Service Improvement Lead

West Northamptonshire Council; Northampton; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

West Northamptonshire Council seeks a Service Improvement Lead to shape the future of Revenues & Benefits services. You will drive transformation across Housing Benefits, Council Tax, Council Tax Reduction and Business Rates, partnering with Digital, Data & Technology and external partners to deliver AI-enabled improvements that enhance customer experience and compliance.

You’ll lead programmes across the service, delivering measurable benefits and value for money while embedding a culture of

Responsibilities

• Lead transformation across Revenues & Benefits, including Housing Benefits, Council Tax, Council Tax Reduction and Business Rates.
• Analyse performance data, customer insight and audits to identify opportunities and build business cases.
• Champion digital innovation, automation and AI-enabled solutions to modernise service delivery.
• Manage complex projects from concept through to implementation and benefits realisation.
• Provide specialist advice on Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Council Tax and Business Rates legislation.
• Influence, coach and coordinate managers and project teams to deliver successful outcomes.

Job description

Great services don't stand still, and neither do we. As a Service Improvement Lead, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Revenues & Benefits services across West Northamptonshire Council. Working at the intersection of operational delivery, innovation and strategic transformation, you'll lead programmes that improve customer experience, strengthen compliance, increase efficiency and ensure our services continue to meet the evolving needs of residents and businesses.

This is a senior specialist role within our Revenues & Benefits Service, responsible for driving service redesign and continuous improvement across Housing Benefits, Council Tax, Council Tax Reduction and Business Rates. You'll work closely with operational managers, Digital, Data & Technology teams, Transformation Services and external partners to identify opportunities for innovation, automation and AI-enabled solutions that support modern, customer-focused service delivery.

This role would be particularly well suited to someone with significant Revenues & Benefits experience who is looking to move beyond operational management and take a leading role in shaping strategy, influencing change and delivering transformation across a large and complex local authority service.

Our benefits

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here:

Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.

What will you be doing?

You'll lead the planning, design and delivery of transformation and improvement programmes across Revenues & Benefits, ensuring initiatives deliver measurable benefits for customers, colleagues and the Council. Working across services and disciplines, you'll analyse performance data, customer insight, audit findings and legislative changes to identify opportunities for improvement, develop business cases and implement sustainable solutions that improve service performance and customer outcomes.

A key aspect of the role will be championing digital innovation, automation and artificial intelligence, working with internal teams and software providers to maximise the use of technology and modernise service delivery. You'll lead complex projects from initial concept through to implementation and benefits realisation, ensuring programmes are governed effectively and deliver value for money.

You'll also act as a senior technical expert, providing specialist advice on Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Council Tax and Business Rates legislation. Alongside this, you'll manage audit activity, support governance improvements, oversee supplier and contract arrangements, and prepare reports and recommendations for senior leaders and elected members. Although the role does not have direct line management responsibility, you'll influence, coach and coordinate managers, team leaders and project teams to deliver successful outcomes and embed a culture of continuous improvement.

You're an experienced Revenues & Benefits professional with significant knowledge of Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Council Tax and Business Rates legislation. You have a strong track record of operating at a senior level and understand the challenges and opportunities facing local government services in a rapidly changing environment.

You bring experience of leading transformation, service improvement or operational change programmes and are comfortable working with complex data, performance information and business cases to drive decision-making. You have the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels, build strong relationships across teams and organisations, and successfully deliver change without direct management authority.

You’ll be commercially aware, politically astute and passionate about delivering better outcomes through innovation and continuous improvement. Experience of automation, digital technologies, supplier management, governance, audit activity or AI-enabled solutions would be highly advantageous. Most importantly, you'll share our THRIVE values and be motivated by creating modern, efficient and customer-focused services that help West Northamptonshire thrive.

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'.

We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

Hear from our Chief Executive, Martin Henry, about

building a career at WNC.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain