Sean Cairns
Liverpool,Merseyside
Summary
Accomplished financial services contractor with more than 6 years of team management experience for Big 4 firms, insurance clients and retail banks. Motivates staff through positive mentoring and leading by example to provide best team output in line with operational targets. Offers a strong background in pensions/investments, insurance and financial paraplanning with a broad knowledge of multiple financial products, services and regulations. Seeking a challenging new management opportunity in the financial services sector with current contract due to end on 31st December 2024.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
5
5
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work History
Remediation Team Leader
ADMIRAL GROUP Plc
10.2024 - Current
- Led and managed team of 10 motor insurance administrative staff to complete high volumes of complex remediation work
- Collated high level MI data for team production and quality KPI's, reporting insights to key stakeholders and identifying areas to drive improvement across operation
- Efficiently managed staff resource and work allocation, ensuring multiple remediation cohorts worked through simultaneously
- Conducted performance reviews and tailored employee feedback to facilitate professional development
- Key Achievement: Within weeks of role, successfully led team through newly launched work process while ensuring high levels of production and quality were maintained from outset
Pension & Investments Complaint Handler
AEGON UK Plc
02.2024 - 06.2024
- Handled high-volume of customer complaints for range of products, including personal DB/DC and workplace pension schemes, SIPP's with underlying funds and investments such as ISA's, bonds, OIEC's and unit trusts
- Managed complex misselling cases concerning financial advice and suitability of financial products or services
- Owned end-to-end complaints, from identifying root cause up to financial loss and loss of interest redress calculations and issuing of free format bespoke final response letters
- Expressed care, patience and empathy when handling customer interactions for personalised experience
- Adhered strictly to complaint policies and procedures for continued company compliance
- Ensured timely completion of complaints within DISP regulated 8 week timeframes to maintain provider obligations and minimise challenged decisions or complaints going onto Financial Ombudsman
- Key Achievement: Obtained full accreditation within 2 weeks of completing training, ensuring full performance KPI's were met immediately after certification
Team Manager
DELOITTE UK
12.2021 - 02.2024
- Managing team of onboarding, telephony and complaint handling agents providing support with newly launched specialised customs declaration software (SaaS)
- Enhancing agent performance through daily mentoring, one-on-one discussions, complaint handling capabilities and motivational strategies
- Conducting daily meetings with key stakeholders, relaying high level MI on recent call activity, latest registrants and complaint overturn rates
- Providing daily feedback to team on key performance indicators including quality, attendance, average onboard and handle time of calls
- Assuming ownership over team productivity, staff utilisation and managing workflow to exceed quality service goals while managing escalated customer complaints
- Key Achievement: Successfully managed customer support branch of customs declaration software through Beta into Live state
Paraplanning Administrator
LJ FINANCIAL PLANNING Ltd
03.2021 - 12.2021
- Providing paraplanning team with financial recommendations and suitability reports, including preparing financial analysis data for ISA's, investment bonds, Trusts, OEIC's and DB/DC pensions
- Compiling data to action setting up of new pensions and transfer of existing pensions, including complex Defined Benefit schemes
- Drafting annual review reports for clients meetings with paraplanners, producing all necessary documentation
- Acknowledging, vetting and processing new business applications for all financial products, ensuring all regulatory and compliance standards are met
- Key Achievement: Passed R01 module within weeks of starting position and continued to train closely alongside paraplanners becoming adept at suitability report writing for financial product recommendations
Team Leader
LLOYDS BANK Plc
06.2017 - 01.2021
- Undertaking team quality meetings, allocating casework to Case Handlers and monitoring case deadlines, flagging system issues and raising specialist queries
- Utilising call management systems to analyse outbound call metrics, identifying strategies to improve efficiency
- Tracking team and site-wide targets and reporting on site KPI's to senior management
- Conducting individual Case Handler performance reviews and remedying any employee productivity, quality or conduct issues
- Compiling quantitative data for operations management to be used to contribute towards implementation of bank's Root Cause Analysis tools
- Utilising excellent communication skills when taking complex customer calls, providing approval for distress and inconvenience payments to customers and guaranteeing fair case outcomes
- Key Achievement: Created and implemented plans to train 12 inexperienced Case Handlers allowing them to work at quality and production levels in line with other teams on site, with significant improvements seen after 3 weeks
Case Handler / Subject Matter Expert
LLOYDS BANK Plc
07.2014 - 06.2017
- Performing full review into Payment Protection Insurance complaints whilst meeting productivity and quality targets within specified deadlines
- Liaising with customers identified as vulnerable to find tailored solutions which best fit their needs
- Assessing validity of customer testimony alongside documentation and system evidence available to generate correct resolution for customers
- Employing analytical skills and strong attention to detail when encountering potential obstacles in review methods and raising to Team Leader to assist in process development
- Key Achievement: Recognised in top 5% of Case Handlers for regularly exceeding productivity and quality targets, resulting in additional responsibility as Subject Matter Expert within first year of employment
Education
Bachelor of Arts - BA (Hons) in English Language & Literature
University of Liverpool
09.2009 - 07.2012
A-Levels - Mathematics, Physics, English, Media Studies
Maricourt Sixth Form
09.2007 - 07.2009
Skills
- Team leadership
- Training and development expertise
- Complaint handling and generating fair outcomes
- High knowledge of financial products, services and regulations
- Exceptional communicator
- Proficient in all major IT tools and programs
Certification
- AgilePM Foundation & Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
- ICA Certificate in Anti Money Laundering (Distinction)
- R01 - Financial Services, Regulation & Ethics
- R05 - Financial Protection
Timeline
Remediation Team Leader
ADMIRAL GROUP Plc
10.2024 - Current
Pension & Investments Complaint Handler
AEGON UK Plc
02.2024 - 06.2024
Team Manager
DELOITTE UK
12.2021 - 02.2024
Paraplanning Administrator
LJ FINANCIAL PLANNING Ltd
03.2021 - 12.2021
Team Leader
LLOYDS BANK Plc
06.2017 - 01.2021
Case Handler / Subject Matter Expert
LLOYDS BANK Plc
07.2014 - 06.2017
Bachelor of Arts - BA (Hons) in English Language & Literature
University of Liverpool
09.2009 - 07.2012
A-Levels - Mathematics, Physics, English, Media Studies
Maricourt Sixth Form
09.2007 - 07.2009
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