National Head of Branch Network

National Head of Branch Network
Wills & LPAs | 10 Branches | c.55 FTE
Salary Negotiable + Bonus Scheme | Permanent

SF Partners are working exclusively with a high-growth legal services business specialising in Wills, LPAs, Probate and Estate Planning to recruit a National Head of Branch Network.

This is a senior national leadership role responsible for leading a 10-branch network (c.55 FTE), including 8 Branch Managers and 35+ Legal Advisors. The function sits at the heart of the organisation''s revenue engine, with full accountability for branch performance, conversion, customer outcomes, and operational delivery.

Reporting into the Operations Director / COO, this role replaces a previous regional structure and creates a single point of ownership for the entire branch network. The successful candidate will be responsible for driving commercial performance, embedding operational discipline, and building a high-performing leadership layer across all sites.

The Opportunity

This is a high-impact leadership role combining commercial ownership, multi-site operational management, and people leadership at scale.

The National Head of Branch Network will be responsible for building a consistent, high-performing branch model that delivers strong conversion from appointment to instruction, excellent customer outcomes, and efficient cost-to-serve across all locations.

This is a field-based role requiring a highly visible leader who spends significant time in branches, coaching managers, solving operational issues, and driving performance through direct engagement.

Key Responsibilities

• Commercial Performance & Network Leadership
• Own the performance of the national branch network across revenue, conversion, customer satisfaction, and cost-to-serve
• Deliver and manage branch-level scorecards aligned to commercial and quality outcomes
• Drive key commercial levers including appointment-to-instruction conversion, advisor productivity, and cross-sell performance
• Report monthly performance against EBITDA and network KPIs to the COO and executive team
• Leadership of Branch Managers
• Lead, coach, and develop 8 Branch Managers as accountable site leaders
• Recruit and onboard missing Branch Managers as a priority deliverable
• Establish a structured performance cadence including 1:1s, monthly reviews, and quarterly talent planning
• Build a strong leadership pipeline and succession plan across the branch network
• Set clear expectations for performance, standards, and accountability
• Operating Model & Customer Experience
• Define and embed a consistent branch operating model across all sites
• Oversee customer journey standards, appointment handling, and service delivery
• Maintain the balance between branch-based and home appointments
• Drive local market performance and support branch-level growth initiatives
• Ensure high-quality customer experience and compliance with regulatory standards
• Capacity Planning & Call Centre Partnership
• Work in close partnership with the Head of Lead Generation Call Centre
• Co-own the "Booked : Instruct" metric across the organisation
• Align appointment demand with advisor capacity across all branches
• Participate in weekly forecasting and capacity planning reviews
• Ensure efficient scheduling and utilisation of Legal Advisor capacity
• Estate, Growth & Operational Development
• Own branch estate strategy including openings, closures, relocations, and acquisitions
• Support the launch and performance of flagship and new sites (including Manchester)
• Oversee integration of acquired will-banks and customer portfolios
• Work with Property, Finance, and Operations teams on expansion strategy
• Drive continuous improvement across the operating model
• Compliance & Governance Partnership
• Operate within the regulatory framework set by Supervision, Compliance, and Complaints teams
• Ensure consistent adherence to data protection, safeguarding, and regulatory standards
• Embed compliance as part of day-to-day branch performance and leadership behaviour
• Maintain high standards of audit readiness and operational discipline

About You

We are keen to speak with candidates who have:

• Proven experience leading a multi-site branch or regional network (ideally 8+ locations)
• Strong track record of managing managers and leading through a leadership layer
• Commercially driven mindset with clear P&L or EBITDA accountability
• Experience delivering sales or conversion growth across a distributed network
• Strong coaching and leadership capability with a focus on performance improvement
• Experience in regulated, customer-facing environments such as legal services, financial services, insurance, funeral planning, or similar sectors
• Willingness to be highly field-based and spend significant time in branches

Package

• Salary: Negotiable
• Performance-related bonus scheme (EBITDA and balanced scorecard based)
• Indicative OTE available subject to structure
• Senior national leadership role with strategic influence
• Field-based position (UK-wide, HQ Derby)

Apply

For a confidential discussion regarding this opportunity, please contact SF Partners directly.