Team Leader in Ipswich

Suffolk County Council, Location: Endeavour House, Ipswich IP1 2BX - Hybrid

Salary: £34,434 per annum (pro rata for part time)

Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

We’re passionate about improving the future for our customers, our communities and the environment. If you are too, join us as a Team Leader and make a huge and meaningful impact. Your innovation and drive will help us to continue improving and evolving. Our opportunities and support will enable you to make a difference and leave a positive, lasting legacy.

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:

• A 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.
• A 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.
• Document performance conversations, including 121’s and PDR’s in line with Suffolks ASPIRE values.
• Be passionate about social care and be able to engage people in working together.
• 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.
• Lead on Team meetings and training sessions.
• Be involved in monthly forecasting meetings – working closely with Intraday Analyst to identify any concerns with staffing levels / call volumes.
• 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 computer 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.

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.

We will offer you:

• Valuable experience working with Adult and Community Services / Children and Young Peoples Services.
• Career development and support.
• Opportunities to expand on knowledge, shadow other teams, training sessions.

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

For an informal discussion about this role, please contact Katie Edwards by emailing Katie.edwards2@suffolk.gov.uk.

How to apply

Step 1 - read the advert and the Job and Person Profile (JPP). Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application. 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 share an example where you have needed to prioritise multiple tasks or manage changing demands throughout the day. How did you plan, organise and ensure deadlines were met?
• Please give an example of when you have managed or overseen the performance of others. Explain how you monitored performance, gave feedback and supported improvement.
• Please provide an example of a time when you worked in a particularly challenging or high-pressure situation. How did you manage your own resilience, and what steps did you take to remain effective and support others?
• Describe a situation where you had to respond to an unexpected disruption or change that impacted service delivery. What actions did you take to manage the situation and ensure continuity of service?

Step 4 - Upload a CV (without name and personal details).

For more information, check out the How to Apply section of our Career Site. 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.

Please note: Without a supporting statement and CV, your interest will not be progressed. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the application process before the next selection stage, please contact our Recruitment Team by emailing recruitment@suffolk.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, 26 May 2026

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 checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.