Local Operations Business Manager - 26752

This is an excellent opportunity to join Local Operations supporting the Director of Operations to help shape our local delivery. You will help foster an environment where people thrive and work together creating a better place for people and all manner of wildlife. You will support the Director to drive forward the Environment Agency and Defra strategies, helping to manage our reputation; influencing initiatives that contribute to our long-term strategic aims.

Working with other Business Managers you will support the Directors of Operations across their portfolios providing great outcomes and value for money while exceeding customer expectations.

Important qualities are excellent influencing/networking skills, a willingness to think differently and drive better ways of working. Ideally someone who is self-motivated, confident, collaborative, capable and caring about our people and customers.

You will have experience in one of the portfolio areas and provide oversight of our priorities, risks and opportunities to ensure we deliver our commitments and value for money. You will also be critical in embedding our new ways of working across local operations.

In addition to supporting the Director of Operations you will be part of a wider leadership team for Local Operations

You will join a team responsible for leading Local Operations. We deliver for people and the environment through exemplary operational delivery.

The role will primarily support our Director for Asset Management but will form part of a wider network of business managers and lead certain portfolios on behalf of the wider group.

We provide excellent delivery and shape an outstanding organisation. You will be expected to take an active role in incident management.

You will be part of a diverse team with varied experiences, backgrounds and approaches. You will be responsive and flexible to changing priorities but have emotional intelligence and resilience, a collaborative “can-do” attitude

• Prioritising and delivering work to time, cost and quality; focusing on customer needs.
• Developing effective solutions to issues/problems.
• Able to embrace innovation, challenge existing practices; offering creative ideas to deliver business solutions.
• Well-organised/focused; work can be reactive and varied so a flexible work style and pace is essential.
• Excellent leadership skills, demonstrating awareness of individual differences.
• An influential individual who exercises excellent judgement/decision making skills.
• Able to influence senior leaders and develop effective working relationships across the EA and Defra.
• Ability to communicate complex issues to a range of audiences, with the ability to listen and adapt.
• Experience in continuous improvement; championing innovation and changing ways of working.

The post requires the candidate to hold a technical qualification in both Asset Management and Civil Engineering. The successful candidate will have a strong network across Area Operations, Local Operations, COO and Directorate, as well as having demonstrable experience across WLB, Navigation and FCRM Asset Management Systems.

The location is flexible but as we move towards hybrid working there may be the need for occasional travel and overnight stays as the team is dispersed.

For further information on this role, please contact Kevin Barnes

The Local Operations Portfolio Manager role provides an important leadership role at the Environment Agency. The ability to communicate with and support a dispersed Executive Management team using your own understanding of individual differences and strengths is imperative to delivering effective results both nationally and locally.

How do you tailor and adapt your communication style in response to different situations?

Please describe an instance of a time when you have had to confront a difficult situation and your ability to communicate a major decision / position statement, was imperative to maintain the reputation of the Environment Agency? *

In your role supporting the Director of Operations, you will work with colleagues across the breadth of the Environment Agency. It can be challenging to maintain relationships with stakeholders due to the diverse organisational objectives and often limited time / space and opportunities to interact.

Please describe a time or situation where you developed and maintained a relationship with a key stakeholder. What approach (es), and / or experience did you draw upon to develop and maintain it?

Give an example of when you've proactively sought out better / new ways of doing things, where you were reliant upon building new working relationships to achieve them?

Innovation and continuous improvement are essential to maintain the Environment Agency's ability to deliver outcomes for people, property and wildlife.

What is your approach to innovation?

Give an example of when you've proactively sought out better / new ways of doing things, learned from events and sought to make improvements

Through the promotion of good leadership and behaviours you will ensure the delivery of our priorities within you portfolio across the wider business, against a backdrop of competing priorities. You will need to inspire others and have the ability to describe activities in a clear and concise way that explains the business justification and priority.

Please describe your approach to inspiring and motivating others at all levels in the organisation?

Please provide an example of how you have approached a situation where it was essential that you demonstrated visible personal commitment and enthusiasm to those you were delivering through, to achieve an improvement or significant outcome for the Environment Agency?