Senior Manager Customer Solutions at South African Airways (SAA)

Job Purpose    

• The Senior Manager Customer Solutions will lead a holistic and integrated Customer Solutions Division, driving strategic customer experience initiatives and operational efficiency across the Airline. The role will focus on developing, implementing and continuously enhancing customer service policies, frameworks and strategies that strengthen the Airline’s customer value proposition. A key focus will be embedding customer centricity throughout the value chain, ensuring that every interaction reflects service excellence to boost customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention. This will include improving service quality and overseeing the delivery of high-quality service across all touchpoints, including call centres, digital platforms, policies, engagement and customer service recovery.

Principal Accountabilities    

• Develop and implement a Customer Service strategy aligned with best practices and the Airline’s strategic goals
• Establish optimal policies, procedures, frameworks and systems to set and achieve customer service standards across the Airline
• Prepare and manage department budget
• Contribute to the delivery of the SAA Group’s corporate plan by driving specific strategic initiatives focused on Customer Service Enhancement
• Champion a Customer Service Culture by embedding service excellence principles across all levels of the Airline
• Lead cross functional teams collaborating with various departments i.e. Marketing, Social Media, Guest Experience, Corporate Affairs, Inflight Services to ensure alignment and effective execution of customer service strategies
• Drive innovation, research industry trends, technologies and best practices to identify opportunities for innovation and improvement in customer service
• Monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPI’S), tracking and analyzing metrics such as Customer Satisfaction Score, Net Promoter Score (NPS), and First Contact Resolution Rate to measure service quality and identify areas of improvement
• Analyze customer feedback, customer insights, customer retention trends, customer inquiry handling, and lead the implementation of changes to improve service delivery across the value chain
• Lead the Service Recovery Framework ensuring timely and empathetic resolution of customer complaints, disruptions, or service failures
• Develop Service level agreements (SLA’s) and establish clear expectations and response times for customer support and service requests
• Utilize IT platforms like CRM for interaction history, analyze data, enable self-service portals, implement AI powered chatbots
• Ensure PFMA compliance and establish internal controls to ensure transparency, accountability and compliance
• Compile reports, presentations and submissions to the Board, EXCO and relevant stakeholders
• Lead, manage, develop and coach a high performing to ensure competencies and performance measures are in place
• Build a successor pipeline for critical roles in the Customer Solutions division

Qualifications & Experience    

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, Marketing or Business Administration, Economics at NQF Level 7
• Masters' degree in Business Administration or MBA is a strong advantage
• Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) or Certified Customer Service Professional (CCSP)
• 10 - 12 year’s experience in a Customer Service role of which 8 years is at a senior management level
• Strong track record in a successful customer service leadership role

Knowledge and Skills    

• In-depth knowledge of Customer Service 
• Strong negotiating skills
• Data/BI-driven decision support
• Business and commercial acumen
• Analytical skills
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
• Presentation skills
• Leadership
• Stakeholder management and relationship building
• Problem solving
• Project management
• Financial modelling and scenario analysis
• Judgement and decision making
• Managing change
• Attributes    
• Strategic mindset
• Maintains confidentiality
• Problem solver
• Adaptable and agile
• Ethical and acts with integrity
• Reliable and dependable
• Professional
• Proactive
• Results orientated
• Resilient
• Stakeholder influence
• Team builder and coach
• Strong customer orientation
• Demonstrates strategic and visionary leadership

Deadline:10th November,2025