Suffolk County Council - Beacon House, Ipswich, IP1 5PB - Hybrid £33,366 per annum (pro rata if part time) 37 hours per week - Flexible working options available Fixed Term or Secondment until January 2026 An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Suffolk County Council (SCC) Customer First as a Team Leader working from Beacon House. Would you like to work in an incredibly varied, challenging and rewarding role? Are you passionate about making a positive difference in the lives of children and adults in Suffolk? Your role Reporting directly to the Customer First Team Manager, the successful post holder will be responsible for delivering high quality professional front line services to both internal and external customers. You will take daily operational lead on resource allocation and managing demand, acting as a point of escalation as required. You will be: key point of contact for the Independence and Wellbeing advisors’ queries and any escalation around their calls expected to manage demand within the contact centre (calls, webchat, portal, and emails) ensuring that all tasks are covered working closely alongside the Team Manager and Change Manager, escalating where appropriate confident in decision making and prioritising workload key contact in ensuring that Suffolk’s residents and those referring them, receive the best service possible responsible for the line management of a team of Independence and Wellbeing Advisors. This is an exciting opportunity for anyone wanting to utilise social care knowledge in a management position. Your responsibilities manage a Team of Independence and Wellbeing Advisors – managing performance and identifying improvement opportunities manage allocation of tasks throughout the day and take responsibility for managing demand within the contact centre be able to remain calm during stressful situations or unfamiliar circumstances, escalating to Customer First Team Manager where appropriate clarify tasks, plan work in advance and be able to prioritise work to achieve deadlines understand budget constraints and appropriate management of resource support with recruitment, training and the induction of new staff within the Customer First and Emergency Duty Service Teams respond to complaints or escalation in a timely manner oversee and manage the Emergency Duty Service rota and Customer First rota, approaching staff where needed for shift cover / swaps be responsible for leading on Business Continuity where appropriate. You will need passionate about social care and providing exceptional service good level of literacy and numeracy skills evidence of continued professional development relevant compute literacy (Explorer, Chrome, Word, Excel, Outlook) the ability to problem-solve and define a problem systematically demonstrable understanding of data protection and safeguarding legislation the ability to clarify tasks and prioritise work to achieve deadlines the ability to make decisions in pressurised situations line management experience is desirable but not essential. You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (docx). If you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you don't meet all requirements, still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application. The team Customer First works as a team to support one another, we work together to ensure a high standard of service is achieved. We have a variety of individuals within the team at differing stages in their careers and we can support career development opportunities. In your training you will work closely alongside Team Leaders shadowing tasks and working alongside the Customer First Team Manager. Empowering Everyone We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report. For more information Please contact Katie Edwards for a casual conversation. You can reach them by calling 01473296553 or emailing katie.edwards2suffolk.gov.uk If you want to apply for a secondment, read the secondment policy first. Make sure you get permission from your current manager before submitting your application. How to apply Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (JPP) (docx). Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application. Step 3 - Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement answering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use the Supporting Statement template. Please explain your managerial work experience. What has driven you to apply for the role and how do you feel that you meet the requirements of the role? Please describe an occasion in which you had to prioritise risk and demand in a busy, everchanging work environment and the steps you took to achieve a successful outcome. Please provide an example of when you have had to manage challenges with an individual's performance as a direct line manager and the steps you took to achieve and measure improvement. Please tell us about your drive to work within social care and any experience that you have. Can you describe a time when you have shown leadership during a time of significant change. Please note: Without a supporting statement, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format. We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences. Applications suspected of being generated by AI may be rejected. We ask you to present your own work and ideas throughout the application process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the application process before the next selection stage, please contact our Recruitment Team by emailing recruitmentsuffolk.gov.uk or calling 03456 014412. If you are invited to the next stage of selection, you will have another opportunity to request adjustments for the next stages of the process. Closing date: 11.30pm, 16 February 2025. This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. LI-Hybrid As a modern and effective council, we offer a wide variety of careers to suit people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand and support your individual needs. We’re driven to make a positive difference to the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities. In return, you’ll enjoy: up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual cost-of-living pay increase training and encouragement to expand your knowledge a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation diverse and active staff networks flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from your first day Plus lots more If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website (careers.Suffolk.gov.uk) .