Grade 12 Refuse and Recycling are looking for an Operational Delivery Lead to join their team. WHAT IS INVOLVED? To lead and coordinate the delivery and implementation of operational change and service improvement initiatives within countywide refuse and recycling services. The role is responsible for ensuring that agreed service changes, system developments, and operational improvements are effectively mobilised, embedded, and transitioned into business-as-usual operations. You will work across operational teams, Business Support, ICT, Strategic Waste, Customer Services and external suppliers to coordinate delivery activity, manage interdependencies, and ensure operational readiness. This includes maintaining delivery plans, monitoring risks and issues, supporting training and communications arrangements, and ensuring services remain compliant, resilient and consistent during periods of change. The role provides assurance on implementation progress and operational feasibility, ensuring that changes align with agreed service frameworks and are delivered within defined scope, timescales and governance arrangements. We encourage you to contact Andrew Hilton via email at andrew.hilton@durham.gov.uk to arrange an informal discussion about the role. WHAT WILL I NEED? Level 4 qualification or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline Experience of coordinating and delivering operational change or service improvement initiatives. Experience of working across multiple service areas to support implementation of change. Experience of managing risks, issues and dependencies within structured delivery activity. Experience of working with operational teams and support services in a local authority or similar complex environment. Experience of performance monitoring and reporting. Please refer to the attached Person Specification for the full criteria. INTERVIEWS Interviews will be held on week commenicng 8 June 2026 We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran. OUR OFFER TO YOU We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable. Explore the full range of rewards and benefits on our website Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions. EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent people and offer support throughout the recruitment process. HOW TO APPLY Please note, we do not accept CVs. All applications must be submitted online via the Northeast Jobs portal. Use the ‘Person Specification’ section of the form to clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential (and where possible, desirable) criteria. Applications that do not evidence the essential requirements will not be shortlisted. Please visit our website to understand our position on using AI to support your application and for guidance on completing your application. If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, (option 4) or via email RecruitmentNE@durham.gov.uk Anyone currently listed on the Redeployment Register who would like to be considered for this vacancy should contact the Resourcing team via email alternativeemployment@durham.gov.uk All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from donotreply@northeastjobs.org.uk. Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you don’t miss any updates. CONNECT WITH US Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook Visit our website VPRS/161