Director of Customer Experience in Bradford

Location

Bristol, Carlisle, Crewe, Exeter, Leeds, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, Reading, Workington, York

Job summary

The Customer Experience Director is a key strategic and operational leadership role at the RPA. They are part of our executive leadership team and report directly to the Chief Executive. The postholder is responsible for the development, continuous improvement and delivery of excellent customer service to farmers and land managers who access RPA services.

Leading a team of over 300 people, the postholder is directly responsible for our work on customer engagement, insight, improving customer experience and our field teams undertaking advisory visit and farm inspections. They ensure that RPA is able to provide a consistently high-quality service to customers and for seeking and acting on feedback from those who use our services. This includes maintaining effective relationships with those organisations who represent our customers (such as the National Farmers Union, Tenant Farmers Association and Country Land and Business Association among others).

We are currently seeking to transform our service delivery; to improve the services we provide to customers and to deliver operational efficiencies. The postholder will have responsibility for key elements of our service transformation plan, working closely with other RPA Directors and their teams.

More broadly, the Customer Experience Director is a key strategic and operational leadership role at the RPA. They are a member of the Executive team and will be expected to contribute to wider decision making and leadership of the agency. They will also regularly attend Agency Management Board meetings and engage with our Non-Executive Directors.

Role Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and direction to the Customer business area which includes Customer Insight, Customer Experience, Customer Engagement and Support and Regulatory Advice Services.
• Strategically lead the delivery and development of innovative, high quality customer focused services, driving improved outcomes through enhanced performance and increased customer satisfaction
• Ensuring that the voice of customers influences RPA and Defra’s strategic and tactical priorities. Develop our customer insight function to identify opportunities that deliver an improved customer experience.
• Support customers with enhanced advice and guidance and develop national and regional engagement strategies to effectively communicate with stakeholders and across the sector.
• Champion the use of innovation – new tools, data-driven solutions, and technologies to better serve the customer and increase operational efficiencies.
• Develop consistent and well-defined customer journeys across end-to-end services that are effective for customers and efficient for our business. Tailor services to meet our diverse customer needs as we move from being scheme-focused to customer-focused.
• Work effectively with the RPA executive management team, Defra colleagues, the Agency Board, external stakeholders and corporate service functions.

Person specification

Essential criteria – to be demonstrated throughout the candidates CV and Personal Statement

The selection panel will be looking for the following essential criteria:

• Extensive experience of operational customer service in complex delivery environments.
• Strong strategic focus with a clear understanding of the wider issues impacting the RPA and Defra and experience in an environment where operational delivery meets policy.
• Ability to lead change as we seek to transform our delivery to improve the effectiveness of interactions for customers and increase efficiency for RPA.
• Inspiring, confident and empowering leadership, with experience of leading effectively through ambiguity and the ability to solve complex problems and take decisions whilst working at pace.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to passionately shape and communicate vision and direction, and build strong relationships with partners and stakeholders.
• Able to provide visible and engaging leadership to your team, championing an inclusive culture and role modelling the Civil Service leadership statement.

Additional Desirable criteria:

• Experience of delivering services for customers in the public sector
• Knowledge of the farming and countryside sector.