Duncan Delvin

I am applying for the post of because I have a keen interest in promoting skills and employment and in the role. I have twenty years of experience working in projects, as a manager, as the single point of contact or as the lead on a project section. During this time, I was trained in PRINCE 2 and Lean Sigma Six methodologies. The projects were concerned with delivering resourcing strategies, performance management strategies – dashboards and scorecards - and with identifying innovative solutions to monitor and address identified issues and challenges. I have excellent communication skills and am used to dealing with a broad range of customers, where I need to listen attentively to their concerns and convey complex information accessibly. I am also used to liaising with both internal and external stakeholders and partners to establish and explain whether or not their needs are able to be met. To do this, I use web pages, reports, presentations and face to face meetings. I am also used to working to tight deadlines, for example in cases where the prompt supplying of information is crucial to other parties taking appropriate action. I am a confident user of all aspects of Microsoft Office as well as Power BI for data visualisation, all of which I have used to cleanse and analyse data sets to generate reports for senior leadership. I also use Excel and SAP for resource management and procurement tasks such as creating logs, rosters and actions resulting from meetings. I have good experience of skills and employment policy practice and have been involved in the training of new colleagues, assisting them in transferring and utilizing their knowledge and skills in their new roles. Equally, I ensured that positive aspects of their previous ways of working were discussed, explored within the department and incorporated into our own practice. In completing tasks such as providing answers for Mayor’s Question Time and working in partnership with the Metropolitan Police, I have gained a sound understanding of special services agreements, a strategic overview of the GLA family and the roles and functions of deputy mayors, for example. In terms of behavioural competencies, I am adept at building rapport and working effectively with others, for example in order to negotiate access to data. I am also flexible and understanding of the challenges others face while also gaining their cooperation. I make a point of developing new relationships by setting up either face to face, Microsoft Teams or phone meetings to meet and build rapport with new colleagues, managers, stakeholders and partners. This helps us to understand each other’s priorities and reduces duplication of work. It is also key to my understanding the pressures and budgetary constraints others face, how goals may differ and what action might be taken to pre-empt potential difficulties. For example, whereas operational managers might welcome my using additional resourcing to ensure service provision, senior managers with budgetary responsibilities could react differently to such as proposal, and a compromise will need to be reached. I make a point of contributing to the creation of an environment in which all parties feel their views are respected and have opportunities to be heard. To enable this, I have in the past, set up joint working groups to address issues such as facilities, health and safety, work/life balance. I value, engage with and learn from feedback, which I see as a learning opportunity that helps me reflect on my performance and improve on it. For example, when creating a new piece of work or changing the way a task or workstream is presented or delivered, I ask others to provide feedback. I ask for clarification if necessary, and then take action to improve the product and subsequently seek follow-up feedback. My goal is always to ensure information is easily understood by my audience, irrespective of their prior knowledge of the topic, their abilities or impairments. To do this, I make use of many types of communication rather than just the written word. These include video, tactile resources and signers, so that I do not unintentionally exclude any groups and to maximize inclusion. I am used to providing the key points of arguments and preparing strategic overviews and briefings for senior managers, using relevant graphs, tables and maps. I also have good experience of collating, analysing and presenting numeric evidence-based knowledge of statistically significant trends in an accessible way to persuade others. This has enabled multiple agencies to work collaboratively and to develop achievable problem-solving plans. My goal in challenging the views of others is usually to create a situation that will end in productive dialogue and to maintain the cooperation of others. I make sure that I have a good understanding of their perspective by asking appropriate questions and I acknowledge their experiences. I present whatever data I have to support my own view in a calm manner and remain objective. I am also able to recognise situations where agreement might not be reached and know how to move the discussion on tactfully. I am able to stay calm in pressured situations and have extensive experience of managing large events. Working in such a fluid environment, sometimes with less experienced colleagues, I frequently have to explain why the current plan has to be supplanted by a contingency plan. When the situation is volatile, or potentially puts people at risk, I know when to seek guidance from others and explain why I was asking for their advice. As a workplace Mental Health & Well Being champion, I am involved in various trade union Disability forums. These have increased my insight into the importance of maintaining a balance between work and home life. As a result, I have taken up swimming again and also am also currently researching the social history and evolution of London. I have great enthusiasm for and also a good understanding of the budgetary constraints currently facing the public sector. I feel I also have the commitment and empathy to work towards establishing fully inclusive provision in this area.