at all times with the needs of individual clients and client guidelines in full focus, and where necessary with input from the client lead where changes may impact or alter the delivery of services to a particular client or clients.
• Manage a team of Technical Supervisors and Technical Leads. Work closely with the auditors to meet client and internal requirements, along with leading the pre client audit process within Credit Hire (ensuring adequately prepared), outcomes and improvement plans
• Review with operational colleagues work states and capacity and contribute to strategies and actions to remove blockers
• Maintaining technical capacity plan in conjunction with operational colleagues to ensure optimum supervisory levels commensurate with excellent quality and client care.

Training & Development

• Responsible for ongoing technical training and development across Credit Hire ensuring regular training on areas of focus/need and refresher training.
• Develop and promote development of people in their roles and into new roles through innovative on boarding of new starters, training and development that can enhance engagement and reduce attrition linked to lack of development.
• Working closely with Quality/Technical colleagues in other areas, lead the approach to development and training in all file handling roles.
• Oversee personal development for all technical roles.
• Establish a clear internal communications policy making use of the most appropriate channels available (including social media) to engage with people at all levels and career stages to drive change, facilitate integration and increase connectivity, collaboration and focus on technical issues.

Technical Policy & Strategy

• Together with others (and working collaboratively with other areas of the firm), implement agreed strategies already in existence across the firm, such that the work delivered in Credit Hire is consistent with the work delivered elsewhere. Where appropriate, develop and implement strategies specific to Credit Hire working with Growth / Sales, sharing those strategies with other areas of the business to ensure synergy.
• Undertake regular reviews of how emerging case- law and rules changes will alter how we approach technical delivery and implement an updated policy/ strategy as and when necessary to cater for such changes.
• Communicate co-ordinate and drive delivery of agreed strategies, monitoring success and ensuring firm-wide consistency of approach

People

• Maintain sharp execution focus in the team, following through on activity, monitoring the progress of initiatives, being an ‘un-blocker’ and taking a strong personal lead where necessary, focused on proactivity
• Provide leadership and direction for the team and ensure best in class standards, customer service and systems
• Establish strong relationships with other Technical Directors/Managers/Leads across the firm,
• Engage and motivate people to deliver excellent results and strive for continuous improvement and personal development

Working Hours
35 hours per week
Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm with 1 unpaid hour for lunch.
Primary location for this role is Bolton