Customers and Engagement Officer - 9119

1
East of England, London, South East
Welwyn Garden City
Alchemy, Bessemer Road, AL7 1HE
Staff Grade 4
Fixed Term
Full Time
Administration / Corporate Support, Communications / Marketing
£27,138 Pro rata
Our officers protect our reputation and ensure we give clear, consistent messages around sensitive and emotive issues. They also help teams to engage with customers, communities and partners.
Primarily, you will:
• Support the Area Director and Area Leadership Team with MP engagement and executive correspondence.
• Manage and respond to complex customer enquiries and requests for information.
As our technical expert, you will advise on licensing for data, applying exemptions and managing difficult customers. You will develop efficiencies and improve relationships with technical teams make the enquiries process easier. With your own workload of enquiries, you'll produce high quality, customer focussed responses.
The successful candidate must have a positive and flexible approach to work and a genuine desire to help improve the service we provide our customers.
Excellent written and verbal communications skills are a must as well as the ability to work effectively on your own initiative.
The Customers and Engagement team is a busy team that works with others to deliver excellent customer service to the Hertfordshire and North London area. We manage a diverse range of requests from active and informed customers, including MPs. The team plays an important role in managing relationships that are essential to our reputation and business delivery; and in providing support and guidance to our area teams.
You must be an excellent communicator, able to produce high quality, plain English communications. You must be confident talking to customers and colleagues, on the phone and face to face. You must have experience in working with and influencing colleagues.
You should enjoy the challenge of working in a busy team and with tight deadlines and changing priorities. You will have excellent organisational skills and the ability to remain calm when under pressure.
A working knowledge of the Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations would be an advantage.
Other key requirements for this job include proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel.
A positive attitude is essential!
The post holder will be expected to support communications and engagement during incidents.
Closing date: 28th October 2018 at 23;55 hours
Occasional travel to the different offices across the Area will be expected.
For further details please contact Esther van Lith on 0208 4747 299.

28/10/2018, 23:55 hours

Basic Check
12 months
Communicates Effectively
In this role you will need to be able to get complicated messages across to a variety of audiences. Please provide an example of when you have communicated a difficult message to someone who had limited understanding of the subject. How did you go about it and how did you ensure they understood the message?
Customer and Partner Relations
In your view, what defines good customer service? Can you give an example of when you have delivered excellent customer service? How did you know the customer was satisfied?
Works in Teams
We are a team with an exciting and wide ranging workload. We often have to work to tight deadlines so working together and supporting one another is essential. Please provide an example of when you have worked well as part of a team. How did the way you work contribute to the overall effectiveness of the team?
Focuses on Efficiency, Innovation and Quality
The Customers and Engagement Team works with virtually all Area teams and seeks support from several National Teams. Much of our work is process driven and there are important timescales that need to be met at all times.
Can you please provide an example of a specific time when you personally made process changes or improvements? How did you ensure that the solution was acceptable to others/ your customers?
Influences and Persuades Others
Dealing with enquiries can often be one of several priorities that other teams have. This role will involve you having to influence or persuade people to deal with your enquiry or approach things in a different way.
Please provide a specific example of when you have influenced someone or a group of people to change their thinking or behaviour. What were the main challenges and how did you overcome these?
If you are applying from the Civil Service please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of being appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.

We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.

We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment. We have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

The Environment Agency, as a Non-Departmental Public Body, is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs. For this reason, we are unable to engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls . Should you wish to become a support supplier on one of these frameworks or contracts please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/become-a-crown-commercial-service-supplier/becoming-a-supplier-through-the-crown-commercial-service-what-you-need-to-know for more information.

This Vacancy is closed to applications.