Customer Service Manager

JOB SUMMARY

The Customer Service Manager is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and continuous improvement of the Customer Service Department. This position establishes departmental objectives, performance expectations, processes, and strategies that support customer satisfaction, operational excellence, revenue retention, and business growth.

The Customer Service Manager is a hands-on leader who develops and holds the Customer Service Team accountable while serving as a key liaison between customers and internal departments, reporting to the General Manager. This individual will proactively identify and resolve customer and operational issues, ensure customer commitments, are effectively communicated, regulations are followed, and managed, and drive sustainable process improvements.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Lead and oversee all Customer Service Department activities, including order management, quoting support, workload management, workflow, prioritization, staffing coverage, and delegation of responsibilities.
• Establish and review departmental performance, KPIs, open orders, past-due orders, backlog, customer issues, quote activity, and other relevant data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop and implement corrective actions and sustainable process improvements when departmental or individual performance does not meet established expectations.
• Maintain accountability within the Customer Service Team by clearly defining responsibilities, expectations, priorities, response times, and required follow-up.
• Provide hands-on customer service support when necessary, particularly for strategic accounts, critical orders, escalations, and complex customer situations.
• Coach, mentor, develop, and motivate Customer Service Representatives to improve individual and departmental performance..
• Develop and maintain departmental procedures, work instructions, training documentation, and training checklists.
• Provide ongoing performance feedback and conduct formal employee performance reviews in accordance with company requirements.
• Maintain oversight of the complete customer order-management process from receipt and order entry through production, shipment, and delivery.
• Ensure customer purchase orders are reviewed accurately and timely for part number, revision, quantity, pricing, delivery requirements, certifications, quality requirements, terms and conditions, and other applicable requirements.
• Maintain highly accurate customer open-order reporting and ensure customers receive timely and reliable information regarding order status.
• Proactively identify orders at risk of becoming past due and work cross-functionally with Planning, Manufacturing, Quality, Purchasing, and Shipping to establish recovery plans.
• Drive reduction of past-due orders through active follow-up, escalation, prioritization, and communication.
• Maintain appropriate oversight and visibility of DPAS-rated and other priority customer orders.
• Ensure Customer Service personnel understand their responsibilities related to identifying, processing, communicating, and monitoring DPAS-rated orders.
• Support compliance with the company's Quality Management System and applicable aerospace/customer requirements.
• Monitor quote activity, responsiveness, aging, and follow-up to ensure customer requests are addressed in a timely manner.
• Ensure customer inquiries and RFQs are properly assigned, tracked, and followed through to completion.
• Assist in identifying recurring quote activity, dormant business, new part opportunities, and other opportunities that may support account growth.
• Work with Sales and management to ensure appropriate commercial follow-up on significant customer opportunities.
• Directly manage escalated customer concerns and ensure issues are investigated, communicated, resolved, and followed through to completion.
• Serve as a management-level point of contact for key customers and significant customer issues.
• Develop strong relationships with key customers to support customer satisfaction, retention, and long-term account growth.
• Travel to key domestic customers as needed to resolve issues, strengthen relationships, improve customer satisfaction, and support business retention and growth.
• Partner closely with Manufacturing, Planning, Quality, Engineering, Purchasing, Shipping, Finance, Sales, and other departments to ensure customer requirements and business commitments are understood and achieved.
• Provide the General Manager and leadership team with regular reporting regarding customer service performance, backlog, past-due orders, delivery risks, DPAS-rated orders, customer escalations, quote activity, and other key business indicators.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Associate or bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, Supply Chain, Operations, or a related field preferred. Equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Minimum of 5-7 years of progressive customer service, account management, order management, or related experience.
• Minimum of 2+ years of direct department, functional, or team-management experience.
• Demonstrated experience managing employees, setting expectations, providing performance feedback, and developing team members.
• Experience developing, monitoring, and improving customer service KPIs and departmental performance.
• Experience managing customer escalations and complex customer issues.
• Experience with order management, quoting, backlog management, and past-due recovery.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Manufacturing, Operations, Planning, Quality, Purchasing, Shipping, Finance, and Sales.
• Manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
• Aerospace, defense, or other highly regulated manufacturing industry experience preferred.
• Experience working with DPAS-rated orders and aerospace/defense customer requirements preferred