About us

With a total population of over 1.5m residents, Essex is a thriving and diverse county full of contrasts - from our bustling towns to our beautiful rural countryside, and stunning coastline (the longest coastline in England!). We have vibrant urban centres, international ports and airports, leading universities plus many world-class firms such as Ford and Marconi that have chosen to call Essex their home.

As one of the largest local authorities in England and one of the county’s largest employers, our workforce of over 7,500 staff proudly provide a wide mix of services including social, environmental, transport, education, planning and benefits. We work collaboratively with local district and unitary councils, emergency service providers, education providers and community groups and forums to ensure as an ecosystem we are supporting better lives for the people we serve.

Re-imagining how our residents, businesses and visitors needs can be met in today’s ever-changing world is an integral part of realising our ambitions and supporting the future of our county. Right now, we are living through an age where products are dissolving into services and services are being recreated on shared platforms. It is this service led transformation that will drive whole system change, both internally and externally.

Case Study

essex.gov.uk - A user led approach

We have recently undergone a significant re-structure that enables us to challenge cultural norms, improve processes and efficiencies, whilst empowering our people to take further responsibility to deliver results that make a lasting impact. Originally housed under Corporate Development, Service Transformation now takes centre stage within Organisational Development and People (ODP), blending organisation design with service design and continuous improvement to drive cultural and behavioural change.

Our Service Design team leads on the development of user-centred services for the residents and businesses of Essex whilst our Continuous Improvement team drives forward value and efficiencies across Essex County Council, using Lean Six Sigma and other business analysis techniques. Our passionate and dedicated team is committed to using the government digital service standard, meeting people’s  needs in the most efficient, appropriate and sustainable way, whether that utilises digital and technology or not. This includes our agile approach of discover, build, measure and iterate.

We have made great strides, but we know there is much ground still to cover as we continue to work across organizational boundaries and exert pace to keep up with the evolving needs of users and our digital landscape. Essex County Council has begun a new decade of opportunity and we are excited for the huge potential ahead as we become the best local authority in the country.

We look forward to your application!

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