Senior Planning Advisor

Role purpose:

• Proactively responds to complex customer queries as required and supports less experienced colleagues..
• Responsible for planning complex visits/activities, ensuring the right assessors are being used and optimised in the right place, and at the right cost to achieve utilisation targets and compliance with accreditation requirements.
• Supports less experienced colleagues as coach and encourages knowledge management.

Key Responsibilities:

• To plan complex visits/activities in line with or ahead of agreed business SLAs (ensuring utilisation of FTE colleagues vs subcontractors is optimised and that travel time, downtime, assessors under training, assessor competencies/ activity codes, usage of subcontractors is in line with or ahead of budget, and compliant with external accreditation requirements).
• Provide a high level of specialist support to deliver a professional and responsive service to internal and external clients. This will include communicating the details of planned visits/activities to Assessors and ensuring contractual requirements and customer expectations are understood.
• Follow the RFAT process (both requesting office and receiving office) providing ample notice and correspondence aligned to agreed timescales, supporting the prioritisation of key accounts.
• Guide the customer to the portal for basic customer queries and encourage less experienced colleagues to promote greater uptake and awareness of the tool.
• Responsible for the accuracy and completeness of data in BA&IS systems (in line with internal procedures, contractual requirements, cost structures and budget constraints) within or ahead of agreed SLAs to support smooth delivery our services. Make sure that any changes to contracts are accurately reflected (E.g. site locations, prices, key contacts, product scope etc.
• Build and maintain excellent relationships through proactive communication and action, ensuring contractual requirements and customer expectations are understood and refer opportunities for new business as appropriate. Maintain briefing notes to support the co-ordinating of activities to assessors/ lead assessors.
• Proactively respond to queries within or ahead of agreed SLAs and escalate service delivery issues as appropriate to the relevant manager. Proactively identify and propose improvements to processes and procedures.
• Proactively carry out complex tasks at the request of managers and proactively contribute to team meetings and initiatives.
• Mentor less experienced colleagues and share knowledge of BA&IS's products, processes and designated customers. Liaise with and provide support to other offices/ departments as may be required.
• Develop a thorough understanding of BA&IS products, services, systems and processes.

Technical / Professional Qualifications / Requirements:

• Degree (Bachelor/ Master) with a minimum of 5 years of work experience in Client Management preferably in a service industry.
• Strong communication, interpersonal and relationship-building skills
• Take responsibility for delivery customer needs
• Ability to proactively understand and assess issues, devise solutions and see them through to resolution
• Build and support teamwork, engaging actively and supporting others
• Proficiency in MS Office – a must
• Good command over English (written as well as spoken)