Job title: Project Support Officer
Salary: SO2 £37,280 – £39,152 (Annual)
Hours: 37 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Location: Merrion House, 110 Merrion Centre, Leeds, LS2 8BB
In Leeds we aim high for our children and young people, with the ambition of being a child friendly city. We put children at the heart of all decisions that affect them.
Whilst we hold central our ambitions for all children to have the best start in life, to have access to the right opportunities to live happy and healthy lives, critical to delivery of this is the Children’s & Families workforce. The values, behaviour, insight and approach that leaders, managers and practitioners bring to their work determines the quality of the service that children, young people and families receive.
The current Children & Families environment is challenging, however it is also an exciting time, with lots of opportunities to make improvements in service delivery and work practices.
Why not come and join us on this journey and be part of making a real difference to the lives of children, young people and their families across the city.
About The Role
You will work with the Transformation Team who support the delivery of an ambitious programme of change, in the context of significant national reforms.
You will apply your project expertise and knowledge to support service reviews, change proposals, robust project documentation and wider engagement and communication across services.
Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.
What We Offer You
- A competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
- Membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
- Flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
- A clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
- A range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and manage your finances
How To Apply
Please complete the online application form.
Read our guidance for further advice on completing your application.
If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Paul McGrath, Change Manager, 0113 37 87230 or email paul.mcgrath@leeds.gov.uk.
We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from women, carers, veterans, LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care‑experienced people.
This role is based in the UK. Candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment. If you do not have the right to work in the UK, please consider your eligibility for sponsorship via the Skilled Worker visa route. The salary for sponsorship cases must meet the standard rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet other eligibility criteria.
Job Description
Job Purpose
The postholder will support the delivery of the Children & Families directorate’s transformation agenda through project support across a complex programme of change. The Project Support Officer will work flexibly as part of a wider programme team, delivering projects to meet the needs of the directorate, the wider Council and partners.
Responsibilities include providing project support in accordance with business cases, project plans and programmes, supporting service reviews, designing change proposals and developing project documentation such as plans, risk registers, benefits registers, work packages and stakeholder management plans.
Responsibilities
- Support effective complex project delivery across the directorate’s transformation agenda.
- Work within multi‑disciplinary teams to deliver projects on time, to cost and to quality.
- Create and update project documentation, escalates risks at the right time and place.
- Support cross‑Council projects and collaborative work with partners across the health and care sector.
- Provide support to achieve successful change and manage competing priorities.
- Produce written reports and briefs on project activity for stakeholders.
- Manage project budgets, including planning, monitoring and reporting spend.
- Assist in project team meetings, boards and other groups, including attending, participating and taking minutes.
- Supervise, motivate and direct staff linked to projects as required.
- Escalate issues timely to enable swift corrective action.
- Adapt to change and provide assistance to other services as required.
- Participate in appraisal, training and development activities.
- Improve own practice through observation, evaluation and learning.
- Collaborate with colleagues and seek help and advice when needed.
- Contribute to the overall ethos of the service by attending relevant meetings and events.
- Comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures, including child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality and data protection.
- Support equality, diversity and inclusion, and challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation or abuse.
- Work within the Council’s flexibility protocol.
- The duties outlined are not exhaustive and may include other duties in the spirit of this post.
Qualifications
The postholder should hold a relevant project management qualification or clearly demonstrate experience of working in a project management environment.
Essential Requirements
- Work flexibly across different locations and areas as appropriate.
- Prioritise own and team’s work to meet conflicting deadlines.
- Apply a range of project management techniques and methodologies to achieve desired outcomes, including risk and benefit registers and stakeholder management plans.
- Work collaboratively with stakeholders to support project development and implementation within a robust framework.
- Support development of options appraisals, including evaluating and shaping recommendations.
- Support development of cases for change, articulating the need, benefits, risks and required investment.
- Good report writing skills and effective communication with stakeholders.
- Analytical skills to gather, interpret and present data and to produce recommendations.
- Demonstrable knowledge of project management methodologies and practices.
- Understanding of current challenges faced by local government and the wider public sector.
- Understanding of the challenges facing children’s services, locally and nationally.
- Experience of working on cultural and/or operational change projects with customer‑focused outcomes.
- Experience of creating and maintaining complex project documentation, including risk and benefits registers, stakeholder plans, action logs and highlight reports.
- Experience of supporting multi‑disciplinary project teams to deliver successfully.
- Experience of working within a matrix management approach, influencing and taking direction from others.
- Experience of presenting orally and in writing to project meetings and other audiences.
- Effective organisational and time‑management skills.
Essential Behavioural And Other Characteristics
- Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct.
- Commit to continuous improvement and deliver the council’s ambition for health & wellbeing, inclusive growth and zero carbon.
- Observe equality and diversity policies.
- Carry out duties with a focus on health and safety.
- Participate actively in training and development activities.
- Maintain flexibility and adapt to change to assist other services.
- Comply with council policies and procedures.
- Support equality and diversity, challenging incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation or abuse.
- Work within the council’s flexibility protocol.
We welcome applications from all backgrounds and encourage diversity in the application process.
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