Customer Relations Manager

About MCS
MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) is the UK’s national quality mark for small-scale renewable technology, such as solar panels and heat pumps. We’re here to set standards and provide protection, giving consumers confidence to invest in renewable technologies to heat and power their homes and small businesses. Working with industry, MCS defines, maintains, and improves quality, by setting standards for low-carbon energy technology products, installers, and their installations.

Now is an exciting time to join MCS; especially as we have recently launched the redevelopment of the Scheme, which has a greater focus on consumer protections, quality workmanship, and dispute resolution. 2025 was a record-breaking year for the small-scale renewables industry in terms of installation volumes and we look forward to continuing our vital role in driving forward the UK's progress towards Net Zero.

Our People

As an MCS employee, you will have the ability to demonstrate, understand and apply our company values. These are embedded in all roles across the business, and you should evidence these values as part of the application process:

• We are expert
• We are open and inclusive
• We are innovative
• We are understanding
• We are principled
• We are passionate

We are a strong and ambitious team of 100 and growing. People are at the heart of MCS and we empower each other, support each other, and work together to achieve our goals. From members of our team who are just starting their journey as an apprentice, to those who have worked in renewables for years, we have wide range of talents and expertise.

Why MCS

Aside from the exciting and challenging role, the people, our culture, and our mission, we have some amazing benefits that make MCS a pretty awesome place to work. Here’s a few favourites among our team:

• Our Team: We are an energetic sociable and talented bunch who are super passionate about what we do and determined to make a difference. We are friendly, supportive, collaborative and we learn from each other every day.
• Holiday: 25 days’ annual leave per annum – increasing to 28 days with three years’ service, and to 30 days with five years' service. Possibility to purchase additional days for the following calendar year.
• Social Events: Regular events in the office, dress-down Fridays, and more.
• Wellbeing: All employees have access to an Employee Assistance Programme, optional access to Medicash – a healthcare plan with the highest level of cover. Access to Mental Health First Aider, up to 8 counselling sessions, helping to ensure that every team member feels supported.
• Office Treats: Weekly provision of organic free fruit, breads, spreads, breakfast items, tea, coffee, soft drinks, when working from the office
• Supportive HR Policies: Enhanced Maternity, Paternity leave, sick leave, and emergency paid leave, life assurance 5x your salary.
• Grow with MCS: Access to and support with continuous professional development.
• Professional Membership: Payment of one professional subscription per year.
• New Starters: Welcome lunch with the CEO.
• Company Pension: 8% company contribution.
• Working week: 37.5 hours Monday – Friday with flexible working options.
• Salary Sacrifice Schemes: We offer a range of salary sacrifice schemes - including Cycle to Work, EV leasing, and additional annual leave purchase - subject to individual eligibility criteria.
• Free Parking: When working from the office.
• EV charging facilities: When working from the office.

Main role and responsibilities:

One of the most significant reforms to our certification scheme is the introduction of direct contractual relationships with installers, alongside a strengthened onboarding and oversight model where MCS now undertakes its own robust Scheme checks, monitoring activities to ensure our growing installer base of almost 6,000 installers continue to meet technical and consumer protection requirements.

The Customer Relations function sits within the wider Customer Experience team, bringing together installer application processing, onboarding, surveillance, complaints, customer insights, quality investigations and consumer protection into one function.

The reformed Scheme introduces significantly strengthened consumer protection requirements, enhanced installer obligations and a much greater emphasis on ongoing oversight, accountability and quality. As such, onboarding is a robust assessment of whether an installer is operationally, financially and culturally prepared to operate within the Scheme and uphold its standards.

This role is responsible for leading the small team that processes applications and oversees the onboarding of installers onto MCS, managing installers relationships throughout their application journey, and delivering ongoing monitoring activity post-approval, applying a risk-based approach to ensure appropriate levels of scrutiny.

The role also involves close coordination with Certification Bodies (CBs) and the Scheme Management team to ensure consistent application of scheme requirements, effective information flow, and alignment on compliance decisions and operational delivery. In addition, the role is responsible for producing clear reporting on onboarding activity, installer status, risk profiles, and compliance trends to support operational oversight, decision-making, and wider scheme assurance.

Your team will ensure that installers fully understand the changes introduced through the redeveloped Scheme and have implemented the appropriate processes, controls, customer journeys and business practices required to achieve compliance. Where gaps are identified, the team will provide clear feedback, support improvement activity and make robust recommendations on whether transition or certification should proceed.

You will play a critical role in protecting the integrity of MCS, ensuring robust oversight of installers operating as MCS certified. This includes identifying and responding to potential financial, operational and reputational risks, including attempts to obscure relationships between entities or circumvent Scheme controls.

We are looking for an exceptional people leader who can successfully manage operational delivery within a fast-paced and evolving environment. You will oversee application pipelines and allocate cases across the team, ensuring workload is effectively managed. You’ll maintain visibility of operational and Scheme risk, monitor performance against operational targets and service levels, and ensure senior leadership are kept informed of emerging issues, trends, pressures and challenges

You will also act as a senior point of escalation for exceptional or high-risk cases, including appeals, complex onboarding decisions and matters requiring escalation to the MCS Appeals Panel or Exceptional Cases Panel.

What you'll do:
Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, motivate and develop a high-performing Customer Relations team, creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Provide day-to-day leadership, guidance and support to team members managing applications, onboarding and ongoing installer monitoring activities.
• Allocate workload and oversee operational pipelines to ensure applications, , monitoring activities and escalations are progressed effectively and consistently.
• Support the professional development of team members through coaching, quality assurance, mentoring and regular feedback.
• Ensure the team operates in line with MCS values, organisational objectives and customer experience principles.
• Act as a visible and supportive leader who is comfortable making decisions, managing competing priorities and helping the team navigate complex or sensitive situations.
• Maintain oversight of team performance, resource planning and operational risks, escalating concerns appropriately where required.

Customer Relations Operations

• Lead the operational delivery and oversight of applications, onboarding and monitoring pipelines, ensuring activity is delivered effectively, consistently and in line with Scheme requirements.
• Ensure installer onboarding and surveillance activities are delivered consistently, proportionately and in line with a risk-based approach, applying appropriate levels of scrutiny.
• Act as a senior escalation point and oversee the management of complex, sensitive or high-risk installer cases, as well as broader operational matters where the team requires additional support, guidance or decision-making oversight.
• Lead operational decision-making relating to installer oversight, enforcement recommendations and sanctioning activity where appropriate.
• Oversee the co-ordination of Appeals Panel and Exceptional Cases Panel matters.
• Support the embedding and maturity of the redeveloped Scheme, ensuring operational practices evolve in line with objectives and emerging risks.

Quality, Governance & Risk

• Ensure onboarding and monitoring activities are delivered consistently, fairly and in line with Scheme requirements, governance frameworks and internal procedures.
• Maintain oversight of operational risk across installer onboarding and ongoing compliance activities.
• Identify, assess and escalate emerging risks, trends or patterns that may increase consumer detriment, installer non-compliance or impact upon Scheme integrity.
• Support the development and embedding of intelligence-led risk-based approaches to installer oversight and monitoring.
• Ensure high-quality record keeping, evidence gathering and decision-making across all team activities.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of governance frameworks, operational controls and internal guidance.
• Maintain oversight of financial, operational and reputational risks associated with installers entering or operating within the Scheme.
• Support the identification of linked entities, complex business structures, phoenixing concerns or attempts to circumvent Scheme requirements or sanctions.
• Ensure intelligence, evidence and operational insight are effectively assessed and connected to support robust and defensible decision-making.
• Oversee the development of the Compliance Intelligence Model - MCS’s framework for defining thresholds for indicators of risk or consumer detriment - ensuring it remains proportionate, intelligence-led and aligned to risks of consumer detriment.
• Review and refine the Compliance Intelligence Model and associated operational controls to improve oversight, support earlier risk identification and strengthen Scheme integrity.

Insight & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain visibility of onboarding and monitoring pipelines, providing clear and timely reporting to senior management.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational processes, installer experience and internal ways of working.
• Work collaboratively across Customer Experience, Scheme Management and wider MCS functions to improve consistency, efficiency and effectiveness.
• Lead continuous improvement across Dynamics (our CRM) and wider operational systems, improving workflows, reporting user experience and efficiency
• Work collaboratively with internal stakeholders to identify opportunities for smarter automation, improved insight, enhanced reporting and more efficient ways of working
• Ensure operational systems and processes support effective workload management, high-quality decision-making and consistent customer and installer experiences.

Stakeholder Management

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with installers, Certification Bodies and internal stakeholders.
• Work closely with the Certification Body Partnership Manager and wider Scheme Management team to maintain oversight of Certification Body relationships, operational performance, emerging risks and pipeline activity, ensuring effective collaboration and alignment across the Scheme.
• Communicate confidently and professionally with a wide range of stakeholders, including during challenging or sensitive situations.
• Ensure installers feel supported, informed and engaged whilst maintaining clear expectations around compliance and accountability.
• Represent the team and wider Customer Experience function in meetings, projects and operational discussions where required.
• Support a culture of openness, collaboration and professionalism across all stakeholder interactions.

This role is for you if..

• You are an exceptional people leader who enjoys developing high-performing teams and supporting others to succeed.
• You are comfortable balancing relationship management with accountability and oversight.
• You thrive in operational environments where priorities can shift quickly and where sound judgement is essential.
• You enjoy solving problems, handling complex situations and making evidence-led decisions.
• You are highly organised and able to maintain oversight of multiple workstreams, risks and operational pressures simultaneously.
• You are passionate about consumer protection and improving standards within the renewable energy sector.
• You are confident communicating with a wide range of stakeholders and able to handle challenging conversations professionally and constructively.

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

• Leading and developing operational, compliance, onboarding, account management and/or customer service-focused teams.
• Operating within regulated, assurance, compliance, consumer protection, account management or customer service environments.
• Managing complex operational workloads, case pipelines and competing priorities within a fast-paced environment.
• Assessing operational, financial or reputational risk and applying proportionate, evidence-led decision-making.
• Handling escalated, sensitive or high-risk cases requiring investigation, analysis and sound judgement.
• Experience identifying potential risk indicators across organisational structures, business relationships or operational behaviours, and supporting appropriate escalation or investigation where required.
• Experience of undertaking due diligence and risk-based assessments, including the use of third-party intelligence, financial oversight processes, and external data sources such as Companies House, credit reference agencies, or other risk intelligence tools to support informed decision-making.
• Building and maintaining effective stakeholder relationships.
• Producing operational reporting, insight and recommendations for senior management.
• Leading change and embedding new operational processes or ways of working.
• Strong understanding of customer experience, customer service and consumer-focused service delivery.

Desirable

• Experience within the renewable energy, certification, compliance or assurance sectors.
• Knowledge of MCS and small-scale renewable technologies.
• Experience of processing applications, managing onboarding, surveillance or ongoing monitoring functions.
• Experience supporting appeals and escalation processes from installers whose applications to become MCS certified have been unsuccessful.
• Experience working with risk-based oversight or compliance models.
• Experience working with complex organisational structures, linked entities or phoenixing-related risk considerations.

Skills

• Strong analytical and investigative capability, with the ability to interpret complex information, identify trends and risk indicators, and translate insight into action.
• Ability to connect information from multiple sources to support evidence-led decision-making.
• Commercial awareness and sound judgement when assessing operational, financial and reputational risk.
• Strong people leadership skills, with the ability to motivate, develop and hold a team to high standards
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and confidently
• Ability to assess complex situations, weigh evidence and make sound, defensible decisions
• Strong organisational skills, able to manage competing priorities while maintaining pace and quality
• Ability to work cross functionally and build effective relationships across teams and stakeholdersConfidence in presenting information to senior internal and external audiences
• Ability to develop, maintain or improve quality assurance frameworks that drive consistency and better outcomes.
• Strong problem-solving capability, with a practical and solution-focused approach.
• Ability to prioritise effectively and manage competing demands.

Behaviours

• Strong customer focus, with a commitment to fair and impartial outcomes
• Investigative and inquisitive, with a natural tendency to question, probe and get to root cause
• Calm and resilient, able to manage pressure, competing priorities and handle challenging situations professionally
• High level of integrity, with the ability to make balanced and objective decisions
• Hands-on and supportive leader, willing to step in and support the team directly when required.
• Proactive and solution focused, able to navigate ambiguity and drive outcomes
• Collaborative, with the ability to bring others together to resolve complex issues
• Detail oriented, with a focus on accuracy and quality

Don’t meet every single requirement?
We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they think they can’t tick every box but you could still be the perfect candidate!! So, if you can do most of what we’re looking for, go ahead and apply. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles!

How to apply:

Please email careers@mcscertified.com with your CV and covering letter outlining the following:

• How you meet the person specification
• Why you have applied for the role
• Why you want to work for MCS

The closing date is: Tuesday 26th May 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role.

Successful applicants will be invited to face to face interview at the MCS office in Daresbury.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £41,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Bereavement leave
• Company events
• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee discount
• Enhanced maternity leave
• Enhanced paternity leave
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Sick pay
• Work from home

Work Location: In person