Director – Customer Operations Strategy

Job Description

Position Purpose:

The Director of Customer Operations Strategy is responsible for leading and advancing the customer operations across all the regulated water utilities. With direction from the Vice President, Customer Experience, this role develops the strategies of customer operations, ensuring alignment with the company’s customer service vision and regulatory obligations. The Director has accountability for implementing consistent strategies across the customer operations teams in the areas of billing, collections, payments, customer interaction technologies, and the training and quality functions. The role requires a leader who can drive performance, enhance the customer experience, and implement digital and operational innovations while ensuring compliance with regulatory and company standards.

Primary Duties/Responsibilities:

Contact Center Management

• Develop and execute strategies to optimize call routing, workforce management, and multichannel engagement (phone, email, chat, self-service, etc.).
• Partner with senior leadership to evolve the contact center into a customer-centric, performance-driven function.

Billing, Collections, and Payments

• In partnership with the Director, Revenue Assurance, directs billing strategies and technology enhancements to drive efficient meter to cash operations.
• Develop and implement strategies to migrate customers from paper to paperless billing.
• Direct collection strategies to reduce aged receivables, improve cash flow, and maintain customer affordability initiatives.
• Manage payment processing channels (online, IVR, in-person, and third-party partners) to ensure secure, efficient, and accessible customer payment options.

Technology & Innovation

• Oversee the contact center technology ecosystem, including CRM, IVR, workforce management, knowledge bases, AI-enabled tools, and integration with billing and customer information systems.
• Partner with IT to evaluate, select, and implement new tools and upgrades that enhance customer and employee experiences.
• Drive digital adoption and self-service capabilities to expand customer choice and reduce manual transactions.

Training & Quality

• Establish and oversee comprehensive training programs to develop customer service staff across all functions, with a focus on customer service excellence, compliance, and system proficiency.
• Lead the Quality Assurance program to ensure consistency, accuracy, and continuous improvement in all customer interactions.
• Champion a culture of coaching, development, and employee engagement.

Leadership & Strategy

• Serve as a key member of the Customer Service leadership team, contributing to long-term strategic planning and customer operations roadmaps.
• Develop and monitor KPIs for service levels, first contact resolution, billing accuracy, collection effectiveness, and digital adoption.
• Collaborate across departments (meter operations, field services, IT, regulatory, etc.) to ensure seamless customer experiences and operational alignment.

Qualifications

Education/Experience/Background:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in customer service, contact center management, or utility operations, with at least 5 years at a senior management level.
• Experience in regulated utility industries strongly preferred.
• Proven success managing billing, collections, and payments operations.
• Strong knowledge of contact center technologies, digital tools, and workforce optimization practices.
• Demonstrated ability to lead high-performing teams, drive operational excellence, and implement transformational initiatives.
• Exceptional communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, regulated environment requiring balance between compliance, customer service, and operational efficiency.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Customer Centricity – Passion for delivering excellent customer experiences.
• Strategic Thinking – Ability to translate vision into actionable strategies and measurable results.
• Operational Excellence – Expertise in process improvement, resource optimization, and performance management.
• Regulatory Acumen – Strong understanding of compliance obligations within a regulated utility environment.
• People Leadership – Skilled at coaching, developing, and engaging teams for high performance.
• Technology Mindset – Ability to leverage digital solutions and innovations to improve service delivery.