Helen Matusz
Coventry
Summary
Experienced Operations Delivery Manager with over 25 years’ experience in regulated, customer-focused environments. Highly organised, analytical, and detail driven, with a proven ability to lead complex operational change and translate strategy into practical, frontline ready solutions. A confident, credible leader known for professionalism, strong judgement, and a calm, resilient approach to problem solving. Values collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement, with a strong track record of developing high performing teams while balancing commercial outcomes, customer experience, and compliance.
Overview
29
29
years of professional experience
Work History
Operations Delivery Manager
Hastings Direct
01.2023 - Current
- Act as gatekeeper for operational change, ensuring initiatives are delivered at the right time and aligned to retail strategy.
- Apply robust change governance to ensure delivery is controlled, compliant, and delivers measurable business benefits.
- Track outcomes and benefits, providing internal quality assurance throughout the change lifecycle.
- Lead structured and creative problem-solving activity, commissioning and presenting root-cause analysis to define what needs to change and why.
- Facilitate discovery sessions and workshops with frontline colleagues to gather insight, challenge assumptions, and design practical solutions.
- Translate ideas into structured delivery plans with clear outcomes, timelines, ownership, and success measures.
- Define implementation plans that embed change smoothly into Retail Operations while protecting day-to-day performance.
- Coordinate delivery across systems, processes, communications, training, and customer experience impacts.
- Partner with process owners, operational leaders, and frontline teams to ensure changes are practical and value-adding.
- Provide clear programme-level reporting across milestones, risks, issues, dependencies, and deliverables.
- Identify risks early, ensure clear ownership, and implement effective mitigation plans.
- Perform assurance and governance checks to validate readiness, quality, and risk controls.
- Manage and challenge project costs, ensuring robust business cases and delivery within agreed budgets and timelines.
- Coach and motivate Delivery Executives to build capability, performance, and future leadership strength.
- Embed a culture of accountability, high performance, and continuous improvement across all delivery activity.
Contact Centre Leader – Renewals
Hastings Direct
01.2018 - 01.2023
- Creating a high performance culture by motivating, engaging and inspiring my Team Leaders/Teams.
- Inspires excellence in saving customers and generating income through leading by example and providing clear direction on what great looks like.
- Delivering effective communications on performance, standards, policies, product and procedures.
- Lead, coach and inspire my teams to ensure effective delivery of performance against targets. Doing so through efficient effective performance management and engagement, reviewing performance across teams and encouraging the sharing of best practices.
- Coaching and developing my Team Leaders through coaching, one to ones, providing detailed feedback together with creating development plans where required.
- Building on the strengths of the Leaders to stretch them to achieve their full potential.
- Act on Customer feedback to ensure continuous improvement to service delivery as well as rewarding and recognising colleagues.
- Ensuring that the teams are kept up to date with updates on the wider business, to create a one team approach.
- Supporting and being an advocate of change and continuous improvement to move the department forward.
- Ensuring that calls are handled within Quality and regulatory compliance guidelines, together with looking at ways to increase Customer Experience.
- Understanding and use of management information to identify trends, carry out route cause analysis in order to drive performance in any required area as well as identifying process improvements.
- Working together with workforce planning to meet agreed service levels, whilst maintaining investment time for colleagues.
- Effectively using colleague feedback to ensure that colleague engagement is high.
- Carrying out CCL forums with colleagues to remain connected with them, as well as being able to continue to review ongoing feedback and implement any required changes.
Service Delivery Manager – Contact Centre
First Utility
01.2015 - 01.2018
- Led day to day performance of up to 8 Team Managers, delivering consistently high service and exceeding KPI targets.
- Coached and developed leadership capability through regular 1:1s and 'coach-the-coach' sessions.
- Drove continuous performance improvement through effective performance management and development planning.
- Implemented clear communication and engagement frameworks to align teams with business and customer needs.
- Analysed customer feedback and NPS to improve engagement, service quality, and outcomes.
- Owned quality assurance and call compliance, providing targeted feedback and development actions.
- Led process improvements based on customer, colleague, and demand insights to deliver productivity and cost-to-serve benefits.
- Oversaw complaint handling and escalations, ensuring timely resolution and strong customer outcomes.
- Built a skilled, flexible workforce through structured training, objective setting, and talent development.
- Strengthened the operational talent pipeline, partnering with Resourcing to attract and develop high-quality talent.
Contact Centre Team Manager
First Utility
01.2014 - 01.2015
- Coaching and developing the team by using clear and tailored coaching models to build upon current skills, working on areas of development and setting clear and realistic objectives for Personal Development plans.
- Supporting the team to deliver a first class, high quality customer service experience, by spending 70% of time coaching and developing the team.
- Promoting the importance of consistently achieving SLA’s and high quality NPS scores through motivating and engaging.
- Being approachable and available for the team to ask for help in managing complex enquiries and expressions of dissatisfaction that cannot be resolved at the first point of contact.
- Taking a pioneering approach to identifying areas of improvement both for the team and the department.
- Promoting a best practice culture to continuously drive a successful and engaged department.
- Manage any identified areas for performance improvement, adhering to the company policy for Capability, Performance and Conduct.
- Ensure that the team are kept up to date with any changes with policies and procedures within all areas of the business.
Operations Team Manager
Chorus Law Ltd (formerly ITC)
01.2012 - 01.2014
- Responsible for ensuring that Case Managers provide a premium probate service on behalf of the personal representative of an estate.
- Monitor, manage and maintain workflow, through analysis and preparation of reports, to ensure that all KPIs are met.
- Complaints handled are accurately recorded and managed in line with the TCF policy.
- Ensure team remains up-to-date with their allocated tasks and assist them with queries and support as required.
- Process cancellations in a manner that protects business reputation at all times. Increase opportunities for revenue/income recognition.
- Ensure that a pre-agreed percentage of work is audited on a weekly basis to maintain levels of quality.
- Maintain high levels of customer service through call monitoring and providing effective feedback.
- Ensure the team is informed of any updates on procedures and processes that occur within other areas of the business.
- Actively work to continually coach and develop the team; establish goals both for the team and for individuals, regularly conducting performance reviews.
- Develop staff, managing individual and overall team performance, dealing with staff issues such as performance improvement and disciplinary issues as required.
- Manage any identified areas for performance improvement, adhering to the company policy for Capability, Performance and Conduct.
Contact Centre Team Manager
Friends Life (formerly AXA Life)
01.2008 - 01.2011
- Led and motivated customer service teams to deliver excellent service, regulatory compliance, and commercial results.
- Managed teams of up to 20 advisors, covering performance management, recruitment, appraisals, and employee relations.
- Developed high-performing teams through coaching, training aligned to customer demand, and change leadership.
- Drove continuous improvement by empowering teams to identify process and system efficiencies that enhanced customer experience.
- Led risk, control, and regulatory adherence, including FSA requirements and Treating Customers Fairly principles.
- Used management information and customer insight to drive performance, inform decision-making, and resolve complaints effectively.
Senior Customer Service Representative
Friends Life (formerly AXA Life)
01.2006 - 03.2008
- Managing the Alterations work queue and Processing Alterations to existing Accounts, ensuring service levels agreements were achieved and to a high standard of quality.
- Seen as an expert within the business and a point of contact to support the resolution of complex queries and complaints.
- Representing the department on projects to support the implementation of new systems/processes and procedures.
- Planned, prepared and delivered training to new entrants.
Technical Support
Friends Life (formerly AXA Life)
09.2002 - 01.2006
- To improve the technical competence of existing and new Customer Service Representatives.
- Improved technical capability of customer service teams through targeted coaching, call analysis, and training delivery.
- Conducted quality audits and ensured compliance with FSA and departmental standards.
- Provided regular feedback, recognition, and development support to drive individual and team performance.
- Analysed referral trends and customer queries to inform training improvements and support 'right first time' outcomes.
- Acted as a subject-matter expert for complex queries and represented the function on process, product, and system projects.
- Deputised for Team Leaders to maintain service levels and SLA delivery.
Customer Service Representative
Friends Life (formerly AXA Life)
10.1998 - 01.2002
- Answering queries regarding Life and Pension policies from Financial Advisers, internal and external customers.
- Delivering coaching sessions with other Customer Service Representatives to help them improve and develop their customer service skills.
- Dealing with complaint calls and taking ownership to achieve resolutions.
Customer Service Assistant
Coventry Building Society
06.1997 - 10.1998
- Handling large amounts of cash and balancing and maintenance of the ATM machine.
- Processing cancellations and amending of Direct Debits.
Education
FA1 Life Office Administration -
12-2009
FP1 Financial Planning Certificate 1 -
01-2004
1 A Level -
01-1997
8 GCSEs - Mathematics and English
01-1995
Skills
Operational & Change Leadership
Programme & Delivery Governance
Customer Experience Improvement
Performance & Capability Management
Stakeholder Engagement
Regulatory Compliance & Risk Control
References
Available on request
Timeline
Operations Delivery Manager
Hastings Direct
01.2023 - Current
Contact Centre Leader – Renewals
Hastings Direct
01.2018 - 01.2023
Service Delivery Manager – Contact Centre
First Utility
01.2015 - 01.2018
Contact Centre Team Manager
First Utility
01.2014 - 01.2015
Operations Team Manager
Chorus Law Ltd (formerly ITC)
01.2012 - 01.2014
Contact Centre Team Manager
Friends Life (formerly AXA Life)
01.2008 - 01.2011
Senior Customer Service Representative
Friends Life (formerly AXA Life)
01.2006 - 03.2008
Technical Support
Friends Life (formerly AXA Life)
09.2002 - 01.2006
Customer Service Representative
Friends Life (formerly AXA Life)
10.1998 - 01.2002
Customer Service Assistant
Coventry Building Society
06.1997 - 10.1998