Bianca Cole, Design Operations Officer

“It’s now been 6 months since I found my way into the world of Service Transformation here at Essex County Council. After being made redundant during the pandemic from the charity sector, I knew the hunt for a new position would be challenging.

Being on furlough though, allowed me to look at what I had learnt and see if I could transfer my skills to a new sector, one that was completely new to me.

With some guidance and reflecting on what I enjoyed in my career , I was able to whittle down what I was ultimately looking for in a new position: ‘People focused, driven by change with a purpose of making people’s lives a little bit better’.

With this criteria, I was able to look at jobs with a clearer focus . If I had not done this, I would have never found the role I’m now in ‘Design Operations’. If you don’t know what that is like I didn’t, here’s a great write up by Nick Babich.”

So I found an interesting role, now what?

“Show casing my skills that’s what! Picking apart my CV and making a list of all the things I enjoyed in my previous roles enabled me to map my skills to the new interesting role. Bingo it worked, they wanted me.

Joining a new sector and team when I had not met anyone in person was scary, but I need not have worried. I can honestly say that the welcome has been incredible and completely different from what I was expecting.”

Local Government are you mad?

“Was I worried about going into local government? Yes! You hear so much about county councils being archaic and full of dusty thinking individuals. I’m pleased to report that Essex County Council has proven that wrong and is a place where I feel I can flourish and thrive. Here’s how:

• I have been welcomed with open arms.
• The various teams I have interacted with have been open to my ideas.
• Investment in me as an individual, with various pieces of training to mutually benefit me and the Service Transformation team.
• Working collaboratively with teams across the council, to make small impactful changes that make life a little better for the teams I work with.

Whilst I still have loads to learn even after 6 months of remote working, I’m confident that I made the right choice to try a new sector and a role completely different to the jobs I’ve had before. If you are considering a role in Service Transformation, I can highly recommend it. The creativity, energy and focus is inspiring.”

If you’d like to find out more about opportunities within the Service Transformation team please click here.