Customer Continuous Improvement Lead

About the role

Customer Continuous Improvement Lead

Fixed Term / Secondment (6 months), Full Time

£40,721 to £47,906 per annum

Location: Chelmsford*

Closing Date: 18th December 2025

*This is a hybrid-working role, with a requirement to work at a functional work location 2-3 days per week on average, depending on business need.

Please note that this is a Secondment / Fixed Term Contract opportunity for a period of 6 months.

The Role

While we are ideally looking for someone who holds a Six Sigma Black Belt and has extensive experience in continuous improvement, we also welcome applications from individuals who are currently working towards these qualifications and hold a Yellow or Green Belt. Enthusiasm and a genuine passion for continuous improvement are just as important to us as formal qualifications.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Climate, Environment and Customer Services

The Opportunity

The transformation across Essex County Council (ECC) Customer Services is wholly centred on the customer and their experience, when seeking support from and within ECC and responding effectively to them. Utilising customer feedback will guide the improvements needed to the service, underpinned by the six pillars framework to drive a culture and ethos of continuous improvement.

The Customer Continuous Improvement Lead will be responsible for ensuring the understanding of business intelligence across Customer Services, using insights to drive informed decision making. The role will use six sigma, or similar methodologies identify and deliver improvements across the customer function, working with a variety of stakeholders to upskill and embed continuous improvement.

The Customer Continuous Improvement Lead will lead multiskilled teams to deliver improvements in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines. They holder will need to be able to influence all layers of management working closely, with senior stakeholders supporting the delivery of their vision.

Accountabilities

Responsible for developing the approach to embedding continuous improvement principles across Customer Service based on insight and data gathered from service areas.
Responsible for the analysing data to provide high-quality insight into service performance, identifying risks and opportunities, developing creative solutions.
Responsible for ensuring that the voice of the customer is being heard and that Essex residents are at the heart of everything we do.
Lead and manage continuous improvement projects across customer services to ensure a culture of embracing change and the Six Pillars of Customer Excellence is embedded across the service.
Responsible for upskilling teams across Customer Services in six sigma approaches and data analysis to ensure a culture of embracing change.
Builds strong working relationships with a range of stakeholders across the county, acting as a trusted partner to deliver shared goals.
Responsible for creating a high-performance culture, drawing on specialist skills and expertise to challenge ineffective practice and bring together diverse capabilities from across teams to achieve shared objectives.
Leading effective resource management across the service to ensure there are the skills and capacity to manage peaks in demand and enable delivery of a consistent, high quality customer experience, as evidenced by customer feedback.
Leading the development and implementation of a workforce plan that ensures the right number of people with the right skills employed in the right place at the right time to deliver our Organisational Priorities and Customer Service Objectives.
Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

Educated to RQF level 6 (degree) or equivalent by extensive experience.
Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent with extensive experience in using Lean Six Sigma, agile or similar methodologies to deliver high quality insight in fast paced environments and delivering on tight deadlines.
Experience working in a customer facing environment, with knowledge and understanding of customer insight and use of technology to deliver business intelligence.
Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area showing creativity in exploring business opportunities and commercial acumen
Extensive experience of working with senior leaders, with an ability to influence all layers of management, overcome resistance to change.
Experience of complex multi-agency partnership and stakeholder working, ideally having experience of working within a political environment with knowledge of a public sector setting and the nuances involved in being part of a complex environment.
Excellent levels of expertise in using Microsoft products

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk.

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