Project & Support Officer

Project & Support Officer

Salary and grade: £32,069-£37,891, Grade 5

Duration of role: Permanent

Hours per week: 37

Location: Home/Abingdon, Oxfordshire

Closing Date: 15/02/2023

About the role and what we’re looking for

We are seeking an organised, efficient and experienced project and support officer with fantastic communication skills to join our Policy and Programmes service. This is an exciting and key role in the service to support the planning policy teams to provide strong, proactive and accurate project and administration support.

This is a broad and varied role, so you’ll need to work effectively and efficiently and prioritise work to achieve deadlines. You’ll need to have excellent communication skills, (written, face to face, on video conferencing and over the telephone). In addition to the excellent administrative support, you’ll take on small projects e.g. organising events/forums/meetings with external stakeholders.

You’ll need to be highly proactive and have the ability to filter high volumes of information (sometimes sensitive and confidential) to identify and communicate key issues. You’ll need to be calm under pressure and capable of thinking on your feet when dealing with fast changing priorities.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• 
  Support the delivery of a project management approach to the service
• Support the delivery of resource management within the service
• Support the delivery of a clearly structured approach to storing electronic information in the service
• Prepare accurate letters, reports, minutes and emails within corporate and service timescales
• Carry out the full remit of administration duties
• Assist with FOI requests and responses
• Provide excellent customer service to customers (in writing, face to face and by telephone)
• Carry out budget monitoring and process invoices and purchase orders as required
• Work on projects to improve service delivery, performance or customer service
• Be a Plain English champion for the service, proactively encouraging and fostering Plain English
• Oversee and improve the planning policy pages of the council’s website and carry out website updates
• Monitor customer satisfaction and publish responses on the website, keeping responses up to date
• Regularly liaise with key contacts across the council e.g. senior management support officers

Your essential skills, knowledge and experience

• 
  advanced level MS Word and Excel
• at least two years in a customer-focused environment, demonstrating strong customer service skills
• experience of managing and driving small projects
• excellent time management and prioritisation skills
• ability to carry out research and present a clear summary of findings
• excellent written and verbal communication skills

Your essential qualifications

• 
  educated to degree level or equivalent, or equivalent level of experience

If you have the following experience or qualifications – it’s a bonus

• 
  ‘A’ level or higher qualification in English language
• Plain English qualification
• proof reading experience
• a project-based qualification
• experience of working in a political environment
• some knowledge of the planning service

Your style and behaviours

• 
  self motivated and enthusiastic
• excellent customer service ethos and a desire to go beyond customer expectation
• good self presentation and confidence
• strong organisational skills, effectively managing competing priorities
• positive and clear communication skills
• a can-do attitude
• ability to act on own initiative
• work with minimal supervision but also work as part of a team
• ability to achieve targets and deadlines
• ability to identify and then resolve problems
• ability to work flexibly and respond quickly when priorities change
• diplomacy and tactfulness, particularly when dealing with difficult situations or angry customers

About us

Our vision and values are important to the councils and we expect you to support them and embed them in the way we work.

Our vision

We are seen as being customer-focused, approachable and business-like. We are honest and open and are renowned for providing high-quality cost-effective services.

Our values

• We act with integrity and show respect
• We are all accountable
• We are passionate about our business
• We strive for simplicity
• We love success

The benefits we offer

• 
  A basic 24 days annual leave per annum
• Flexible working and annualised hours – a flexible approach to work that our employees love!
• Salary pay awards
• A generous career average pension scheme which includes life insurance of three times your salary
• The opportunity to purchase a bike through Cyclescheme
• A salary sacrifice car lease scheme – a fully inclusive driving package for a fixed monthly cost
• Various schemes to keep you healthy
• We give you two days per year to volunteer within the local community.