Customer Support Manager

Pupil Progress is a growing EdTech company helping schools make better use of assessment data to understand pupil progress and improve outcomes.We're looking for a Customer Support Manager to take ownership of our customer support function as we enter the next stage of our growth.This is currently a hands-on, player/coach role rather than a traditional people or support-management position.You won't inherit a large internal support team on day one. You'll be directly involved in supporting customers, solving problems and improving how we work, while also taking ownership of the wider support function. We want someone who will understand how support works today, develop a clear vision for how it should work as we scale, and then have the autonomy to make that happen.You'll have the freedom to improve processes, introduce new ideas, use technology and automation intelligently, develop the people around you and set the standard for what excellent support looks like at Pupil Progress and how we build the function over time.If you're already leading a support team, this could be an opportunity to take on significantly more ownership. Equally, if you're an experienced support professional who has found yourself thinking "I know how I'd improve this if I were given the chance", we'd really like to hear from you.What you'll ownYou'll be responsible for the day-to-day performance and longer-term development of our customer support operation. This will include:Owning our support strategy: defining how our support function should evolve as the company and customer base grow.Being hands-on with customers: working directly on support conversations, escalations and complex issues rather than managing from a distance.Improving how we work: identifying inefficient processes and implementing better workflows, automation and systems.Using data to drive decisions: understanding support volumes, response and resolution times, customer satisfaction and recurring issues, and acting on what the data tells you.Making support scalable: thinking ahead about tooling, documentation, automation, AI, resourcing and processes rather than waiting for problems to appear.Representing the customer internally: identifying patterns in customer feedback and working closely with Product and Technology to make sure we're solving the right problems.Working across the business: collaborating particularly closely with Customer Success, Product and Technology to improve the overall customer experience. Importantly, you won't be expected to have all the answers on day one. Instead, you'll be expected to take ownership of finding them.What we're looking forYou'll probably have around 3+ years' experience working in customer support, ideally within SaaS, technology or another software-led business.Previous team lead or management experience would be valuable, but isn't essential. This role is more about your ability to take ownership of a function than the number of people you've managed previously.If you haven't managed a team previously, perhaps you're already the person others turn to - you've taken responsibility for improving processes or coaching colleagues, and you're looking for an opportunity where you can genuinely lead an area rather than waiting for someone else to make the decisions.More important to us is that you:Take ownership of problems rather than waiting to be told what to do.Are comfortable making decisions and turning ideas into action.Have high standards for customer service.Enjoy finding better and more efficient ways of working.Can balance immediate operational priorities with longer-term improvements.Are comfortable using data and customer feedback to make decisions.Can communicate clearly with both customers and colleagues.Are naturally curious and good at getting to the root cause of problems.Want to develop other people and help create a high-performing team.Are excited by the opportunity to help build a function that will need to evolve significantly as the business grows.Experience with tools such as Intercom or HubSpot would be helpful, but isn't a requirement. We care far more about how you think and operate than whether you've used our particular technology stack.Why Pupil Progress?We're a small, ambitious team, which means this role has a level of influence that would be difficult to find in a much larger organisation. You'll work closely with our leadership, Product and Technology teams and have the opportunity to directly influence both how we serve our customers and how the product develops.We're planning for significant growth over the coming years, and support will be an important part of making that growth successful. For the right person, there's a genuine opportunity to make this function your own.Our existing benefits include a competitive salary, 23 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, an additional day's holiday for each year of service up to five years, pension, an Employee Assistance Programme and ongoing learning and development.Location & working patternThis is a Brighton-based role and we want someone who enjoys working closely with the wider team in person.You'll normally work four days per week from our central Brighton office, with the option of one day per week working from home if you wish.Standard hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:30pm. Interested?We'd love to hear from experienced support professionals as well as people who feel ready to take their first step into formal management.If the idea of being given genuine ownership of a support function and being trusted to make it better sounds exciting, we'd love to hear from you.