Associate Director, Client Care

Salary Grade: 20

Summary

The Associate Director, Client Care provides enterprise-level leadership across Mutual Bancorp's Client Care, i.e., contact center environment, ensuring consistent service delivery, operational excellence, and high-quality client experience. This role supports and advances Client Care and Digital Banking Center excellence, client experience, and risk management across Mutual Bancorp's subsidiaries. Reporting to the Managing Director, Retail Services, the Associate Director provides enterprise leadership and direction to the Client Care and Digital Banking Center Managers. The role is responsible for standardizing operations, optimizing technology, establishing enterprise service standards, and driving continuous improvement to deliver consistent, high-quality client experience across Mutual Bancorp's subsidiary banks.

This position plays a critical role in ongoing strategic leadership of the Contact Center and strategic evaluation, assessing different operational scenarios, client impacts, and service demands, and delivering data-driven recommendations to leadership. In close partnership with senior leadership, the Associate Director contributes to the evolution of the contact center strategy and, upon approval, owns execution, ensuring strategies are implemented effectively and consistently across all contact centers. The role serves as the business owner for contact center technology and ensures alignment with the banks' retail banking service model and relationship-based approach.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Key Responsibilities

1. Establish and maintain enterprise contact center operating standards, policies, quality assurance processes, performance metrics, and technology practices to ensure consistent client service, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance across Mutual Bancorp's contact centers.
2. Ensure consistency in call handling, escalation, documentation, quality standards, and client experience.
3. Partner with Client Care and Digital Banking Center Managers to support service delivery and performance while allowing managers to focus on people leadership and day-to-day execution.
4. Serve as a second-line escalation point for client related, operational, or systemic issues.

Technology & Systems Ownership

1. Serve as the primary business owner for contact center technology, including telephony platforms, workforce management tools, call recording, quality monitoring, and analytics.
2. Supports continuous improvement by evaluating and refining processes, product support, and telephony workflows to enhance client experience, with the flexibility to respond to operational events (e.g., call spikes, weather, system outages, new product rollouts).
3. Drive consistent adoption and effective use of the Synapsys CRM platform to support accurate documentation, reporting, and a 360-degree client view.
4. Partner closely with Information Technology on system enhancements, issue resolution, vendor management, and technology roadmaps.
5. Ensure alignment with the bank's Jack Henry core system and related products and services.

Workforce Strategy & Performance Management

1. Oversee forecasting, staffing models, and scheduling strategies in partnership with Client Care and Digital Banking Center Managers.
2. Ensure workforce plans align with client demand, service level expectations, and budget considerations.
3. Monitor key performance indicators, including service levels, abandonment, handle time, quality scores, and client feedback.
4. Identify trends and recommend performance improvements and operational adjustments.

Client Experience & Retail Banking Alignment

1. Ensure contact center service delivery aligns with the banks' retail banking philosophy, service standards, and relationship-based approach.
2. Collaborate with Retail Banking leadership to align processes, messaging, and client interactions across branches, contact centers, and digital channels.
3. Champion a consistent, seamless client experience regardless of how clients engage with the bank.

Risk, Compliance & Governance

1. Ensure contact center operations and technology usage adhere to applicable banking regulations, consumer protection requirements, internal policies, and risk management standards.
2. Partner with Compliance, Risk, Audit, and Legal teams as needed to support controls, documentation, and regulatory expectations.
3. Ensure client communications, authentication procedures, and operational practices support regulatory compliance and consistent client treatment.

Leadership & Talent Development

1. Build and sustain a high-performing leadership team by mentoring managers, promoting cross-functional collaboration, and driving employee engagement initiatives that support Mutual Bancorp's culture and client service philosophy.
2. Provide leadership, coaching, and direction to the Client Care Center Managers and Digital Banking Center Manager, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and exceptional client service.
3. Develop organizational capability by recruiting, selecting, developing, and retaining high-performing leaders and team members. Create succession plans and support leadership development across the contact center organization.
4. Evaluate organizational structure, staffing models, and resource allocation to ensure alignment with strategic priorities, client demand, operational efficiency, and business growth.
5. Establish clear performance expectations, service standards, and operational objectives. Monitor results and provide regular coaching, feedback, and development opportunities to strengthen individual and team performance.
6. Conduct performance evaluations for direct reports, establish measurable goals, develop performance improvement plans when appropriate, and recognize high performance.
7. Partner with Human Resources on workforce planning, talent acquisition, compensation recommendations, succession planning, employee relations, and performance management initiatives.
8. Lead regular management meetings to communicate strategic initiatives, operational priorities, performance results, and organizational changes while ensuring consistent communication throughout the contact center organization.
9. Promote a positive employee relations environment by proactively addressing workplace concerns, coaching managers through employee relations matters, and partnering with Human Resources to resolve complex issues in accordance with Bank policies and applicable employment laws.

EDUCATION, CERTIFICATIONS:

• At least seven years of experience in retail banking operations, contact center operations, or financial services leadership including minimum of three years in management capacity
• Five years of call center experience preferred; equivalent experience will be considered
• Bachelor's degree required, master's degree preferred

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Demonstrated retail banking experience, with a strong understanding of branch operations, client service standards, and relationship-based banking
• Experience supporting or overseeing multi-site contact center operations strongly preferred
• Proven ability to evaluate operational scenarios, assess client impact, and deliver clear, actionable recommendations
• Experience owning execution of approved initiatives across multiple teams
• Strong working knowledge of contact center technology, workforce management, CRM systems, and performance reporting
• Ability to lead through influence and collaboration rather than direct authority
• Excellent communication, analytical, and leadership skills

COMPETENCIES:

• Client-centric mindset grounded in retail banking
• Strategic and analytical thinking with execution discipline
• Operational rigor and sound judgment in a regulated environment
• Collaborative leadership and strong cross-functional partnership
• Intellectually curious
• Must have cyber security awareness to protect the digital environment, the Bank, and customers