Kate

Website Digital Content

Kate works with users and service designers in the council's Digital Team, to develop website content which is accessible, effective and user-friendly.

Before joining the council, Kate worked in the private sector, as well as being self-employed, but finds B&NES offers better benefits and more flexibility than a lot of other organisations. She loves the client focus of what her team does, and gets a real kick out of making web services more accessible to people who might otherwise find websites intimidating or difficult to use. "I hadn't worked for a local authority before, and have found the culture very positive and inclusive - I like the community orientation and professionalism."

She says she’s had a steep learning curve with the tools her team use to work digitally, including the various ways they project-manage, but she’s learnt from every member of her team, from technical skills to Agile project management. "I've really enjoyed how Agile entails co-operative working and learning from each other. It's great for staff development. It's offered me a chance to use existing skills in a totally new way. It's certainly broadened my horizons in terms of what I think I'm capable of, and what I might do next."

Kate lives in the Chew Valley and enjoys the fabulous countryside around her. Flexible working is a large part of how her team works, and she likes working at home, to really focus without interruption. She loves the location of Keynsham's Civic Centre, where she's based. "My commute is less than 20 minutes, and I find it easy to park within walking distance of work, which I would never get in the centre of Bristol.” She also appreciates being within easy reach of Bristol, Bath and Wells, for shopping, work and cultural events.