Manager, Customer Experience Order Resolution (SalonCentric) - Hybrid

POSITION: Manager, Customer Experience

DEPARTMENT: Customer Experience Support

REPORTS TO: Director, CXS

FLSA Status: Exempt

LOCATION: Clearwater, Florida

Position Overview

The Customer Experience Support (CXS) Manager will lead a dynamic team dedicated to providing exceptional customer service and achieving SalonCentric's strategic objectives. This role goes beyond traditional service management; the successful candidate will be a decisive leader capable of managing the full talent lifecycle—including hiring and managing performance —and a skilled project manager adept at driving cross-functional process improvements. This role requires a passion for exceeding customer expectations, a proven ability to drive continuous improvement initiatives, and a talent for cultivating a positive and collaborative work environment. This role will serve as the ultimate point of escalation for complex service failures, ensuring that SalonCentric’s strategic objectives are met through operational excellence, rigorous project oversight, and the cultivation of a resilient, customer-centric culture. Collaboration across departments is essential to identify friction points in the customer journey and implement scalable, data-driven solutions.

Position Responsibilities: 

Strategic People Management & Talent Lifecycle

• Full-Cycle Leadership: Lead the operational CXS team with full accountability for the talent lifecycle, including workforce succession planning, recruiting, and hiring top-tier talent.
• Performance Accountability: Drive team accountability by conducting regular performance assessments and feedback loops. Take full ownership of talent selection to ensure the “right people are in the right roles”. Responsible for the courageous management of underperformance, including the implementation of formal improvement plans and necessary exits to safeguard the department’s operational standards and culture.
• Coaching & Mentorship: Foster an empowering environment by championing professional development, succession planning, and high-impact coaching for direct reports.
  
  

Advanced Escalation & Crisis Management

• Executive Escalations: Serve as the final authority for high-stakes customer escalations, resolving complex issues that require cross-departmental negotiation (e.g., Supply Chain and Operations, Sales, Omni Operations or Finance).
• Root Cause Analysis: Beyond resolving individual issues, analyze escalation trends to identify systemic failures and implement preventative measures.
• Service Recovery: Develop and refine service recovery protocols to ensure that even negative touchpoints are converted into opportunities for long-term brand loyalty and customer retention.
  
  

Process Improvement & Operational Excellence

• Continuous Improvement (CI): Identify operational bottlenecks and lead initiatives to minimize wait times and maximize "First Contact Resolution" (FCR) when applicable.
• Workflow Optimization: Audit existing SOPs and implement Lean or similar methodologies to streamline resolution turnaround times while ensuring 100% accuracy in customer interactions.
• Innovative Delivery: Pioneer the use of new technologies or automated workflows to enhance service delivery without sacrificing the personalized "premier care" experience.
  
  

Project Management & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Project Leadership: Own and execute team projects from conception to completion (e.g., OneSFA/Burger/NEO migrations, new platform launches, or policy overhauls), utilizing formal project management frameworks to meet deadlines and budgets.
• Interdepartmental Liaison: Act as the primary advocate for the customer within the broader organization, collaborating with cross functional departments to ensure project outcomes align with a customer-centric strategy.
• Data-Driven Insights: Transform raw KPIs and SLAs into actionable business intelligence, presenting project post-mortems and performance reports to senior leadership.
  
  

Upholding Standards & Hands-On Leadership

• KPI & SLA Integrity: Ensure the team consistently meets or exceeds performance metrics through rigorous monitoring and real-time adjustments.
• Leading by Example: Maintain a "player-coach" mentality, participating in daily tasks during peak volumes or critical service interruptions to demonstrate commitment and maintain pulse-checks on the customer experience.
  
  

Core Competencies

• Leadership & Team Collaboration: Ability to motivate, delegate, and work together with others to achieve shared goals.
• Effective Communication: Excellent verbal and written skills for interacting with customers, staff, and senior leadership.
• Customer-Centric Mindset: Deep dedication to understanding and addressing customer needs.
• Analytical Problem-Solving: Capability to analyze problems, explore options, and implement effective, timely solutions.
• Adaptability & Organization: Ability to manage multiple projects, adapt to changing situations, and prioritize tasks efficiently
• Process Improvement and Project Management: Ability to enhance organizational efficiency through structured methodologies, data-driven decision making, risk mitigation and leadership.
  
  

Requirements & Qualifications

Experience: 10 years of progressive experience in Customer Experience or Operations management, with at least 5 years in a direct people-management role (with documented experience in hiring and performance-related terminations).

Leadership and Conflict Management Skills: Strong leadership and communication skills. Ability to work across multi-levels and cross-departmentally in the organization. Conflict management skills are essential to handle challenging situations with diplomacy, tact and professionalism.

Project Management: Proven track record of leading departmental projects; PMP or CAPM certification is a significant plus. Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, or Agile methodologies preferred. Strong multi-tasking skills and able to work in a very fast paced environment and meet deadlines.

Technical Proficiency: Advanced knowledge of CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce), ERPs (e.g., SAP, Fluent OMS), and workforce management (WFM) tools (AWS).

Critical thinking & Problem-solving Skills: ability to identify and analyze key components of a problem to formulate and implement effective solutions. Come forward not only with a problem but also with a solution.

Communication: Exceptional negotiation and conflict-resolution skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with both front-line staff and executive stakeholders.

Education: High school diploma or GED required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.