Deputy Director of Contact Centre Services - 31949

Deputy Director of Contact Centre Services - 31949
1
Yorkshire and the Humber
Rotherham , Sheffield
DEFRA GRP EA QUADRANT TWO, S9 4WF, DEFRA GRP EA TEMPLEBOROUGH OFFICE, S60 1YR
Deputy Director
Permanent
Contact Centre
Full Time
£81,000

19/10/2025, 23:55 hours

Basic Check
If you’re part of the Environment Agency (EA), you’re part of the solution. Working with us means protecting and improving the environment for generations to come. Such a broad scope of work calls for diverse, multi-skilled teams and exceptional leadership.  

We’re looking for a Deputy Director to confidently lead our award winning Contact Centre services, this role sits within our Corporate and National Services Directorate.

You will be customer focussed, with a continuous improvement mindset, with strong values who is entrusted to deliver the direct provision of resilient 24x7 Critical Business activities.

You will be key in connecting corporate service performance, ensuring delivery and outcomes meet or exceed expectations and align with the business' strategic vision and objectives. You will have a strong people-oriented mindset that is quality-focused and results-driven with the ability to make decisions to set a high benchmark in customer service.

You will be responsible for managing a budget of circa. £8m while managing the reputation of the Environment Agency and Defra. You will build strong relationships and collaborate across a number of teams to embrace using technology and digital services to transform service design and delivery.  You will be required to influence senior internal and external partners and have sound political acumen.

A large part of the role will involve ensuring service design embraces the use of technology/digital, maximising efficiency whilst delivering quality services. You will be adaptable and provide resilience and flexibility of resource to respond to unexpected events, including unplanned business critical work.

Responding to incidents is central to what we do. You will be required to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents or provide business continuity during an incident. Full training will be available.
This is an exciting opportunity, we are looking for a dynamic and transformational leader to lead the future of our Contact Centre Services, managing public reputation as the first point of contact for hundreds of thousands of customers every year.

You will report to the Director of Corporate and National Services and lead a diverse talented workforce of around 200 across two sites, strong management and inclusive leadership skills are must-haves.
Experience in leading a high performing, high impact, functional team, with breadth and depth of people, budget, leadership and management.

Strong experience of setting direction, developing and embedding a culture of effective change management, to support the changing needs of customers.

Develop and deliver a plan of initiatives for change to deliver efficient systems and support, ensuring value for money against EA operational and business requirements  

Plan, monitor, control and realign resources to maximise their efficient and effective use and ensure objectives are completed to required standards.

A strong understanding of effective crisis management and the willingness to learn how to manage national or large-scale incidents and emergencies.

You’ll have excellent communications skills and be a great collaborator/facilitator. You must be passionate about developing others, be innovative in your thinking and possess strong organisational skills.

Desirable experience would include using technology and digital services to transform service design and delivery
For further information please contact: Katie Bonnett, Business Manager, Corporate and National Services at; directorofcorporateandnationalservices@environment-agency.gov.uk 

Candidate Assessments will take place face to face. These may include a staff engagement panel. Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates. 

We will be running a virtual candidate briefing session for those interested in applying for the role on date 6th October 2025, 3:30pm. Invitations can be acquired by registering via this link https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/52708e35-3317-441c-9e1c-860dc7725eac@770a2450-0227-4c62-90c7-4e38537f1102 . We will also be recording this session should you need this.
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.

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Although the Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra, we subscribe to and align with the candidate guidance on the use of artificial intelligence found on the  Civil Service Careers website. Please review for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

This Vacancy is closed to applications.