Senior Project Support Officer

Fixed term, until March 2022

Full-time, 37 hours per week

Up to £36,057 per annum

Location: Chelmsford*

Closing Date: 27th June 2021

Transformation Delivery is at the heart of service excellence and using methods of human centred design/design thinking to lead innovation, design and digital activities to improve the experience of everyone who we support, whether they be staff, residents or partners.

We are proactive, forward-thinking and solution focused, we streamline processes and maximise digital opportunities. In doing so, we help increase the effectiveness of Essex County Council to deliver better outcomes for the people of Essex than it could without our support.

The Role

The Senior Project Support Officer covers a diverse range of activities to cover the absence of PMO Managers and support the delivery of business solutions. The role is key to the effective and efficient operation of all projects, by supporting the project manager with day-to-day project management processes and the co-ordination of business management actions and activities

A qualified and highly experienced, methodical and structured senior project co-ordinator, able to engage with a diverse group of individuals at all levels, who will add value to the operational effectiveness of the team including the mentoring of less experienced staff.

Duties will include, but are not limited to, the following

· Support the project teams by developing and maintaining appropriate systems to ensure effective planning and scheduling of projects.

· Responsible for directing the project teams in maintaining project controls and for producing project reports in a timely manner to enable adequate and regular monitoring of project progress.

· Accountable for project file management using robust version control and organising project boards and meetings, together with providing support to ensure efficient operation of projects day to day.

· Accountable for being a main point of contact for project responses to external requests to ensure up to date information is provided and enquiries are effectively managed, whilst engaging with both internal and external stakeholders.

· Responsible for monitoring project spend and contributing to the compilation of budget updates, whilst also ensuring the update of all project documentation and clearly documenting decisions/actions arising from project meetings.

· Responsible for conducting reviews and audits of project and programme management, to ensure conformance to standards and assure the quality of delivery. Ensuring programmes and projects are delivered successfully to meet requirements, lessons are learned and acted upon to deliver continuous improvement.

· Responsible for managing the projects' risk and issue logs, helping to identify any on-going risks/issues, ensuring appropriate escalation and tracking progress to ensure resolution.

· Responsible for evaluating projects and/or programme performance and recommending changes where necessary to ensure successful delivery and continuous improvement.

· Responsible for mentoring and supporting the development of Project Support Officers and acting as a point of escalation to help them resolve project issues.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

· Educated to RQF level 6 (Bachelor's degree) or equivalent by experience.

· Accredited to Axelos Project Offices P30 or relevant experience.

· Proficient user in MS-Project, MS-Teams, Excel and PowerPoint

· Experience with MS Word, Kanban boards - Miro or similar whiteboarding tools desirable

· Evidence of continual professional development to keep pace with technical and business change that meet defined SFIA V7 competencies.

· Extensive experience and evidence of working in a project co-ordination role in a large, complex organisation.

· Extensive experience of engaging with others to build good working relationships and communicating effectively to achieve the right outcomes/progress for the project(s).

· Extensive experience of working with a broad range of individuals at different levels within the organisation and engaging with/persuading them as appropriate to maintain project progress.

Home working / working from home

*This position will initially, in line with current government guidance be based from home, with an expectation of being home based for the foreseeable future. However, if / when government guidelines change the role may then revert to being office based, whilst retaining some flexible working options.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity is key to our success.