Head of Operations

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 287137**Salary**:

- £68,162 - £74,875**Job grade**:

- Grade 6**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- PINS - Operations**Type of role**:

- Operational Delivery
- Planning
- Senior leadership**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time, Compressed Hours**Number of jobs available**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Bristol, South West England, BS1 6PNAbout the job

**Job summary**:
As one of three Heads of Operations you will be a high-profile leader in the organisation responsible for delivering and improving the user-focused services under your leadership.

We’re looking for an inclusive leader who takes responsibility for making user needs a reality, who will support, motivate and get the best out of their people, and work effectively with a wide range colleagues and stakeholders.

The Planning Inspectorate has a long and proud history in ensuring a fair planning system for England. The work we do has a significant impact on people’s lives, the communities where they live and the economy.

We want our colleagues to be able to work more flexibly and more collaboratively, exploring new and innovative ways to improve the way we provide services.

For further information on the Planning Inspectorate, please see the information pack attached.

**Job description**:
You’ll be leading inspectors, case workers and other professions supporting our front line work so our casework is completed on time and to the standards we expect. This is critical to our role in a fair planning system which is providing the infrastructure the country needs and supporting communities plan for their futures.

That means you’ll be:

- Working closely with other leaders and your own management team to deliver our services
- Improving our services, including taking a leading role in developing our user-focused digital public services and ensuring we are playing a leading role in an integrated digital planning system
- Role modelling how to get the best out of your colleagues in terms of an environment to thrive and contribute, development and managing your top talent
- Leading and managing change internally and externally from both your services and wider organisation initiatives
- Building and developing relationships with key external stakeholders and championing user needs
- Keeping one-eye on the future, planning your resourcing, analysing trends and supporting the wider organisation.

**Hybrid working**

**Person specification**:
**Essential Criteria**
- Experience of leading an operational casework process service in a professional environment against a background of competing priorities, high user expectations and resource constraints.
- Experience of delivering successful operational change and achieving continuous improvement in services.
- Ability to communicate, influence and operate clearly and effectively at all levels, including with users, stakeholders, employees, contractors, Planning Inspectorate Board and ministers.
- Ability to build strong working relationships with excellent negotiating and influencing skills and the ability to secure agreement to solutions whilst managing the competing priorities of a range of users and senior stakeholders.
- Analytical skills to evaluate data from various sources and to identify benefits and risks to make well considered judgements and decisions.
- Good financial and budget management skills
- Inclusive leadership, actively and visibly role modelling values of Civil Service Leadership statement
- Ability to think strategically and understand impact of changing processes on organisational reputation and its users.

**Desirable Criteria**
- Experience of coaching and mentoring.
- Understanding of the Agile approach to developing digital public services and the Service Standard used by Government Digital Service.
- Understanding of the planning system in England and current challenges.
- Experience of visibly leading and role modelling health, safety and wellbeing in the workplace.

**Behaviours**:
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
- Leadership
- Working Together

**Benefits**:

- Flexible working options, including flexi-time, part-time, compressed hours and home working if suitable for the role.
- A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity.
- 25 days annual leave increasing by 1 day per year up to 30 days after 5 years, plus 1 privilege day to mark the King’s birthday. In addition to the normal bank holidays.
- Generous family friendly policies.
- Fast and modern IT kit which utilises Windows 10 and Microsoft 365, enabling seamless working from home and collaboration across teams.

For full information see our Benefits information pack.

Things you need to know

**Selection process details**:

- This vacancy is using Success Pro