Role: Department Manager

Document ID: SW-IMS-ROLE-008-v1.0
Effective Date: [TBD]
Review Date: [TBD]
Reports to: CEO
Current Assignment: [Multiple - Generic role for all department/unit managers]

Role Summary

Department Managers are responsible for implementing and maintaining the Integrated Management System (IMS) within their respective areas of responsibility. They ensure their teams comply with quality, environmental, and information security policies, allocate resources for IMS activities, and drive continual improvement within their departments.

This is a generic role - applies to all managers responsible for organizational units or departments.

Applicable Departments/Units

This role description applies to managers of:

Department/Unit	Primary Focus Areas
Customer Acquisition	Quality (customer requirements), security (sales data), team compliance
Customer Development	Quality (account satisfaction), security (customer data), environmental (travel)
Customer Success	Quality (service delivery), security (customer data), environmental (operational efficiency)
Resource Management	Quality (competence), environmental (travel, procurement), security (HR data)
Technical/Development	Quality (code quality), security (secure development), environmental (equipment)
Discipline Forums	Quality (technical excellence), security (knowledge protection), competence development
PMO	Quality (project delivery), security (project data), environmental (project footprint)
Finance/Administration	Quality (process accuracy), security (financial data), environmental (office operations)

Time Allocation for IMS Responsibilities

• Implementation Phase: 10-15% of working time
• Ongoing Operations: 5-10% of working time
• During Audits: Up to 15% of working time
• Incident Response: Variable (as needed)

IMS responsibilities are integrated into the primary managerial role and do not constitute a separate position.

Key Responsibilities

1. IMS Implementation in Department

• Implement IMS policies and procedures within the department
• Ensure department processes align with IMS requirements
• Adapt IMS processes to department-specific context
• Integrate IMS requirements into departmental workflows
• Communicate IMS requirements to team members
• Lead by example in demonstrating IMS commitment
• Remove barriers to IMS implementation in the department

2. Staff Compliance Oversight

• Ensure team members understand and comply with IMS policies
• Monitor compliance with quality, environmental, and security requirements
• Address non-compliance promptly and constructively
• Reinforce positive compliance behaviors
• Investigate compliance issues within the department
• Report systemic compliance issues to IMS Owner or relevant leads
• Ensure corrective actions are implemented effectively

3. Resource Allocation for IMS

• Allocate staff time for IMS activities (training, audits, improvement projects)
• Provide resources for implementation of IMS initiatives
• Ensure adequate time for compliance with IMS procedures
• Balance operational demands with IMS requirements
• Request additional resources when IMS needs cannot be met
• Prioritize resource allocation for critical IMS activities
• Support staff participation in IMS working groups or projects

4. Training and Competence Management

• Ensure all team members complete mandatory IMS training
• Identify role-specific competence needs within the department
• Coordinate training delivery for department staff
• Monitor training completion and effectiveness
• Ensure new employees receive appropriate IMS induction
• Support professional development aligned with IMS competencies
• Track and document staff competence in relevant areas
• Escalate training needs to Resource Management or IMS Owner

5. Risk Management (Departmental)

• Identify risks and opportunities within department operations
• Participate in enterprise risk assessments
• Assess department-specific risks (quality, environmental, security, operational)
• Implement risk treatment actions assigned to the department
• Monitor effectiveness of risk controls
• Escalate significant risks to Risk Manager or IMS Owner
• Maintain awareness of risks affecting departmental objectives
• Ensure risk awareness within the team

6. Incident Reporting and Management

• Ensure incidents are reported promptly per IMS procedures:
  • Quality incidents (customer complaints, service issues)
  • Environmental incidents (spills, waste, non-compliance)
  • Security incidents (data breaches, access violations, malware)
  • Health and safety incidents
• Investigate incidents within the department
• Implement immediate containment actions
• Coordinate with CISO, Quality Lead, or Environmental Lead as appropriate
• Support root cause analysis
• Implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence
• Communicate lessons learned to the team

7. Process Ownership (Where Applicable)

• Own key processes operating within the department
• Ensure processes are documented and followed
• Monitor process performance and KPIs
• Identify process improvement opportunities
• Implement process improvements
• Coordinate with IMS Owner on cross-departmental processes
• Ensure process documentation is current
• Provide process input for internal audits and reviews

8. Audit Participation and Support

• Support internal audits of departmental processes
• Ensure audit findings are addressed within agreed timescales
• Coordinate department participation in external (certification) audits
• Provide evidence of IMS implementation to auditors
• Ensure team members are prepared for audit interviews
• Implement corrective actions from audit findings
• Monitor closure of audit findings in the department
• Report audit preparation needs to IMS Owner

9. Management Review Input

• Provide departmental performance data for management reviews
• Report on IMS performance within the department
• Identify improvement opportunities from departmental perspective
• Contribute to management review discussions
• Implement management review decisions within the department
• Track progress on management review action items
• Provide feedback on IMS effectiveness from operational viewpoint

10. Continual Improvement Leadership

• Foster a culture of continual improvement in the department
• Encourage team suggestions for improvement
• Implement improvement initiatives within the department
• Monitor effectiveness of improvements
• Share successful improvements with other departments
• Recognize and reward improvement contributions
• Participate in cross-departmental improvement projects
• Remove obstacles to improvement within area of control

11. Customer Focus (Quality Management)

• Ensure customer requirements are understood and met
• Monitor customer satisfaction within area of responsibility
• Address customer feedback and complaints promptly
• Communicate customer expectations to the team
• Ensure quality of deliverables from the department
• Build and maintain positive customer relationships
• Represent customer interests in departmental decisions
• Escalate customer issues that require broader attention

12. Environmental Responsibility (Where Applicable)

• Monitor environmental aspects within departmental operations:
  • Business travel (optimize travel, prefer train over plane)
  • Office energy use (lights, equipment, heating/cooling)
  • Waste and recycling (ensure proper waste sorting)
  • Equipment lifecycle (extend life, proper disposal)
  • Procurement (consider environmental criteria)
• Implement environmental objectives relevant to the department
• Report environmental performance to Environmental Lead
• Promote environmental awareness among team members
• Ensure compliance with environmental procedures
• Identify environmental improvement opportunities

13. Information Security (Departmental)

• Ensure team members follow information security policies
• Monitor security of information assets within the department
• Ensure appropriate access controls are in place
• Address security policy violations promptly
• Report security incidents to CISO immediately
• Ensure secure handling of confidential and customer data
• Monitor compliance with acceptable use policies
• Support security awareness initiatives
• Ensure secure remote working practices (where applicable)
• Coordinate with CISO on security requirements for department systems/tools

14. Communication and Escalation

• Communicate IMS requirements, changes, and updates to team
• Provide feedback to IMS Owner on IMS effectiveness and issues
• Escalate IMS issues that cannot be resolved departmentally
• Represent department interests in IMS discussions
• Communicate management decisions to the team
• Ensure open communication channels on IMS matters
• Facilitate two-way communication between team and IMS leadership

Authority

Department Managers have authority to:

Team Management Authority

• Require compliance with IMS policies and procedures from team members
• Allocate time for IMS activities (training, audits, improvement)
• Assign roles and responsibilities within the department
• Approve leave considering operational and IMS needs
• Conduct performance reviews including IMS responsibilities

Operational Authority

• Implement IMS procedures within the department
• Adapt generic procedures to departmental context (within policy limits)
• Stop work that poses significant quality, environmental, or security risk
• Approve departmental purchases within authority level (considering IMS criteria)
• Prioritize work considering both business and IMS objectives

Incident and Issue Authority

• Investigate incidents within the department
• Implement immediate containment actions
• Escalate significant issues to CEO, IMS Owner, CISO, or other relevant roles
• Assign corrective actions to team members
• Approve leave during incidents (considering operational needs)

Improvement Authority

• Approve improvement initiatives within departmental scope
• Allocate resources to improvement projects (within authority)
• Recognize and reward improvement contributions
• Implement cross-departmental improvements within the department

Limitations

• Cannot waive IMS policy requirements (only IMS Owner or CEO can approve exceptions)
• Major resource allocation decisions require CEO approval
• Cross-departmental changes require coordination with other managers
• Security classification and risk acceptance require CISO or Risk Manager involvement
• Cannot override customer commitments without Customer Success/Sales involvement

Required Competencies

Knowledge Requirements

• IMS Understanding: Basic understanding of ISO 9001, 14001, and 27001 requirements
• Swedwise IMS: Knowledge of Swedwise's IMS policies and procedures
• Process Management: Understanding of process approach and PDCA cycle
• Risk-Based Thinking: Awareness of risk management principles
• Leadership: Management and leadership competencies
• Domain Knowledge: Expertise in departmental business area

Skills Requirements

• Leadership: Team leadership and motivation
• Communication: Clear communication with team and stakeholders
• Delegation: Effective delegation and follow-up
• Problem-Solving: Analytical and systematic problem-solving
• Decision-Making: Sound judgment in operational and IMS matters
• Coaching: Ability to coach and develop team members
• Change Management: Managing change and overcoming resistance

Training Requirements

Mandatory:

• IMS Awareness training
• Information Security Awareness training (annual)
• Environmental Awareness training
• Quality Management Awareness training
• ISO requirements overview (relevant to Swedwise)

Recommended:

• Internal Auditor training (especially if department is audit-critical)
• Risk Assessment training
• Process Management training
• Leadership and Change Management training

Key Relationships

Stakeholder	Nature of Interaction	Frequency
CEO	Reports to; receives strategic direction; escalates issues	Weekly
IMS Owner	Coordinates IMS implementation; provides guidance	Bi-weekly/Monthly
CISO	Coordinates security matters; reports incidents	As needed
Quality Lead	Coordinates quality matters; customer feedback	As needed
Environmental Lead	Coordinates environmental matters; reports performance	As needed
Risk Manager	Participates in risk assessments; manages departmental risks	Quarterly
Resource Management	Coordinates training and resource allocation	Monthly
Other Department Managers	Coordinates cross-departmental activities; shares best practices	Monthly
Department Team Members	Leads and manages; communicates IMS requirements	Daily/Weekly
Internal Auditors	Supports audits; implements findings	During audits
Customers	Ensures customer satisfaction (customer-facing departments)	Ongoing

Relationship with Other IMS Roles

IMS Owner

• Collaboration Model: Department Manager implements IMS; IMS Owner coordinates and supports
• Division of Responsibility: IMS Owner defines IMS framework; Department Manager implements within department
• Interaction: Regular coordination on implementation status, issues, and needs

CISO / Quality Lead / Environmental Lead

• Collaboration Model: Department Manager implements domain policies; domain leads provide expertise and oversight
• Division of Responsibility: Domain leads define requirements; Department Manager ensures compliance
• Interaction: As needed for domain-specific matters, incidents, and improvements

Risk Manager

• Collaboration Model: Department Manager identifies departmental risks; Risk Manager coordinates enterprise view
• Division of Responsibility: Department Manager owns departmental risk treatment; Risk Manager facilitates assessment
• Interaction: Participation in risk assessments; reporting on risk treatment progress

Performance Indicators

KPI	Target	Measurement Method
Training Completion (Department)	100% of team members trained within 3 months	Training records
Audit Findings (Department)	<3 minor findings per audit cycle	Audit reports
Incident Reporting Timeliness	100% of incidents reported within required timeframe	Incident register
Corrective Action Closure	90% of actions closed within agreed timescale	Corrective action tracking
Process Performance	All departmental processes meet defined KPIs	Process monitoring data
Customer Satisfaction	>= 4.0/5.0 (customer-facing departments)	Customer surveys
Environmental Objectives	80% of departmental environmental objectives achieved	Environmental tracking
Security Compliance	Zero security policy violations in department	Security incident register
Improvement Participation	Department contributes >= 2 improvements per year	Improvement register

Delegation and Backup

During Planned Absence

• Designate a deputy manager or senior team member
• Provide handover on critical IMS matters (ongoing audits, findings, incidents)
• Ensure deputy understands escalation procedures
• Notify IMS Owner, CISO, and other relevant roles of absence and deputy

Deputy Department Manager

• Should understand departmental operations and IMS requirements
• Should have completed relevant IMS training
• Should have access to departmental IMS documentation
• Should be empowered to make operational decisions and escalate as needed

Success Factors

The Department Manager will be successful when:

1. Team Engagement: Team understands and is engaged with IMS requirements
2. Compliance: Department consistently complies with IMS policies and procedures
3. Incident-Free: Minimal incidents originating from the department
4. Audit Readiness: Department is consistently prepared for audits with minimal findings
5. Customer Satisfaction: Customers are satisfied with quality of departmental outputs (where applicable)
6. Improvement Culture: Team actively contributes improvement ideas and participates in initiatives
7. Training Current: All team members have current, relevant training
8. Risk Management: Departmental risks are identified and effectively managed
9. Integration: IMS is seamlessly integrated into departmental operations, not viewed as burden
10. Best Practices: Department serves as example for other departments

Document Control

Version	Date	Author	Changes
1.0	[TBD]	[Author]	Initial release

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Approval

Role	Name	Signature	Date
CEO
IMS Owner