Head of Customer Experience and Services

Directorate: Corporate Services

Permanent, Full time, 37 hours per week

Help us shape the future of customer experience in Rotherham

We’re looking for an inspiring, ambitious and customer-focused leader to join Rotherham Council as our Head of Customer Experience and Service.

This is a fantastic opportunity to lead a highly visible service that touches the lives of thousands of people across Rotherham. You’ll be the Council’s strategic lead for customer services, helping us make it easier for residents to access the support and services they need, whether that’s face-to-face, over the phone or online.

But this role is about much more than running excellent customer services.

We want someone who can help us rethink the customer experience across the whole Council.

You’ll champion the voice of our customers, challenge how we do things and work alongside services to redesign processes so they are simpler, more joined-up and more efficient. You’ll use customer insight, technology, automation and innovative ways of working to improve experiences while also helping the Council deliver better value for money.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll provide strategic leadership across our customer experience and customer service functions and lead our customer service improvement programme.

You’ll:

• champion excellent customer service and ensure the customer voice influences decisions across the Council
• shape and deliver a forward-looking approach to customer access and customer experience
• lead the redesign of services and processes, using digital technology, automation and joined-up working to make them simpler and more efficient
• use customer insight, data and performance information to identify opportunities for improvement
• lead the development of the Council’s corporate telephony service, website and use of social media
• support and constructively challenge services to improve the experience they provide
• lead significant change programmes and support services as they move towards new operating models
• build strong relationships with senior leaders, elected members, partners and other stakeholders
• lead, motivate and develop high-performing teams
• ensure resources and budgets are managed effectively and deliver value for Rotherham residents.

About you

We’re interested in people who combine strong operational leadership with the ability to think strategically and transform services.

You’ll have significant experience of leading customer-focused services in a complex organisation and a track record of challenging established ways of working to achieve better outcomes.

You’ll understand what excellent customer experience looks like, but importantly, you’ll also know how to make it happen.

You’ll bring experience of leading people and organisational change, managing budgets and performance, and delivering efficiencies through service redesign and digital technology. You’ll also be confident working collaboratively with senior leaders, services, stakeholders and partners.

Experience of the local government environment will be important, including an understanding of democratic processes and the political context in which councils operate. The post requires Level 7 knowledge or qualification, or an equivalent level of knowledge gained through relevant professional experience.

Why Rotherham?

This is an opportunity to take on a role with genuine Council-wide influence.

You’ll have the scope to challenge, innovate and make changes that residents can see and feel. You’ll work across services rather than within a single silo, bringing teams together around a shared ambition: providing a consistently positive experience for the people who rely on us.

We’re ambitious for Rotherham and we want our customer experience to reflect that ambition.

Our values are Caring, Honest and Proud. We want someone who shares those values, listens to what matters to our communities, takes ownership, works collaboratively and is ambitious for both our organisation and our borough.

For more information or an informal chat about the role call Luke Sayers on 01709 334251

This post will have access to the Public Services Network, if successful you will be required to apply for a disclosure of criminal records check at the Basic level (unspent criminal convictions).

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce, and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative of all sections of society and our customers, and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. As a Disability Confident employer, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview. For further information, please visit our website.

This post is classed as 'politically restricted' under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (as amended). The full details of the restrictions are set out in the Statutory Instrument, but broadly the restrictions prohibit candidature from public elected office; holding office in a political party; as well as involvement in political activities such as canvassing or public speaking/writing.