Organisational Resilience Manager - 25894

The successful candidate will lead on improvements and innovation in our approach to organisational resilience and Business Continuity.

As a member of the Corporate Management, Assurance and Security leadership team, you will be expected to work in an agile way, lending your leadership skills to organisational priorities across the team. You'll be working across departments, Defra and wider government, and external professional networks to ensure professional organisational resilience practices are in place. You will need strong management skills and the ability to negotiate across complex and competing priorities.

You will:
• Lead on establishing a process to provide oversight and foresight of emerging threats that could disrupt the Environment Agency’s ability to operate
• Develop a process for us to track and manage cumulative Business Continuity risks
• Identify, prioritise and manage emerging threats, bringing in additional resource from across the business as required
• Take actions to minimise and address emerging risks
• Have strong project management experience
• Have excellent communication, problem solving and influencing skills
• Build high quality relationships and provide influential support to senior leaders
• Help develop the Corporate Management, Assurance and Security team and play an active leadership role in wider function and directorate

The Organisational Resilience Team is a new team within the Chief Operating Officer’s Directorate. They are responsible for:
• Developing a new strategy and framework to help protect the Environment Agency from organisational-level threats.
• Providing corporate leadership and direction for all matters relating to organisational resilience (including business continuity management).
• Reviewing and analysing the impact of emerging threats and resource task and finish groups to respond to those threats as required.

There has never been a more important time to focus on business continuity management and organisational resilience.
First and foremost this is a leadership role: you will innovate and inspire; nurture diversity and development; bring and welcome fresh perspectives; and take people with you to turn plans into action.
You will be curious and kind; and confident to influence and seek perspectives from a wide range of stakeholders at all levels.
You’ll understand yourself and the business of the Environment Agency, and how to effectively run a programme of work, get decisions made and manage risk.
You’ll have the confidence and credibility to make informed, evidence-based decisions that may not always be popular and the ability to inspire people to achieve outcomes. And of course you’ll be passionate about people, with a track record of going the extra mile to continuously improve yourself, your work and others.

We’re fully committed to being an inclusive employer and value a diverse workforce. We welcome flexible working patterns.

We offer an extensive range of employee benefits and we’re fully invested in developing team member’s skills and careers, including opportunities to develop academic/professional qualifications.

The location is flexible, however there may be the need for occasional travel and overnight stays.

For further details or for an informal discussion about the post, please contact Sarah Cook on 07710 903387 or email sarah.cook@environment-agency.gov.uk.

Interviews will be held in April 2023.

Harnesses the team to deliver results on time, to required standards and in line with organisational processes and procedures.

• Translates key performance indicators and the local contribution into a team work plan and individual objectives. Communicates this effectively to team and colleagues.
• Assigns workload and resources to achieve plans in line with both business priorities and an accurate profile of the team’s capabilities.
• Secures resources and orchestrates the activities of others to delivers results.
• Successfully obtains others’ commitment to undertake work by gaining their acceptance and involvement.
• Monitors progress against key performance indicators, providing timely support to address shortfalls.
• Ensures the team gets the required data right first time, identifying causes of poor data and fixing or escalated appropriately.
• Improves what is delivered by welcoming challenge and through constant process improvement.
• Is flexible and manages conflicting demands in light of changing circumstances.
• Achieves tangible results by delegating (with support) suitable responsibilities and by encouraging the team to take personal responsibility for their actions.
• Uses a risk-based approach when prioritising activities and allocating resources.
• Develops and manages budget (relevant to level of responsibility required by role), ensuring all environment agency processes and procedures are correctly followed.

The Organisational Resilience Team work in partnership with others internally and externally. Please demonstrate this capability by providing an example of when you have delivered an outcome through others, describing your role and the ‘others’ that you were delivering through. What actions did you take to ensure success and pre-empt possible challenges that could impact on delivery?

Presenting a case in a convincing and attractive way that will win people over, encouraging them to follow plans willingly; often succeeding where logic and reason alone would fail.

• Gathers relevant data, marshals facts and prepares sound arguments.
• Listens to other’s opinions, understanding their viewpoints, needs and concerns; responds appropriately; lobbies others in advance.
• Presents a credible case and explains the benefits to the audience/listener; anticipates the main objections/arguments
• Responds to the needs and style of the listener when influencing.
• Seeks to achieve a “win-win” outcome and develop the relationship with the person(s) being influenced.
• Prepares convincing written arguments on complex issues, presenting information logically, concisely and persuasively
• Able to modify and reformulate case, read the listener’s mood and adjust according.
• Plans and prepares influencing strategies for key players and opinion leaders.

Please demonstrate this capability by providing us an example of when you have had to use a range of influencing techniques to get a number of senior stakeholders, with different perspectives, to agree strategic recommendations or actions which have had a significant impact.

Understands role in leading change. Successfully leads change in own team.
· Acts decisively through ambiguity and uncertainty; deals with dilemmas and paradoxes
· Gains commitment and overcomes resistance to change by involving the team in the change process, highlighting the purpose, benefits, and impact of the change
· Supports people who find change difficult by encouraging, empathising and, where necessary, ensuring behavioural change
· Encourages an environment where challenge and change are appreciated by showing what can be achieved, rewarding those who adopt the change, and confronting resistance or apathy
· Creates an atmosphere that encourages creativity and innovation
· Helps others readily adapt to working with new people or situations
· Identifies and implements operational changes to achieve the local contribution and to deliver new policies and practices
· Anticipates and plans for change; identifying strategies for support and driving the change through
· Plays an active role in implementing change and ensuring minimum disruption to those affected by it, both within and outside own team.

The Organisational Resilience Team are designing and embedding new ways of working given all we have learned following the pandemic. Please explain how you have used your skills and experience to change processes or systems previously, and what action you took to ensure you achieved the necessary outcomes.