A freshly minted B Corp (pending) noho.co is a direct-to-consumer brand that’s set out to build something meaningful: to make better furniture that improves the health of people, and planet.

We're not your typical furniture brand. We don’t rely on conventional thinking or materials, but instead create extraordinary furniture designed to help clean up our oceans and protect our environment, improve the well-being of users, and enrich the health our homes, and our everyday lives.

The noho move chair, available in March 2020 in the US and New Zealand, is the first product from noho and is made from reclaimed fishing nets and end-of life carpet diverted from landfill. noho is the first furniture brand in the world to use this unique and ocean-saving waste reclamation process with ECONYL regenerated nylon.

Designed and built in New Zealand by sister company Formway Design, ‘noho’ means ‘to sit, stay, dwell, live’ in New Zealand Maori. To find out more about the noho story, follow along on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn and visit noho.co. 

Job title: Head of Customer Care/Support – noho.co 

Reports to: Chief Customer Officer 

Direct Reports: Customer care team (internal and outsourced) 

Term: Permanent 

Date created: 10 January, 2020

Remuneration: $ 65,000 

Benefits package: Health, 401k, 4 weeks leave 

Applicants: Please ensure you submit a compelling Cover Letter with your resume. We want to know what makes you tick, not just where you’ve been!

Company Summary

A freshly minted B Corp (pending) noho is an all new, direct-to-consumer brand that’s set out to build something meaningful: to make extraordinary furniture that improves the health of people, and planet. We don’t rely on conventional thinking or materials, but instead design phenomenally innovative, new generation furniture that help clean up our oceans and protect our environment, whilst enriching our homes, our well-being and our everyday lives.

Our Mission

We’re out to change the world by changing people’s expectations about what furniture can and should do for our homes, our health and our environment. It’s why we do what we do every day. And why, together, we can help turn the tide toward a healthier future for everyone.

Our Roots

Born in Aotearoa New Zealand, noho is a company with deep roots and a deep respect for the natural beauty and cultural values of our home. From the language of our indigenous Māori, noho means to sit, stay, dwell, live. It embodies a fundamental belief in kinship and connection between humans and the natural world (kaitiakitanga)

Our Values

Our values are reflected in every detail of our products, starting with our innovative designs which combine new insights in human physiology with deep expertise in ergonomic and sustainable design. We also manufacture all our furniture in New Zealand to ensure sustainability throughout our supply chain while powering our production with 80 percent renewable energy.

Our first product

The noho move chair, available from February 2020 in the US and New Zealand, is the first product from noho and is made from reclaimed fishing nets and end-of life carpet diverted from landfill. noho is the first furniture brand in the world to use this unique and ocean-saving waste reclamation process with ECONYL regenerated nylon. 

Summary of Role 

As head of noho PBC’s Customer Care team you are charged with establishing, and maintaining, noho’s reputation for best of breed customer care, support and overall experience. You will assist the implementation of effective systems for making this so, including applications and staff processes that encourage that outcome. This will inevitably require the training of virtual teams, and managing their performance to the same high standard. 

Alongside a track record of outstanding customer care provision and team leadership, design sensibilities and a commitment to environmental sustainability will be the core values needed in the appointee. Please refer to mission critical noho Purpose, Culture, Values and Design Approach, below, for context. 

Primary Focus 

The Head of Customer Care has the primary objective of driving our vision for next-level support and consistency in customer support standards. S/he is accountable for shaping and delivering the business’s consumer service propositions in order to drive the overall performance of the team. 

The role balances customer support strategy with delivery and champions team performance management, enabling excellence in customer-centric support and a team wide mind-set of surpassing customer expectations. The role oversees cost effectiveness, productivity, and the provision of customer support procedures that nurture continuous improvement. 

Specific Responsibilities

• Manage the growth of our customer experience team including hiring
• Implement new, improve existing, and manage scheduled reporting
• Define rules and policies for noho CX
• Build the voice of customer directly from the front lines
• Ensure that all customers have a unique and positively memorable experience at every touch point with the brand
• Work in conjunction with Marketing, Web development, and Product development to improve the customer journey
• Strategize and research new technologies and support channels to build up and improve our customer experience mix
• Maintain a close connection to the CEO to give a daily “temperature check” on the community

Function, Duties & Responsibilities 

1. Leadership & Culture (40%) 

· Provide leadership and direction to the entire customer support team. 
· Establish and oversee the adoption of the support team’s vision, goals and objectives at all levels. 
· Lead ground support for customer support officers, developing and implementing customer experience support plans. 
· Lead analysis, workshops, and the development of recommendations for consumer insights for review by the CCO and key stakeholder meetings. 
· Ensure that the customer support team’s needs are correctly prioritized in order to ensure appropriate allocation of resources. 
· Ensure that customer support activities are seen to deliver measurable and significant value to the business and meet customer loyalty targets. 
· Mentor customer support personnel by assisting in the execution of their duties upon request, ensuring constant sharpening of their skills and grooming them for the occupation of his position in the future. 

2. Planning & Strategy (10%) 
· Play the lead role in strategy formulation for the customer support team. 
· Oversee and determine key strategic direction and objectives of customer support team 
· Drive necessary changes for the improvement of operating and organizational efficiency of the customer support team. 
· Orchestrate the continuous improvement of customer experience through the formulation or constant improvement of the approaches and strategies applied by the team. 

3. Analytics (20%) 
· Measure the effectiveness of all customer support approaches and initiatives primarily through conducting consumer surveys and analysis of recorded support agent to consumer correspondence. 
· Conduct research and put performance measures in place for the purpose of continually monitoring the customer support performance processes, which leads to the formulation of improved approaches and strategies that facilitate the achievement of consumer satisfaction targets. 
· Conduct financial analysis for the team, managing the departmental budget, voicing any additional financial support to the President for the purpose of facilitating improvement in customer support initiatives. 
· Create reports and strategic recommendations from various customer support research and analyses 

4. Team Management (20%) 
· Ensure all the required staff are recruited, inducted, managed and if necessary terminated in accordance with good practice and under approved terms & conditions of employment. 
 
· Ensure managers and team leaders manage their people in an appropriate manner to enhance job satisfaction and promote a zero-harm environment. 
 
· Ensure all staff are operating in accordance with clearly defined performance objectives and are subject to annual performance review in association with their annual remuneration review. 
 
· Ensure all staff are suitably trained and developed for their job functions and to enhance their career development. 
 

5. Relationships (5%) 
· Manage both internal and external relationships on behalf of the customer support team. 
· Manage all customer support staff and stakeholders as well as engaging in direct interactions with the business’s consumers. These interactions will normally involve negotiation with consumers with an aim of collecting feedback on customer support efforts and influencing senior customer support management and stakeholders on proposed approaches and strategies for the department. 

8. Policies & Procedures (5%) 
· Develop, and recommend for Board approval, appropriate CX policies & procedures for the Company. 
· Implement the approved policies & procedures 

noho Cause, Purpose, Culture and Values 

Our Cause - People & Planet 
We’re on a constant journey to improve the health of people, and our planet, through life-enriching furniture. 

Our Purpose (and what drives us) 
To create life enriching furniture experiences. 

We’re driven to create extraordinary, life enriching furniture: thoughtfully designed to nurture our bodies, work the way we actually live, yet not cost our earth. 

Customer Promise 
We promise ingenious products that better meet the furniture needs of today without destroying tomorrow. 

We cherish our customers, partners and staff and believe we should share rich experiences together. We believe that furniture should function in response to how we live, what we need and what we love, and do the best by our planet. That means being a business that delivers what users need whilst actively diminishing the volume of waste plastics (and nylons) in our oceans. 

Our journey is about creating objects and experiences that enrich in the broadest sense, and we’re driven by the desire to enrich peoples’ lives through design and experiences, doing the right things right, and creating things we are truly proud of. 

Our tone of voice 
Direct, empathic, conversational.