CUSTOMER AND ENGAGEMENT OFFICER - 30995

Customer and Engagement Officer - 30995
Number of jobs available
1
Region
London, South East
City/Town
Welwyn Garden City
Building/Site

DEFRA GRP EA ALCHEMY, AL7 1HE

Grade
Staff Grade 4
Post Type
Permanent
Role Type
Operational Delivery
Working Pattern
Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share
Salary Minimum
£33,000
Closing Date:
03/06/2025, 23:55 hours
Job description attachment 1
job profile - 30995.docx – 59KB Opens in a new window
Converted File job profile - 30995.docx.pdf – 89KB Opens in a new window
Candidate pack
Candidate Pack - 30995.docx – 2041KB Opens in a new window
Converted File Candidate Pack - 30995.docx.pdf – 718KB Opens in a new window
Security checks level
Basic Check
Job description
We aspire for inclusivity to thrive in our workforce. We embrace equal opportunities and flexible work arrangements, ensuring everyone can contribute and succeed.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and driven individual who is passionate about making a difference. This role is crucial to support our public service reputation across Hertfordshire and North London. You’ll be on the frontline of championing great customer service to ensure that people find us easy to do business with and that we get it right first time more often.
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.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Commissioning and co-ordinating response to executive correspondence that needs Area input contribution or response, ensuring we are building the trust and confidence of Government and MPs. This can be correspondence sent to our Chair, Chief Executive and Area Leadership Team, or even Defra Ministers.
• Contributing to and co-ordinating briefings for our Area Director and Area Leadership Team where they are due to meet MPs, Local Authorities, and other stakeholders.
• Coordinating the area’s response to Parliamentary Questions and Briefings.
• Supporting our Area Director and Leadership Team to deliver effective engagement with political stakeholders and external organisations.
• Rolling out skills development in writing and engagement to Hertfordshire and North London Area.
• Supporting communications and engagement during incidents.

Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be required to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents or provide business continuity support during an incident. Full training and alternative working arrangements will be available to support you with your incident role. This may attract an additional payment.
The team
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. The team provides support and guidance to our area teams. We manage a diverse range of requests from active and informed customers, including MPs. We have an important role in managing relationships that are essential to our reputation and business delivery.

Experience/skills required

• Excellent written and verbal communications skills are a must as well as the ability to work effectively on your own initiative.
• Good political judgement and ideally experience of managing reputational risks.
• Attention to detail and capable of presenting data and information in a clear, comprehensible style and format.
• Experience in a customer-facing or engagement focused role, with an emphasis on building relationships with stakeholders and maintaining the positive reputation of an office or service.
• The ability to work closely with senior managers and build and maintain a broad network of contacts across the business, building rapport and relationships.
• A flexible approach and ability to deliver high quality work to tight deadlines.
• The ability to work well under pressure, knowing when to refer to colleagues for guidance and support.
• Excellent influencing skills.

Contact and additional information
Everyone starting in a new role will be welcomed into the team and given all the training and support needed. As part of your comprehensive induction, you will be provided with all the equipment required for your role.
For more information on the role please contact Matt Byrne via matt.byrne@environment-agency.gov.uk or wfpg_hnl@environment-agency.gov.uk .
Please note that whilst this role has the opportunity for remote/home working some of the time, our office in Welwyn Garden City will be your base of work and you will be required to commute into the office. It is not suitable for candidates looking for purely remote work.
Interviews will take place in June and will be held face to face at our Alchemy office in Welwyn Garden City.
Competence 1
Data and Information Management
Description
Collects, analyses, interprets, records, manages, develops and shares data, material or information appropriately for a variety of purposes.
Question: Please provide an example of when you had to collect information from multiple different sources to answer a question or to achieve a result. How did you go about it? How did you make sure you had the right information?
Competence 2
Focuses on Efficiency, Innovation and Quality
Description
Identifies and seizes the opportunity to create, introduce and implement new or improved methods, processes and without, compromising quality or accuracy.
Question: The Customers and Engagement Team works with virtually all Area teams and several National Teams. Much of our work is process driven and there are important timescales that need to be met. 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?
Competence 3
Achieves Results
Description
Sets and delivers high work standards, demonstrates the drive to meet targets. Prioritises and organises tasks and resources to ensure timely achievement of results
Question: Please provide an example of a challenging goal that you have set for yourself and the steps that you took to achieve it. Why did you set yourself this goal? How did you plan and prioritise your work to meet your goal? How did you monitor progress?
Competence 4
Influences and Persuades Others
Description
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.
Question: Dealing with enquiries and correspondence 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?
Please note we do not assess CVs. It is your answers given to the questions above that will be used for interview selection so ensure you draw out your skills and experience in your response. We encourage you to refer to our ‘Environment Agency capability dictionary’ which is detailed in the Candidate Pack and can be viewed by searching online using any web browser.
Using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action and Result) can help when formulating your answers.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Commissioning and co-ordinating response to executive correspondence that needs Area input contribution or response, ensuring we are building the trust and confidence of Government and MPs. This can be correspondence sent to our Chair, Chief Executive and Area Leadership Team, or even Defra Ministers.
• Contributing to and co-ordinating briefings for our Area Director and Area Leadership Team where they are due to meet MPs, Local Authorities, and other stakeholders.
• Coordinating the area’s response to Parliamentary Questions and Briefings.
• Supporting our Area Director and Leadership Team to deliver effective engagement with political stakeholders and external organisations.
• Rolling out skills development in writing and engagement to Hertfordshire and North London Area.
• Supporting communications and engagement during incidents