National Operations Service Manager

Job summary

The Customer Advice Delivery Enablement Team are at the forefront of work to ensure Acas’s Advice Services best meet the needs and interests of our customers and stakeholders. This work includes developing operational policy, co-ordination of activities to meet required service levels, provision of knowledge support and identifying potential for innovation and improvement within Advice that will extend Acas’s reach and impact.

The National Operations Service Manager:

• Leads a small team responsible for forecasting, scheduling and administration of a workforce management system responsible for relevant Acas ACD services.
• Facilitates the effective deployment of staff to meet required SLA, identifying potential barriers to this and alerting relevant stakeholders, including Head of Advice Services
• Ensures schedules are built to achieve targets and comply with contractual terms and policy guidance around development time, breaks, lunches and additional non-customer facing time.
• Co-ordinates activities across the Advice service function, providing insight to support business and workforce planning
• Provides regular and ad- hoc performance reporting to multiple business areas including senior managers
• Maintains and improves relationships with internal business areas, promoting awareness of Advice Service business planning needs.
• Identifies and develops improvements and efficiencies in processes and procedures, including with the WFM system, working collaboratively with internal stakeholders and external suppliers to meet service needs.
• Builds and models a positive, inclusive and “can do” culture.

Job description

Main Accountabilities:

• Responsibility for forecasting, planning, scheduling and real time management to achieve agreed SLAs.
• Developing service/s protocols, and guidelines as required, taking account of all stakeholder needs.
• Facilitating the delivery of centrally agreed service levels and maximising service efficiency through effective deployment of available staff.
• Identifying risks and put in place mitigation, highlighting wider issues outside of the team’s control to relevant stakeholders with recommendations for action.
• Quality assuring processes, systems and outputs related to all elements of WFM to ensure that issues are identified and rectified quickly.
• Utilise the WFM forecasting and scheduling system functionality to improve efficiencies and processes.
• Ensuring the work of the team and systems are carried out in line with relevant legislation (eg GDPR) and Acas policies.
• Ensuring team quality standards are maintained through coaching, feedback and training.
• Building effective relationships with stakeholders across the business and with suppliers to ensure service needs are understood and met.
• Overseeing production and distribution of relevant data and information to stakeholders.
• Work with Senior Advice Manager, Analysts and Advice management to:
• Coordinate and manage the Adviser resource,
• Identify trends impacting on delivery of services,
• Implement opportunities for improvements,
• Identify staffing requirements and plan recruitment, and
• Plan operational activities and promotion of services.
• Supporting the delivery of continuous improvement across the service, gathering insight and intelligence and using this to develop new approaches ready for implementation.

Who we are:

Acas exists to make working life better for everyone in Britain. We are the experts in workplace matters, we’re impartial, so we’re not on anyone’s side. That means we’re working for everyone to help prevent and resolve workplace issues.

Acas helps employers and employees by providing information, advice, training, conciliation and other services that prevent or resolve workplace problems.

Acas: Britain’s Workplace Experts

Acas has been recognised for its Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace from the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion awards – Disability Confident Highly Commended; Pay Gap award winner and Overall winner for public sector organisations. Acas is committed to providing services and developing policies which embrace diversity, promote equality of opportunity and eliminate unlawful discrimination.

Person specification

Experience:

Essential Criteria:

• Knowledge of forecasting and staff scheduling for a Contact Centre environment (Lead Criteria).
• Supporting stakeholders by providing regular and ad-hoc performance reporting.
• Experience of managing resource through Workforce Management Systems (WFM).
• Utilising Microsoft Excel to create and maintain reporting spreadsheets.

Desirable Criteria:

• Previous line management experience.
• Managing a team or service through a period of change.
• Supporting continuous improvement by identifying and developing improvements in systems, processes and procedures.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,547, Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service contributes £10,587 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

We’re big believers in rewarding people for the amazing work they do, take a look at some of the fantastic benefits we offer:

• Learning and Development;
• Health and wellbeing;
• Pension scheme;
• Cycle to work scheme;
• Interest free season ticket loans;
• Volunteering opportunities.

Could you ask for any more?

You’ll have access to a Lifestyle website, where you’ll be able to grab savings over a wide range of products from holidays to your weekly shop.

To find out more please check out - Working for Acas

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Strengths and Experience.

How to apply

Please click on the 'Apply now' button.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

An evidence-based Statement of Suitability and CV reflecting the essential and desirable Experience requirements as listed in the Job Description. Your statement of suitability should be no longer than 750 words. It should avoid generalised assertions, instead including specific examples of achievements, explaining the degree of challenge, what you did and the outcomes.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the:

Lead Criteria: Knowledge of forecasting and staff scheduling for a Contact Centre environment.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift of all the above requirements or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

If a large number of applications meet the minimum standard an interview wait list may be created for this position. This means that if you have met the minimum requirements at sift you may be placed at a ‘Hold’ status for up to 12 months and if we are able to invite you to an interview we will be in touch.

Interview Details

If you have successfully passed sift, you will be invited to an interview via MS Teams which is likely to take place in the week commencing 16 February 2026. The interview will be a Strength and Experience interview and will also include Presentation.

The following essential criteria will be assessed at interview:

• Knowledge of forecasting and staff scheduling for a Contact Centre environment.
• Supporting stakeholders by providing regular and ad-hoc performance reporting.
• Experience of managing resource through Workforce Management Systems (WFM).
• Utilising Microsoft Excel to create and maintain reporting spreadsheets.

A reserve list will be created for this position, this means that if you have passed the interview, but we couldn’t offer you this position, you’ll be on a reserve list for 12 months if a similar position becomes available.

If a person with disabilities is put at a disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Acas HR Recruitment Service via HRRecruitment@acas.org.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need accessibility considerations to enter the building or interview room, for communications or adjustments for testing procedures.
• Find out more about the Disability Confident Scheme and Reasonable Adjustmentshttps://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/.

Want to learn more about Civil Service recruitment? You can find out more on Civil Service Careers - including information on Success Profiles, writing a Personal Statement, acceptable use of Artificial Intelligence and what to expect at Interview.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : HR Recruitment Team
• Email : HRRecruitment@acas.org.uk
• Telephone : N/A

Recruitment team

• Email : HRRecruitment@acas.org.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Code and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact us on HRRecruitment@acas.org.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from us, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

Job Description - National Operations Service Manager Opens in new window (docx, 45kB)