Escalations Subject Matter Expert

Job Title: Escalations Subject Matter Expert

Department: Customer Operations

Reports to: Head of Customer Operations

Salary: up to £40,000 DOE

Deadline for applications: Wednesday 23 April @ 18:00

Role Overview:

We’re looking for an experienced and customer-focused Escalations Subject Matter Expert (SME) to lead the handling of disputes, Mastercard chargebacks, and customer complaints. In this key role, you’ll not only ensure regulatory compliance and operational excellence but also act as the voice of the customer, using complaints and escalations as powerful tools to identify areas for improvement across our products, services, and internal processes.

Key Responsibilities:

Case Handling

• Own the resolution of customer complaints, disputes, card fraud claims and chargebacks, ensuring outcomes are fair, timely, and fully aligned with FCA regulations and Consumer Duty rules.


• Manage Mastercard chargebacks end-to-end, ensuring evidence submission, timelines, and scheme rules are adhered to meticulously.

Customer-Centric Thinking

• Champion the voice of the customer — putting yourself in their shoes to understand their experience and pain points.


• Ensure all complaint handling reflects a strong awareness of the needs of vulnerable customer and is in full alignment with the FCA’s Consumer Duty rules, delivering outcomes that are fair, transparent, and empathetic.


• Treat complaints not just as issues to be resolved but as opportunities to learn, evolve, and drive product and process improvements.


• Influence internal teams to act on customer feedback and raise the overall standard of customer care.

Reporting & Insights

• Generate and analyse regular reports on case volumes, outcomes, trends, and root causes.


• Identify recurring issues or systemic failures and feed insights back into the business to prevent future complaints or chargebacks.


• Present actionable data to stakeholders across Operations, Product, Risk, and Compliance.

Training & Knowledge Sharing

• Support with targeted training to team members on handling disputes, card fraud claims, chargebacks, and complaints with regulatory and customer-centric best practices in mind.


• Keep internal documentation, policies, and procedures up to date, ensuring alignment with FCA guidance and Mastercard scheme rules.

Process Improvement

• Continuously challenge and refine existing workflows to boost efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction.


• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop scalable solutions that reduce friction and prevent repeat issues.


• Stay ahead of regulatory developments, adapting internal practices to maintain compliance and elevate service standards.

What We’re Looking For:

• Solid experience in handling Mastercard chargebacks, customer disputes, and regulated complaints.


• Deep understanding of FCA rules, Consumer Duty, and complaint-handling obligations in a regulated environment.


• Empathetic, customer-first mindset — able to balance business risk with doing what’s right for the customer.


• Analytical thinker with a knack for spotting trends and solving root causes.


• Confident communicator, both written and verbal, with strong stakeholder management skills.


• Passion for sharing knowledge and driving meaningful, measurable change.


• Familiarity with CRM, dispute platforms, and reporting tools is a plus.