**Director, Customer Contact (100% Remote) at blithequark**

Are you a seasoned leader with a passion for delivering exceptional customer experiences? Do you have a proven track record of driving business growth and improving operational efficiency? If so, we invite you to join blithequark as a Director, Customer Contact, leading a team of customer service professionals in a fully remote environment. **About blithequark** blithequark is a leading food distributor with a rich history of promoting from within, excellent training programs, and a continuous improvement focus. Our company culture is built on the values of teamwork, innovation, and customer satisfaction. As a Director, Customer Contact, you will be part of a dynamic team that is dedicated to delivering exceptional customer experiences and driving business growth. **Job Summary** As a Director, Customer Contact, you will lead a team of customer service professionals in a fully remote environment, providing strategic direction and guidance to ensure exceptional customer experiences. You will be responsible for developing and implementing customer service strategies, improving operational efficiency, and driving business growth. Your expertise will be essential in building and maintaining strong relationships with customers, vendors, and internal stakeholders. **Key Responsibilities** * Lead a team of customer service professionals in a fully remote environment, providing strategic direction and guidance to ensure exceptional customer experiences. * Develop and implement customer service strategies to improve operational efficiency and drive business growth. * Build and maintain strong relationships with customers, vendors, and internal stakeholders. * Conduct needs assessments, performance reviews, capacity planning, and career pathing to develop the skills and abilities of team members. * Provide coaching, best practice sharing, and identify developmental needs on an individual basis. * Foster an environment of accountability and celebrate successes. * Ensure expectations both quantitative and qualitative are set and reviewed on an on-going basis. * Participate in regular performance review discussions. * Motivate team and set aspirational goals through departmental leadership, meetings, and one-on-one communications. * Standardize business processes utilizing automated tools where appropriate. * Ensure adoption and review compliance to SOPs. * Execute best-in-class methodologies such as quality performance, training initiatives, and associate scheduling leveraged by driving operational efficiencies to improve workstream activity. * Deliver functional projects as assigned, focused on technology and processes relevant to our established strategic roadmap. * Continuously seek opportunities for synergy, improvement, simplification, and automation of existing processes, technology, reporting, etc. * Conduct regular role effectiveness reviews across the function, seeking feedback from key stakeholders for continued improvement. * Manage survey process for both internal and external customers to ensure satisfaction. * Focus on process improvement through technology; think strategically about new initiatives, participate in researching new technology selections. * Ensure best practices are identified for both process and technology through benchmarking across the team. * Identify opportunities for improvement of existing functionality. * Research and analyze data to draw conclusions, identify trends, and uncover potential issues. * Use this knowledge to develop and bring forward recommendations. * Lead frontline management to be aligned with best-in-class methodologies such as quality performance, training initiatives, and associate scheduling leveraged by driving operational efficiencies to improve workstream activity. **Strategic Planning (25%)** * Build and foster a collaborative network with the purpose of strengthening alignment, sharing best practices, and driving communication. * Provide thought leadership to internal customers and connect externally in the assigned region to hear the voice of the customer. * Build, track, and share standard KPIs for the team ensuring they are consistently driving towards excellence and meeting the needs of the functions and associates supported. * Participate in annual budgeting process while consistently driving for financial fitness as the cornerstone of effectively delivering the shared services model. * Define talent strategy inclusive hiring/recruiting, performance management, and succession planning aimed at securing and retaining the best talent for all roles in support of the future vision. * Establish and deploy an effective training strategy for all roles, including onboarding and continuous education. Collaborate as needed with the Learning & Development team to determine and ensure the right training content and delivery approach. * Collaborate to build future vision for the function driven by stakeholder feedback, developing roadmaps for future technology and benchmarking in support of the vision. Ability to create and sell a business case inclusive of budgeting, required resources, and ROI. **Personal Development (5%)** * Update your personal IDP and prepare for check-ins with your leaders. * Engage in formal blithequark performance management process. * Strive to learn and benchmark against industry trends. Be engaged in industry peer groups. * Pursue other personal learning and development initiatives (e.g., LinkedIn learning, membership in ERGs, etc.). **Requirements** * 8 years in a sales, sales support, or sales analysis role with a prior track record for providing key customer support and maintaining customer relations is required. * A minimum of 7 years of management and leadership experience required. * Collaborate with peers, SBS leadership, VP Customer Contact, and staff, and Local and National Sales, to maintain consistency in servicing customers and sellers striving toward a positive experience for the customer or seller. * Professional leadership skills, someone who can lead and inspire teams exhibiting the skills to understand team dynamics; able to lead under pressure. Ability to train/develop direct reports. * Outstanding verbal communication and interpersonal skills, able to interact across multiple stakeholders at various levels in the organization, external customers, and vendors. * Ability to operate independently in a highly efficient manner; Superior organizational, problem-solving, and time management skills. * Strategic thinker who can analyze and solve unique, complex problems that impact the customers' experience or the organization. * Able to interpret data and translate into actionable steps; helps drive a culture of continuous improvement working toward department goals. * Strong performance management background to address disciplinary or performance concerns according to company policy. * Advanced computer skills including Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint required. Telephone system and reporting experience preferred. * Ability to learn proprietary blithequark systems including ordering systems, Salesforce.com, and other internal systems as needed. * Ability to travel up to 50% within the region is required. * Establish leadership experience, ability to inspire confidence and credibility. Excellent presentation skills and the ability to lead others to consensus. * Strong inter-personal and emotional intelligence skills. Displays professionalism with customers, vendors, and internal leadership/staff. **Education** * Bachelor's Degree or a combination of education and experience equivalent to a Bachelor's degree. **Preferred Qualifications** * In-depth knowledge of customer service leadership in principles and practices with food service and contact center knowledge preferred. **Compensation and Benefits** * Annual incentive plan bonus * Health insurance * Pre-tax spending accounts * Retirement benefits * Paid time off * Short-term and long-term disability * Employee stock purchase plan * Life insurance **How to Apply** If you are a motivated and results-driven leader with a passion for delivering exceptional customer experiences, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity. Please submit your application through our website, and we will review your qualifications and experience. We look forward to hearing from you! Apply Job! Apply for this job