Description
We are committed to the development of our workforce. This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council. We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.
This role has a starting salary of £32,512 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week. This is a fixed term contract opportunity until March 2027.
Within our Design and Transformation Service, we have a vacancy for an Operations Officer. The team is based in Reigate, and will be expected in the office for approximately two days per week, with flexibility around service needs.
This role will sit within our Transformation Delivery team but work across the Design and Transformation service to drive a range of transformation activities including the Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation programme and associated workstreams.
Rewards and Benefits
1. 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
2. Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
3. An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
4. Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
5. Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
6. A generous local government salary related pension
7. Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
8. 2 paid volunteering days per year
9. Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
About Us
The Design and Transformation teams are dedicated to shaping, driving, and facilitating sustainable change and improvement for residents in Surrey. By partnering with, challenging, and supporting our stakeholders, we strive to achieve better outcomes for our residents, against a challenging financial context.
Our Design and Transformation service is a hub of innovation and improvement, driving strategic change across Surrey County Council. The team is structured into three key areas:
10. Design – focusing on service and business redesign
11. Transformation – delivering change programmes and projects
12. Data – enabling evidence-based decision-making
We work in a fast-paced, agile environment, collaborating across departments to deliver high-impact transformation initiatives. Our mission is to improve outcomes for residents, enhance efficiency, and embed a culture of continuous improvement.
About the Role
In this role, you will provide comprehensive support across the Design and Transformation function and deliver a variety of activities and outputs that facilitate the successful achievement of service objectives. Working closely with colleagues to ensure smooth coordination and delivery of activities contributing to the efficiency and effectiveness of the service, you will be supporting the overall success of transformation initiatives.
As an Operations Officer, you will:
13. Ensure activities are scheduled and tracked effectively
14. Coordinate the inputs needed for business papers and board meetings, ensuring all documents are submitted on time with the appropriate levels of approval
15. Schedule meetings, prepare documents, and maintain records to support the team's operations
16. Maintain records and report on resource allocation to help monitor the overall capability and capacity of the function
17. Coordinate and monitor communications with partners and stakeholders, ensuring timely responses and effective relationship management
Shortlisting Criteria
To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:
18. Educated to A level or equivalent, or able to evidence ability at an equivalent level
19. Relevant HR, Management, business administration or financial qualification to NVQ Level 3/4, or able to evidence knowledge and understanding of relevant disciplines
20. Good IT skills
21. Ability to work with others to achieve objectives and improve customer service
22. Good written and oral communication skills with the ability to build sound relationships with customers to improve customer service
23. High level administrative/organisational and analytical skills
24. Ability to prioritise and plan own workload in the context of conflicting priorities and work on own initiative
Application Questions
To apply for this role we invite you to upload your CV and respond to the following application questions (with a maximum of 250 words per answer):
25. Process Improvement: Can you describe a situation where you identified an opportunity to streamline or create a new process? What steps did you take, and what was the outcome?
26. Planning: How do you prioritise and plan your workload when faced with conflicting priorities? Can you provide an example of a time when you successfully managed multiple tasks?
27. Collaboration: Describe a time when you worked with cross-functional teams to achieve a common operational goal. How did you facilitate collaboration?
Contact Us
Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.
For an information discussion please contact Melissa McGill.
The advert closes at 23:59 on the 29th July 2025, with interviews to follow on the 6th August.
We look forward to receiving your application.
Local Government Reorganisation
Surrey County Council is preparing for Local Government Reorganisation which will allow us to implement the Government led policy of devolution, which is all about giving more powers to local areas.
Currently, Surrey has a two-tier council system, with 11 district and borough councils and a county council, all responsible for different services. All these councils will be reorganised into a smaller number of new unitary councils which will come into effect in April 2027. At this point, this role will be transferred, with all existing terms and conditions intact into one of the new unitary councils.
Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents! Please see more information here:
Our Values
Our values are as important as our abilities and shape who we are as an organisation. Discover more about
Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description. Our provides insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.
Our Commitment
Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:
28. The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
29. The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form
Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.
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