Our Values

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

About the team we are recruiting to

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

Customer Services is one of the largest departments in Coventry City Council and are the front face of the organisation.  We are usually the first port of call for customer enquiries across the council.  Our fast-paced telephone teams deal with thousands of calls and emails a week, we have a dynamic Customer Service Centre with around 2500 visitors a week approaching us for a wide range of enquiries from paying their council tax to seeking help to access services and dedicated support teams who process bookings, timesheets and general administration work for the whole organisation.

You may be based in one of several locations, we have a Customer Service Centre right in the heart of the city; Friargate – a large purpose built office by the train station along with several reception points across the city.

Joining Customer Services is a really good stepping stone into a long term career with the Council, depending on the role you are offered you will learn about other parts of the organisation

We want every single customer to have a positive experience when approaching the council and would welcome you being part of the team.

What is the job role?

This role sits within our Customer Service team and will be key to helping us to make a difference for our diverse range of residents and supporting our organisation on its transformation journey. 

Customer Services is changing lots, we’re re-thinking what buildings we provide services from, changing how we physically group services and determining how we need to operate to ensure our residents have a say in what our services look like. Perhaps it would be easier to say that we are re-thinking everything that we do!  

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Who are we looking for?

So, who are we looking for? Someone who can say “yes” to these questions…  

• Have you had responsibility for large teams (50+ people) in another organisation?   
• Have you driven change and had to consider the resident impact, strategic implications, and the operational detail?  
• Are you someone who is open to understanding the varied lived experiences of our residents? 
• Do you have the energy, enthusiasm, passion, and tenacity to drive cultural change?  
• Do you lead with your heart as well as your head?  

You can probably tell that we are on a journey, things are moving quite fast and it’s an exciting time for us but there is a lot to do! 

Within our team people from minority ethnic backgrounds are currently under-represented across our management team, as a result we would like to encourage people from minority ethnic backgrounds to apply for this post.  This does not prevent any other applicants with a protected characteristic or a non-protected characteristic from applying.  

If you’re up for a challenge, enjoy the opportunity to experiment to identify the best way to do things and like the idea of helping us to shape our service offer then we would love to hear from you. 

Please complete an application form, tell us about your previous experience and where you’ve used your skills to shine.   

The closing date is midnight on the 10th November 2024, we’ll shortlist from there and if you are successful we’ll invite you to meet with us for an assessment during the week commencing 18th & 25th November 2024. There will be some preparation for that, but we’ll talk about it closer to the time.  

If you aren’t sure or have some questions, I’d be happy to talk to you, call me, Laura Waller on 024 7697 6496 for an informal conversation.  

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.

About Coventry

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies

Coventry City Council