Senior Manager - Waste and Environmental Services

Purpose

Lead and provide strategic direction to Wirral Council’s Waste & Environmental Services and be the lead advisor to the Council on waste and streetscene management. As the leading senior officer in the management of the Council’s Recycling, Waste Management and Street Cleansing Contract, lead the development of strategies and operational systems that optimise opportunities for waste prevention and recycling/reuse performance for the Council to fully to comply with legislation and associated targets. Leading the development and delivery of the Council’s Behaviour Change programme required to support the establishment of new recycling and refuse collection arrangements. Overseeing the delivery the borough wide campaigns that encourage positive behaviour in local schools, businesses and communities.

Support the Director of Neighbourhood Services and Departmental Management Team, in the achievement of the Council’s priorities, ensuring that the Council meets its legal, statutory, and political obligations whilst effectively managing risk.

Main Duties And Responsibilities

Behavioural:

• Enjoy, achieve, create impact, and thrive in the role and organisation.
• Live our values and leadership behaviours in the role and organisation.

Team Leadership and Management:

• Lead the Waste & Environment Team to ensure the efficient deployment of staff and resources to deliver Waste & Environmental Services across the borough and manage the Recycling, Refuse Collection and Street Cleansing Contract.
• Manage the culture change that will be necessary to modernise Waste & Environmental Services to meet changing legislative and corporate requirements and improve future performance.
• Work as a committed member of the Council’s Climate Emergency & Environment Portfolio’s Senior Management Team, demonstrating the ‘Expected Behaviours’ the Council requires from its Senior Managers.
• Provide strong leadership, strengthening engagement, growth, culture, innovation, collaboration and performance.
• Assign responsibilities, setting clear expectations, and deliverables to team members and empower them to excel in their roles.
• Through continuous improvement strengthen the tools, practices and impact of the service.
• Manage the development of the Waste & Environment’s Team, including carrying out health & safety risk assessments and installing mitigation, performance conversations, identification and delivery of training requirements, and team communications.

Communication, Engagement and Training:

Data Analysis and Decision-Making:

• Represent the Council on the Liverpool City Region’s Waste Partnership’s Senior Officer Working Group (SOWG) and working collaboratively with partners to oversee the regional waste management arrangements.
• Act as the Council’s representative for Keep Britain Tidy membership, to maximise opportunities for continuous improvement with regards to environmental campaigning.
• Work closely with the Council’s Customer Feedback Team to management enquiries received from residents, councillors and local MPs, in accordance with the Council’s policies and deadlines.
• Understand the needs of the community through analysis of service data, citizen feedback and the co-production of relevant policy, strategy and delivery arrangements.
• Act as the lead officer for the management of the Council’s Recycling, Refuse Collection and Street Cleansing Contract. Leading the development of contract and partnership arrangements with the Council’s recycling, refuse collection and street cleansing contractor. 
• Lead the waste modelling work with other Liverpool City Region districts and the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA) in order to inform future waste strategy and operations.
• Lead service-related technical input to the Customers Services Development Team (Information and Communications Technology (ICT)/Call Centre etc.) for the joint development of functionality of the Council’s Customer Relationship Management System and website.
• Lead the Council’s Waste & Environment Services, including being responsible for performance management, contract management and resource provision.
• Identify external funding opportunities to promote recycling, reuse, waste prevention changing behaviour.
• Lead, review, implement and monitor the Waste & Environmental Services’ Business Continuity Plans to ensure operational preparedness and resident awareness is maintained to the best level.
• Responsible for the management of the Waste & Environmental Services finances, managing financial arrangements for the Recycling, Refuse Collection and Street Cleansing Contract
• Responsible for the management of financial, operational and reputational risks associated with the delivery of Waste & Environment Services, maintaining the service’s risk register.
• Lead the delivery of waste management and street cleansing programmes and oversee the accurate reporting of performance data, relating to recycling tonnages/ percentages, recycling quality, capture rates, recognition rates and participation rates, in order to inform the annual and medium service planning process.
• Identify income and grant funding opportunities to enhance the cost effectiveness of existing services or new initiatives.
• Lead the change management process for operational changes affecting Waste & Environmental Services.
• Attend Committee as the lead officer for Waste & Environmental Services to present updates on all aspects of performance against strategy and contract delivery. To work directly with the Committee Chair and Spokes Persons, to develop strategy and oversee operational performance. 
• Deputise for the Assistant Director – Climate Emergency & Environment in their absence.

Compliance:

Other:

Any other duties commensurate with the grade. Role Specific Knowledge, Experience And Skills

Qualifications

Knowledge & Skills

• Adhere to and comply with all relevant corporate policies and procedures including Health & Safety, General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), Corporate Governance and Code of Conduct.
• Ensure that all service initiatives adhere to relevant legislation, policies and practices.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent. Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Level 3 management or equivalent qualification. Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) ‘Managing Safety’ qualification or equivalent. Proven commitment to continuous professional development in the field of waste and environmental management.
• Desirable – Membership of a relevant organisation such as Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM) to Licentiate level or Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) to Middle Management level.
• Desirable – Demonstrate a commitment to continuous professional development in relation to the field of waste and/`or environmental services and general management.
• Ability to lead, inspire and motivate others within a culture of proactive service delivery and continuous improvement.
• Evidence of a clear understanding of waste management legislation and knowledge of current trends and initiatives in the sector.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills – ability to communicate effectively verbally at all levels and in writing, including drafting reports and procedures, both written and verbal.
• Leading the promotion of environmental services to residents, businesses and the media, to enhance the image of the division, directorate and the Council.
• Ability to implement creative and imaginative approaches and identify new options for behaviour change.
• Knowledge of procurement arrangements and processes.
• Ability to collate and analyse complex data from a wide range of sources to support the initiation of new environment projects and measure their impact.
• A highly developed working knowledge of customer focused services and proven track record of developing and streamlining operational processes to improve the customer experience.
• Detailed knowledge of the Health and Safety at Work Act, with experience of carrying out risk assessments and leading the implementation of safe working systems.
• Desirable – Coaching skills – team and individual.
• Desirable – Knowledge and understanding of recycling processes for collected materials and the potential for additional opportunities.

Experience

Additional Information

Ability to travel across the Borough and work from various locations. Work hybrid, with a flexible working approach to accommodate service needs. On occasion, able to work outside traditional hours, of a weekend and evening as required, adopting a flexible working approach in response to business requirements. Health & Safety Considerations:

• Extensive experience of designing and implementing waste and environmental service changes to support wider environmental strategies.
• Extensive experience of contract management and working in partnership wit external service providers.
• Working in a political environment, developing relationships with senior politicians and supporting them in policy development,
• Successful project planning and performance management in an environmental service or similar.
• Resilience in the face of strong challenge to service position and often conflicting priorities.
• Extensive experience of developing, managing and evolving key performance indicators to achieve continuous improvement and best value from contracts.
• Desirable – Experience of developing and designing direct communications.
• Desirable -Experience of communicating through social media and developing service appropriate service applications.
• Work with VDUs (Video Display Unit) (>5hrs per week)
• Vocational driving