Assistant Director Policy and Programmes

• Apr 2022 - Present

Policy and Research Manager

• Sep 2019 - Present

Head of Policy (Primary and Community)

• Sep 2020 - Apr 2022

Associate

• Oct 2017 - Sep 2019

Write briefings on a wide variety of topics on behalf of the LGiU for its members Write briefings on a wide variety of topics on behalf of the LGiU for its members

Innovation Strategist

• Apr 2015 - Sep 2016

I lead on and provide challenge and support to the Council to do change better and embed a culture of innovation. This includes:• Led on a number of strategic options appraisals that have assessed and recommended future delivery models:o Supported transport – identified savings of £2.8m pao Adult learning – gained agreement to novate the contracto SEN transport – identified new approach and savings of £1.5m pao Families Support Services – new delivery model with savings of £1m pao Fostering – identified what “good” looks like and how it compares to current deliveryo Transport – in depth insight on users’ needs and their relative importance• Developed an approach to change and innovation which has been embedded in the Council along with a set of tools that users can self-serve.• Ran an employee campaign to inspire innovation involving motivational speakers and idea generation• Hackathon on Country Parks to identify digital solutions Show less

Policy and Partnerships Officer

• Jan 2010 - Apr 2015

Provide challenge and support to the Council and its partners to achieve innovation and efficiency in its public services, and respond creatively and effectively to local priorities. Key projects:• Successfully set up and led the Buckinghamshire Armed Forces Community Covenant. In the past 18 months, I have acquired £450k of funding for local projects as well as delivering an action plan which has collectively brought the military and civilian communities together. The work is viewed as being best practice nationally by both the MOD and veteran organisations as well as receiving an Improvement and Efficiency Social Enterprise (IESE) award.• Led a partnership project with a wide range of statutory and voluntary sector partners to maximise the opportunities resulting from the welfare reforms and mitigate any negative impacts for residents. This approach is innovative and viewed nationally as best practice.o Beating 100 other local authorities, I successfully bid for £100k worth of support from O2’s 2014 Local Government Digital Fund to develop an app to support residents. o Identified the impact in Buckinghamshire, myth busting the “leafy Bucks” view.o Developed and now implementing an effective partnership offer to support residents.o Developed “best in show” financial capability and digital skills courses • Researched, developed and implemented innovative ideas on future policy direction on simplifying processes for our customers, behaviour change and demand management.• Produced the first ever corporate plan e-brochure which was innovative not only in its style but also in its approach – simple and resident led. This was very popular with residents and has led onto further e-brochures being produced for annual reports and the strategic plan. • Developed the “Knowing Bucks” website, which received 5000 hits a month. Show less

Policy Officer (Voluntary Sector)

• Jan 2009 - Dec 2009

Responsible for delivering the Council Voluntary Sector policy including delivering the government’s National Indicators and the Voluntary Compact.

Life Coach

• Aug 2006 - Dec 2008

I successfully coached clients in making life improvements and changes. I successfully coached clients in making life improvements and changes.

Project Office Manager, First National

• Jun 2003 - Mar 2004

Project Office Manager for a project to integrate the First National finance functions into GE. • Worked with Work Stream Leaders and the Project Manager to successful deliver the project. • Managed project costs – project came in within budget. • Set up and maintained the project office - issues/risks, problem/change logs, project library. Project Office Manager for a project to integrate the First National finance functions into GE. • Worked with Work Stream Leaders and the Project Manager to successful deliver the project. • Managed project costs – project came in within budget. • Set up and maintained the project office - issues/risks, problem/change logs, project library.

Operations Manager of the Collections & Customer Services department

• Jan 2001 - Mar 2002

The department, consisting of 60 people, managed 2000 inbound calls, 1000 outbound calls, and 1000 items of post each week, dealing with customers in arrears and general customer service. • Improved the delinquency rate from 5% to 3% over 6 months. • Reduced 10,000 item backlog in the administration area within 3 months. • Introduced quality monitoring and saw improvements from 70% success rate to 95%. • Relocated the department from Central London to Harlow. The department, consisting of 60 people, managed 2000 inbound calls, 1000 outbound calls, and 1000 items of post each week, dealing with customers in arrears and general customer service. • Improved the delinquency rate from 5% to 3% over 6 months. • Reduced 10,000 item backlog in the administration area within 3 months. • Introduced quality monitoring and saw improvements from 70% success rate to 95%. • Relocated the department from Central London to Harlow.

Operations Services Manager

• Sep 1996 - Dec 2000

The department, consisting of 110 people, dealt with 15,000 items of post a week including all customer correspondence, customer relations/complaints and general administration. • Reduced the volume of escalated complaints by 50% through effective complaints handling and instigating continuous improvement throughout the operation.• Improvements to a number of key processes reduced the volume of “write off” by £75000 a month and reduced headcount by 10% and improved average quality by 8%.• Effectively transferred the operation to a 3rd party and re-engineered the remaining functions. Show less

Operations Manager of the Collections call centre (both inbound and outbound)

• Sep 1996 - Dec 2000

The call centre, consisting of 120 people, received over 10,000 inbound calls and made over 3000 outbound calls each week.• Changes were implemented successfully to improve collections performance including extended opening hours and relocating work to the operation in Caerphilly. • New forecasting model introduced which reduced abandoned rate by 5 %.

Customer Services Manager

• Sep 1996 - Dec 2000

The department supported an account base of 250,000 store cards with annual sales targets of £2.5 m personal loans, £1m insurance income and cost budgets of £1.5 m.• Improved customer service by 22% and retailer satisfaction by 12% over 2 years.• Designed a training programme which was so successful it was adopted companywide • Introduced flexible contracts so that demand was better met and eliminated overtime.

Project Manager

• Sep 1996 - Dec 2000

Responsible for redesigning core business processes with the aim of outsourcing the operation.• Future state design and business processes redesigned and implemented saving £16m pa.• Delivered £250k cost savings per annum through implementing a number of changes through a Quick Wins programme.

Graduate Trainee

• 1992 - 1996

Roles included Branch Manager, Lloyds Bank Ware; Assistant Manager, Service and Sales, Area Director’s Office; Graduate trainee Lloyds Service and Sales Management Training Programme. Roles included Branch Manager, Lloyds Bank Ware; Assistant Manager, Service and Sales, Area Director’s Office; Graduate trainee Lloyds Service and Sales Management Training Programme.