Benefits Realisation Officer

Overview

The Benefits Realisation Lead plays a senior, strategic specialist role within the Council ensuring that the benefits of projects and programs are consistently identified, quantified, realized, and maximized for the community's advantage. The role involves working closely with stakeholders including senior leaders, managers and project teams to ensure that all projects deliver tangible benefits and contribute to strategic objectives.

Job Description

1. Resident & Community Contribution

• To demonstrate understanding of the Councils Customer Care Standards and ensure that these standards are met in order to deliver the Council vision of putting our residents first.

2. People Management

• No direct supervisory responsibility however will be responsible for convening and leading activities including senior officers, with significant CMT exposure, and will be required to establish and coordinate meetings and task and finish groups, and to assist in induction and training of peers and new employees.

3. Operational Service Delivery

Key Responsibilities

Benefits Planning and Identification

• Develop and implement a benefits realisation strategy and implementation arrangements aligned with the government's strategic goals and priorities.
• Identify, define, and quantify benefits for new and existing projects, ensuring clear linkage to organisational objectives.
• Work collaboratively with project managers and stakeholders to create detailed benefits realisation plans.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Engage and communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders to foster a shared understanding of benefits realisation processes.
• Provide guidance and training to project teams on best practices for benefits identification, tracking, and reporting.
• Facilitate workshops and meetings to ensure stakeholder buy-in and commitment to benefits realisation.

Monitoring and Reporting

• Develop and implement mechanisms for tracking and reporting on benefits realisation, ensuring transparency and accountability.
• Regularly review project progress to ensure that benefits are being realised as planned and identify any issues or risks to benefit realisation.
• Provide regular updates to senior leadership on the status of benefits realisation across the portfolio of projects.
• Continuously evaluate and improve benefits realisation processes and methodologies to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
• Lead lessons learned sessions to capture insights and best practices from completed projects and apply them to future initiatives.
• Stay abreast of industry trends and developments in benefits realisation and incorporate relevant innovations into the local government's practices.

Service Planning & Development

• Maintain knowledge of the Councils plans, priorities, risks, opportunities and programmes, alongside the Teams Plan and understanding of own contribution in order to ensure delivery of these plans.
• To demonstrate cost-consciousness and identify any cost effective changes to own way of working.

Service Improvement

• To identify and suggest any improvements to current ways of working in order to deliver a more efficient and effective service for customers.

Contacts

• Primary contact will be with other officers within the Council, Members, and service users / residents and their representative bodies.

Additional Responsibilities

• Complete other reasonable tasks in order to fulfil role purpose or as instructed by management.

Key Performance Indicators

Delivery of the agreed Personal Performance Appraisal Objectives

Person Specification

1. QUALIFICATIONS

Degree in a relevant subject, or equivalent experience.

Professional certification in project management (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2, AGILE) is highly desirable.

Evidence of continuing professional development

Significant, specialized knowledge in benefits realization and demonstrable experience of its application

2. STATUTORY or ROLE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the Service,

3. EXPERIENCE

Evidence you have continuously evaluated and improved benefits realisation processes and methodologies to enhance efficiency and effectiveness..

Collaborative working, ability to to capture insights and best practices from completed projects and apply them to future initiatives.

Proven track record of successfully delivering benefits realisation outcomes in complex project environments.

Demonstrable experience of best practices in benefits realisation and relevant tools and methodologies.

4. KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

Strategic Thinking: Ability to understand and align projects with broader organisational goals and objectives.

Stay abreast of industry trends and developments in benefits realisation and incorporate relevant innovations into the local government's practices

Analytical Skills: Strong analytical skills to identify, quantify, and monitor benefits.

Stakeholder Management: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to engage and influence stakeholders effectively.

Project Management: Solid understanding of project management principles and practices.

Financial literacy: skilled understanding of financial and extra-financial data, information and risks, including budget development, forecasting and monitoring

Strong IT skills and the ability to proficiently use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Visio.

Proven ability to manage a range of projects through to completion

Proven written and oral communication and interpersonal skills with good negotiation and influencing skills and the ability to work collaboratively with internal and external partners/professionals.

Problem-Solving: Ability to identify issues and risks to benefits realisation and develop mitigation strategies.

Continuous Improvement: Commitment to continuous improvement and learning.

5. COMPETENCIES

Residents and Community Focus

Putting Our Residents First'. Delivers the Customer Care Promise; is welcoming, helpful & polite. Engages, empathises and takes ownership. Gives clear information about service standards and timescales. Treats all customers and colleagues with dignity and respect.

Aware of Local Government purpose & Nolan principles including integrity, openness and honesty. Adopts a 'One Council' perspective on service delivery.

Accountability and Delivery

Plans, prioritise & organises workload to meet deadlines. Is quality orientated and accepts responsibility for outcomes (positive and negative).

Considers financial implications of service delivery. Cost-conscious, aware of budgetary controls and escalates decisions where appropriate.

Inspirational Collaboration

Engages with Council's vision and priorities and takes 'One Council' view. Actively listens and contributes to team meetings and decisions.

Takes responsibility for own development and wellbeing. Encourages constructive feedback and is self-aware of own strengths, wellbeing and development needs. Actively participates in learning activities and applies new knowledge and skills in the workplace.

Drives Change and Improvement

Solution focused, challenges existing practices and suggests new ways of doing things. Willing to try new things, accepts responsibility and learns from own mistakes

Remains positive and engages with change and service improvement. Remains open-minded to new ideas.

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