The Talent Bank is EELGA's offering to the Local Government sector, providing service review and project delivery or cover for critical gaps.I deliver projects working alongside public sector organisations to review services and enable change, and have Interim Head of Service experience involving structure change and operational delivery and change. Recent assignments have included work on Covid, Environmental Health, Devolution, Waste, Streets, and Building Services; I have enjoyed working for Unitary Authorities, District Councils and a Combined Authority.

Delivering interim roles or advisory services, covering strategy analysis and development, problem identification and solving, programme management, oversight of change and improvement plans and leadership support across public and private sector organisations. Recent roles include Interim Head of Environmental Health at a District (strategic review, operational management during Covid, delivering organisational change); previous commissions include supporting a rapid growth SME to ensure business processes (financial, HR, business plan, governance) were scoped and delivered to be fit for purpose, support growth and suitable for external scrutiny.

Sustainability East is an independent social enterprise working across the public and private sectors. It acts as a catalyst for social and business change, facilitating debate on sustainable development and climate change. In this interim position I was tasked by the Board to lead a thorough review of business strategy and delivery, and provide an options appraisal for its further transition. Working with the team and Board, marketing and business development changes were implemented and opportunities taken to make revenue efficiencies and deliver using different staffing models. I took the Board through a structured process to ensure difficult but necessary decisions were made, and I delivered the changes to SE's operational practice.

Responsible for developing and delivering the business plan, encompassing both the EA's delivery role and that of those it regulated and sought to influence. I was responsible for overseeing operational performance delivery for the region (outcomes realised by 1200 FTE and £150m investment annually), including financial monitoring and control, KPI delivery, audit and assurance, and delivering organisational change. My directly managed teams and budgets were assigned to set strategy, influence others, and deliver operational roles at regional level. These included water strategy (including flood risk, water resources and water quality), wider environmental strategy, business planning, communications (corporate relations, internal communications, social and traditional media), and evidence (including statutory data roles). Having a clear understanding of our differing role across wide areas of work, and prioritising effort, was critical and I led a senior management team of 6 and total staff of up to 145 to deliver clear outcomes and an annual investment of £5.5 million. I also managed relationships with customers such as water companies, and organisations such as regional government and trade organisations. Supporting the Agency’s role as a category 4 incident responder, I gained strategic management experience of exceptional events such as floods and pollution incidents, and dealt with associated media interest.

WIthin the Flood Risk directorate I established a team to work on a new area (biodiversity, land use and agriculture) where I relied heavily on forging effective links with other areas of Agency business, other Defra organisations and external Government Departments. Work on a new European Directive was particularly challenging, involving complex technical issues with a legal imperative to deliver to tight timescales, while keeping a close eye on developments in Europe, interests of other sectors, and the pressing need to deliver our own operational work.

Initially working as a specialist technical advisor in a unique regional team, my work focussed on specification, quality assurance and delivery of coastal processes studies and monitoring programmes to support flood risk management. Often acting as a ‘translator’ of detailed scientific analysis for practical application, the role also involved acting as national advisor on coastal flood risk policy, research and development, and best practice delivery. This encompassed many new and innovative areas of work ranging from offshore windfarm consenting to coastal policy development, and overseeing our input to major European Research Programmes.