Interim Head of Waste & Green Spaces

Description

Role purpose: 

• To be a highly effective leader and manager of the Waste, Street Cleansing, and Green Spaces Services, ensuring agreed service plans and performance targets are delivered and that a culture of putting our residents first and continuous service improvement is maintained.
• Deliver high quality, compliant, efficient and customer focused Waste and Environmental related services.
• Responsible for developing and implementing strategies for the future of the waste and green spaces services and working collaboratively with other council services to effectively implement these strategies with an understanding of how changes may impact other council services.
• To take an active role, in partnership work with other local authorities and outside bodies, contributing to wider strategies with a focus on increasing biodiversity, minimising waste, and decreasing carbon emissions.
• To lead by example and embed a culture of continuous improvement across all aspects of the services.
• To be available, when requested, as a keynote speaker at national conferences to promote Hillingdon’s best practices and be recognised as a leader in the environment sector.
• Taking the strategic lead in the council’s approach to delivering front line services, ensuring compliance with legislation and national policy.
• Leader of a commercially driven team, maximising return on significant assets and working collaboratively with colleagues to achieve improved value for money and significant savings for the Department whilst maximising income.
• Delivery of MTFF savings, and development of future cost saving strategies with sound oversight of allocated budgets and associated spend.
• Overall management of Harlington Road Depot, and the wider reach of managing other services working out of the depot.
• Responsible for oversight and compliant of procurement and contract management activity across the services, ensuring delivery of the Councils Standing Orders.

  

Operational responsibility, including health and safety, security, and environmental compliance in the following areas: 

• Countryside & Conservation
• Trees and Landscape
• Cemeteries & Crematorium
• Playgrounds
• Ruislip Lido
• Golf Courses
• Allotments
• Open Spaces
• Household and Commercial Waste & Recycling Collections
• Street Cleansing
• Recycling projects and initiatives
• Household Waste & Recycling Centres

 

. People Management 

• Provide effective leadership, direction and management for all team members, ensuring both individual and team accountabilities to deliver the outcomes required by the service are fully understood and delivered.
• Support a culture that ensures a reputation for innovation, creativity and development.
• Ensure compliance with key policy and procedure in areas such as health & safety, equalities and diversity and other statutory requirements.
• Responsible for the selection, development and performance of staff, in line with Council HR policies.
• Ensure all staff receive the appropriate level of communication to maintain engagement with the Council’s vision, priorities and activities.
• Be a visible and effective leader, actively seeking to improve service delivery, providing a co-ordinated, efficient service to residents and colleagues.  This includes active participation in partnership with outside bodies such as the WLWA and other professional bodies, with a willingness to take on a leadership role.
• Identify opportunities to improve performance in line with best practice and creating a culture of continuous improvement.
• Challenge, manage and resolve poor performance and practices where they exist within the service.
• To work with internal colleagues and external bodies to meet the Environmental Bill and other legislation targets.
• To have an influence on all other Hillingdon services to help reduce overall carbon emissions and environmental impact.

  

 Customer Management

• Responsible for the management of the service to provide an effective, customer focused and responsive service to meet the needs of residents and businesses.
• Attend a range of meetings to provide service users with feedback on performance and deliver messages on access to services and planned improvements.
• Ensure that timely and high-quality responses or briefings for senior management are made in respect of all service complaints and enquiries, and that corporate targets for responses are adhered to.
• Carry out detailed investigations into the background of stage 1 & 2 complaints, members enquiries, and ombudsman enquiries to understand the facts in each case, identify any gaps or failings in service delivery and propose solutions.

  

 Operational Service Delivery 

• Overall responsibility for the management of all frontline operations and services to the public and businesses, including waste, street cleansing, and ground maintenance services.
• Overall responsibility for the management of the outstations including Breakspear Crematorium, New Years Green Lane Civic Amenity Site, Golf Courses, the Rural Activities Garden Centre, Ruislip Lido to ensure site compliance and maximise potential revenue.
• To ensure that all aspects of Health and Safety legislation are complied with, including risk assessments, equipment maintenance, staff training, and operational guidance.
• Overall responsibility for Harlington Road Depot.  This will include managing other services working from the Depot such as Repairs, Fleet, Workshops, Highways, and other third-party contractors regarding their behaviour to safety, site compliances including use of the fuel station and fire evacuation procedures.
• Plan, manage and maintain the robust and reliable delivery of scheduled services ensuing availability of labour, vehicles, consumables, equipment, materials and support services.
• Work with specialist advisers to ensure safety, health and environmental compliance across areas of responsibility, including depot management.
• Responsible for communicating Operator Licence requirements and ensuring that they are adhered to across the service.
• Ensure the planning and provision of accurate service information for residents and businesses, for publication throughout, and at specific times of year.
• Communicate clearly and effectively with staff, customers and their representatives, elected members, colleagues and other third parties about all aspects of the service and its linkages with other areas; promoting a widespread understanding of the service and its capacity in order to manage stakeholder expectations and agree realistic outcomes and goals.
• Work closely and collaboratively with the Street Scene Enforcement Team to develop and implement an effective cross-team strategy to manage fly tipping and other service issues across the borough.
• To develop and promote the use of parks and green spaces as safe, high-quality environments, in line with council wide goals and initiatives to improve health and wellbeing.
• To work closely with the Digital team to ensure that technology is best deployed in the efficient delivery of the service and in data utilisation to monitor and improve service standards.
• To promote and seek partnership and community engagement, working with volunteer groups, businesses, and communities on environmental initiatives.
• Engage with Parking, Housing, Highways and other operational teams to provide commissioned services and advice as required.
• Maintain knowledge of guidance, legislative changes and developments within the waste industry to inform strategy development and waste services operations.
• Meet all the statutory requirements to ensure all services are delivered to the required standards.
• Ensure that all statutory and compliance obligations are formally documented and implemented through the Council’s risk management, emergency management and compliance systems.
• To deputise for the Director of Environment as required.

  

Service Planning & Development 

• Ensure that an annual Service Plan, aligned to the Councils Strategy and Place Business Plan, is developed, agreed and communicated to team members in a timely manner.
• Ensure the Council's Performance and Development Appraisal process is carried out for all staff.
• Ensure clear Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) are in place where appropriate, covering all aspects of service delivery with performance and response levels, together with the escalation process if SLA’s are not met.
• Maintain a current service workforce plan including a succession plan for all key roles within own team.
• Develop and review written procedures or method statements for the service, with up to date information relevant to all areas of responsibility, having regard to legal requirements and Council policy, ensuring that these are understood and followed by staff.

  

Financial & Resource Management 

• Responsible for the effective monitoring and management of allocated budgets for up to £29m each year, ensuring full delivery of MTFF savings projects.
• Responsibility for influencing other services budgets such as generating revenue for SSET with FPN’s, clearances of garages for re-renting, and reducing budget spend for services such as Fleet Management.  In addition be a challenging influence over internal services that use disposal contracts via private contractors.
• Continuous review of service delivery and income opportunities to seek additional savings outside of MTFF annual projects.
• Ensure all purchasing and procurement is conducted in line with the corporate and directorate guidelines with appropriate use of the Council’s financial systems.
• Ensure all workforce expenditure is compliant with corporate guidance and that any temporary resource is purchased through the Council’s agency contracts with the appropriate prior approvals.
• Maintain knowledge of, and ensure compliance with, Standing Orders and Delegations.

 

 Corporate Management

 

This post requires cross cutting interaction with other sections within the council.  The below list provides an indication of some of the joint working requirements:

• Liaising with schools to develop educational programmes covering topics such as recycling, the environment, sustainable living, and littering.
• Working closely with the planning department to agree new and converted developments to ensure the correct provision of waste capacity is achieved and that parks and green spaces are fit for purpose.
• Working with the town centre improvement team to ensure that sustainable improvement programmes are implemented and maintained.
• Joint work with the enforcement team to investigate fly tipping and issuing FPN’s.
• Liaise with our Housing and Tenancy management about caretaking, fire risks within flats and other waste related issues.
• Work with the CCTV Programme Manager to improve the overall street scene.

 

Continuos Improvement 

• Implement continuous monitoring of team and individual performance and productivity to ensure the delivery of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) is maximised.
• Manage the implementation of improvement initiatives and change programmes using the Council’s Project Management and Service Improvement methodologies.
• Undertake appropriate management and professional training to maintain professional competence and continual personal development
• Maintain an awareness of the Council’s legal duties and policy objectives in respect of Equality and Customer Care and ensure that they are incorporated into policy and practice.
• To attend evening Council meetings to represent the services including at Select Committees and Petition Hearings to improve overall service performance.
• To promote partnership working with charities and non-for-profit partnerships to employ, upskill and develop ‘Green Jobs’ in the local area.

 

  Contacts 

• Direct contact through services with every household within the borough each week, resulting in high levels of Members and resident contact and high political responsibility.
• Specifically, users of the Depot (Housing Repairs, Adults and Children's Transport, Highways, Security, Workshops, Stores and other third-party users).
• Key partnership working within the Council should include but not limited to HR, Finance, Legal, Procurement, Communications, Contact Centre, Planning and Tenancy Management.
• Regular engagement with members and councillors, including regular briefings and associated reports.
• Engage with established panels for internal service reviews and strategic planning, including the Business Design Authority, the Workplace Improvement Panel, the Commercial Panel, and the Spending Review Panel.
• External: including but not limited to West London Waste Authority; DWP, West London Alliance, Environment Agency, DCLG, DEFRA, Neighbouring Local Authorities and Pan London Working Groups, GLA, Keep Britain Tidy, and the London Wildlife Trust.

 

 

Additional Responsibilities

Where necessary deputise for the Director of Environment.

 

• Carry out all duties with full regard to responsibilities under health and safety legislation and the Council’s health and safety policies
• To provide support and advice to colleagues and services across the Council.
• Complete other reasonable tasks in order to fulfil role purpose or as required by management.

 

 

Key Performance Indicators 

• Develop smart performance targets and to monitor team and service performance against these, managing improvement plans and recovery actions where required.
• Delivery of agreed Team Plans.
• Delivery against any agreed Service Levels.
• Delivery against allocated budgets and MTFF saving targets.
• Staff performance & productivity measures.

 

 

 Qualifications

• Educated to degree level in a relevant field, or equivalent experience
• Management qualification to diploma level, or equivalent experience

 

Statutory Or Role Specific Requirements

• Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service which may include occasional evening and weekend meetings
• Ability to travel across and outside of the borough as required for the role.
• Hold a current UK driving license and have a vehicle available for use at all times
• Ability to fully access green spaces sites / rough ground across the borough in order to carry out the full extent of the role
• To be a full member of the Charted Institute of Waste Management

 

 

 Experience

• Significant experience of leading a large resident facing team in environmental services, waste management or similar field
• Successful track record of consistent achievement operating at a senior management level in a similar role.
• Significant experience of accurate budget management

 

• Significant experience of working in partnership with various other council services, which waste and environment has either a direct or indirect influence on.
• Significant experience of working/communicating with Members and residents.
• Significant experience of managing a large workforce and managing challenging behaviour.
• Significant experience of public speaking on a national forum to promote best practice.

 

 

 Knowledge & Skills

 

• A comprehensive and cross cutting knowledge of relevant policy, UK & EU legislation and strategy areas affecting waste and environmental services.
• Sound understanding of all legislation applicable to the public sector relevant to Waste Management, Open Spaces, and related matters
• Ability to manage, maintain and report budgets accurately.
• Proven knowledge of health and safety and environmental compliance requirements for all aspects of the Service.
• Comprehensive knowledge of risk and compliancy issues in relation to waste and environment services with the ability to assess risk and promote risk awareness without being risk averse.
• An understanding of local authority governance, pressures, constraints and opportunities
• Knowledge of 'O' Licence requirements
• An understanding of environment management systems and strategies and the options available to implement them
• Excellent time management skills, including the ability to respond to requests for outputs at short notice.
• Ability to develop and innovate evolving strategies that align activities and tailor solutions to deliver efficiencies
• Significant experience in two or more of the following areas; waste management, collection services, street cleaning , grounds maintenance, countryside and conservation, bereavement services or environmental maintenance.
• Strong negotiation and influencing expertise, able to work intuitively and liaise effectively with a wide range of stakeholders and audiences.
• Highly numerate and IT literate, able to work effectively with a range of applications and data/ information systems.
• Strong business and financial acumen.
• The ability to develop strategies for the future of the waste and green spaces service and the understanding of how changes may impact other council services.
• Knowledge of the Councils processes, standing orders and reports
• Overall knowledge of all general Direct Service Organisational services (DSO) to be a critical friend to other direct services.

 

 

COMPETENCIES

Passion to make a difference:

• Strives to improve outcomes for customers, identifying efficiencies and smarter ways of working, and encouraging creative input from others- so that solutions developed are practical, fit for purpose and implemented appropriately.

 

“Can do” positive attitude:

• Identifies opportunities for organisational change, taking into account the wider impacts of change; ensuring the needs of stakeholders and customers are considered and acts as a positive role model for new initiatives.

 

Leads and inspires others:

• Values the contribution of others and fosters a culture of respect, encourages constructive, open feedback and innovative thinking.

 

Credibility:

• Gives clear and consistent direction on business strategies and objectives, involving others whilst retaining corporate accountability.

 

Drives improvement:

• Examines and considers risk, balancing risks against improvements, and ensures improvement plans are appropriately resourced and supported.

 

Strategic thinker:

• Understand and examine the wider public sector business environment, contributing to new business strategies and identifying and managing risk.

 

Decision maker:

• Proven ability to make sound decisions.
• Willing to make difficult decisions and remain accountable for those decisions and takes personal responsibility for communicating these.

 

Team Player & Networker:

• Facilitates effective team, customer and stakeholder relationships to achieve organisational objectives. Works and liaises with other senior management teams across departments and wider public sector.

 

Management:

• Ensures effective business delivery through influencing and motivating others, providing direction, promoting a culture of high performance and an environment of dignity and respect.

 

Communication:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Uses tact and persuasion to influence others, confidently, clearly and consistently delivering key messages to teams and external stakeholders.