Project Manager - CYPP in London

Midlothian Council is Scotland's fastest growing Local Authority, serving a population of over 90,000. The council provides a diverse range of services to its citizens including schools, social care, planning, waste and recycling services, libraries, and more. The council is the largest employer in the region with roles for over 4,000 people and strives to be an employer of choice by providing a range of benefits to recruit and retain the best people.

Background to the role: The Council is seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead a strategic review of current provision across a range of support services for children, people and families. The successful candidate will be responsible for undertaking a discovery and evaluation exercise focused on the availability, accessibility and effectiveness of services including wraparound childcare, breakfast clubs, school holiday provision and support for children and people with additional support needs outside of core educational hours.

The project will seek to establish a clear understanding of the current landscape, identify opportunities for improvement, assess future demand, and provide recommendations which deliver measurable organisational and community benefits.

Role Description:

• Duration: Initial 6-month contract
• Location: Flexible preference would be hybrid with time spent in Dalkeith on an infrequent basis but the council will also consider fully remote candidates

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and coordinate a discovery and evaluation programme across the CYPP service area.
• Conduct a comprehensive review of existing wraparound care, breakfast club provision, school holiday activities and out-of-hours support services for children and people.
• Map current processes, service delivery models, stakeholder interactions and operational workflows.
• Engage with a broad range of stakeholders including:
• Schools and educational establishments
• Education and Children's Services teams
• Sport and leisure providers
• Community organisations and third-sector partners
• Parents, carers and families
• Additional support needs specialists and support services
• Internal Council departments and service leads
• Facilitate workshops, interviews and stakeholder engagement activities to gather requirements and understand current challenges and opportunities.
• Analyse existing systems, data sources and reporting mechanisms used to support service provision and decision-making.
• Assess service effectiveness, accessibility, capacity, utilisation and future demand.
• Identify process improvement opportunities, service gaps, efficiencies and potential areas for service transformation.
• Develop options appraisals and evidence-based recommendations to support future strategic decision making.
• Define and articulate expected organisational, operational and community benefits arising from proposed changes.
• Produce clear project documentation including discovery reports, process maps, recommendations, business cases and implementation roadmaps.
• Ensure effective project governance, planning, risk management, stakeholder management and reporting throughout the assignment.

Required Experience:

• Proven experience delivering discovery, evaluation, transformation or service improvement projects within complex organisations.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills, with the ability to work across multiple functions and levels of seniority.
• Experience conducting process mapping, requirements gathering, service reviews and business analysis activities.
• Demonstrable track record of identifying and delivering business and operational improvement opportunities.
• Experience evaluating systems, data flows and operating models to support service transformation initiatives.
• Strong reporting, presentation and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently while coordinating a diverse group of stakeholders.

Desirable Experience:

• Experience delivering projects within local government, public sector or regulated environments.
• Exposure to children's services, education, community services or related service areas.
• Experience supporting strategic reviews, service redesign or organisational change programmes.
• Knowledge of benefits realisation approaches and outcome-based project delivery.

Please note: The Council is seeking an experienced Project Manager with strong discovery, analysis and stakeholder management capabilities. Detailed subject matter expertise in children's services is less important than the ability to evaluate existing provision, identify improvement opportunities and develop practical, evidence-based recommendations.

Interview Process:

• 1 or 2 stage interview process
• Face-to-face or virtual interviews depending on availability

Qualifications:

• PRINCE2, MSP, Agile PM or other recognised project management methodologies would be beneficial but are not mandatory.
• The Council places greater emphasis on proven delivery capability, stakeholder management skills and experience leading complex discovery and evaluation projects.