We are recruiting for a full time Customer Research and Insight Manager on a permanent basis

Your passion has never had a greater purpose

Here at SEPA, we’re connected by a passion that drives us to be purposeful in every action we take – to protect our environment. Through our expertise, we lead projects that make a difference for Scotland, and our workplaces are grounded in respect for that expertise.

That’s why, when you join us as Customer Research and Insight Manager, you’ll discover enriching benefits, meaningful support, and opportunities to learn every day. That’s what it means to be Passionately Purposeful – for our environment, and for your career.

Work that goes beyond your desk

Experts at what we do, we work in a professional way towards our shared goals, knowing the work we do makes a genuine, lasting difference on the environment.

The Customer Research and Insight Manager leads SEPA’s approach to understanding the needs, expectations and experiences of our customers and stakeholders. The role ensures that high-quality research, data, and insights are used to shape organisational priorities, inform the design and delivery of regulatory and support services, and support continuous improvement in customer experience.

This role provides leadership in customer insight across SEPA, enhances internal expertise, and fosters a culture where evidence and user experience drive priority setting and decisions.

Key responsibilities include:

Lead and develop Customer Insight, fostering a supportive, collaborative culture that enables staff to thrive and deliver high-quality outcomes.
Develop SEPA’s customer insight approach, ensuring alignment with corporate priorities and regulatory and service delivery needs.
Design, commission and oversee customer and stakeholder research, including surveys, interviews, journey mapping, segmentation and behavioural insight activities.
Analyse and synthesise findings into insight products that are clear, meaningful and actionable, enabling senior leaders and services to make evidence-led decisions.
Provide expert professional advice across SEPA on customer needs and behaviours, service experience and methods for capturing insight.
Establish and maintain robust reporting systems, including customer satisfaction and service experience metrics.
Work collaboratively across SEPA, ensuring customer voice and experience are incorporated into service design, policy development and regulatory improvement.
Represent SEPA externally, building partnerships and sharing insight approaches with key stakeholder groups.
Uphold SEPA’s values, supporting staff wellbeing and behaviours that foster a positive organisational culture.

Respect for your expertise

This is a highly important role within our Governance, Performance & Engagement portfolio, which means you’ll need:

Relevant experience or qualification equivalent to SCQF Level 10 (e.g. relevant Degree)
Experience in service or user experience improvement, applying insight to shape policies, systems or processes
Demonstratable experience of strong leadership and people management skills in order to support, coach, and develop staff
Influencing and communication skills to work confidently with senior leaders, staff and external partners
Strong knowledge and understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods, interpretation and reporting

Please open the link to the Customer Research and Insight Manager which outlines the core responsibilities and expectations of the role within a defined activity family. Please note the role profile name may be different to the job title being advertised.

Support that goes beyond the workplace

We’re cultivating a workplace that supports not only your passion and your professional lives, but your personal life. So, you’ll find benefits that make a difference at work and at home. Such as:

Hybrid and Flexible working opportunities
Up to 35 days annual leave and 7 additional public holidays each year (pro rata)
Paid time off to support your Wellbeing and enable you to Volunteer in your community
Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
Progressive Family Friendly policies
Training & development to enable colleagues to improve their skills, competencies and knowledge to perform at their best.

Plus, many more lifestyle benefits such as 24/7 access to an online employee discount platform, credit union facilities and access to a Cycle to Work Scheme.

Passionately you. Purposefully supportive

SEPA is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and good relations in everything it does – as a community leader, as a provider and commissioner of services, and as an employer.

Passionately Purposeful about Scotland’s environment – and your career.

Protecting our environment, promoting our work, and supporting our people, working at SEPA means being part of an organisation that’s grounded in respect for your expertise – and your wellbeing. So you can be your best, and make the biggest impact.

We recruit solely based on merit. Our shortlisting process is conducted on an anonymous basis. Please ensure that you include all relevant information when you apply.

We support flexible working arrangements to help you maintain a healthy balance between career and homelife. This includes working part time, reduced hours, job sharing, working remotely. As a flexible first employer we are open to having conversations about flexible working arrangements that work for you and SEPA from day 1 of your employment with us.

We are proud to be a 'Disability Confident' employer and will work to identify and implement reasonable adjustments and equipment to support you in the role that you do.

Applicants with a visual impairment can request job descriptions and application forms in Braille, large print or on tape.

For the security and wellbeing of our colleagues, successful candidates will undergo Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) pre-employment checks including a level one Disclosure Scotland check.

If you have questions or need any assistance with the recruitment process please contact SEPA’s Recruitment Team at recruitment@sepa.org.uk

Apply now to join a Passionately Purposeful workplace