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- Tasks: Support projects focused on early intervention for children and families in Cambridgeshire.
- Company: Join Cambridgeshire County Council, dedicated to community improvement and children's welfare.
- Benefits: Enjoy a comprehensive wellbeing package, flexible holidays, and professional development opportunities.
- Other info: Inclusive workplace with strong support for diversity and personal growth.
- Why this job: Be part of a significant national shift in children's social care and make a real difference.
- Qualifications: Knowledge of project management and stakeholder engagement is essential.
The predicted salary is between 30000 - 42000 £ per year.
In November 2024, the Department for Education published the policy statement Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive: Breaking down the barriers to opportunity\’, outlining the vision and core legislative proposals for children\’s social care. This followed the December 2023 National Framework for Children\’s Social Care, which detailed the vision for the system and desired outcomes.
The Families First Partnership programme has been established to support reforms, aiming to take a whole-system approach to rebalancing children\’s social care towards early intervention.
Following the launch, we are building additional local capacity to drive forward these changes to ensure that children and families in our local area benefit from earlier help and stronger support. This is an exciting time of change and a unique opportunity to play a key role in shaping one of the most significant national shifts in children\’s social care in recent decades.
We are seeking an enthusiastic Project Support Officer to support the Families First Partnership Programme. This is a full-time, fixed term post for 24 months.
This role is part of the Change and Service Improvement Team which brings programmes, projects and service improvement together to design, develop and deliver the Council\’s major change portfolio and support Cambridgeshire County Council\’s strategic ambitions.
For more information or to arrange a chat about this opportunity, please contact Jemma.Roberts@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Our benefits
We value our colleagues in Cambridgeshire County Council and have developed a number of benefits in addition to the basics like annual leave, sick pay, pension and mileage:
- A comprehensive wellbeing package to cover all aspects of wellbeing, both in and out of work, which can also be accessed by your family
- Buy up to 4 weeks additional annual leave (pro-rata) through our salary sacrifice scheme
- Take your bank holidays flexibly to better suit your personal circumstances
- Make Additional Voluntary Contributions (Shared AVCs) to your pension with tax and National Insurance savings
- Access to development opportunities, apprenticeships and qualified coaches to support your personal and professional growth
- Paid volunteering hours each year so you can make a positive impact on our community during your normal working day
- Access to Peer Support Groups through our IDEAL staff equality, diversity and inclusion network
- Opportunities to nominate and receive Employee Recognition Awards
- An Our Cambs Rewards account, giving you access to in-store and online discounts as well as our Car Lease and Cycle to Work schemes
Take a look at our Employment Benefits Brochure attached to this advert to find out more.
What will you be doing?
As a Project Support Officer you will support the Programme Manager and Project Team to oversee projects that focus on early intervention and improving outcomes for children and families in Cambridgeshire. Working effectively, in line with the council\’s project management methodologies and standards, to manage the production and maintenance of key documentation such as project plans, highlight reports, Risk, Actions, Issues Decisions (RAID) logs, formal and informal meeting and workshop documentation.
The Project Support Officer will be required to communicate well across all stakeholders, including internal colleagues and external partner organisations. A key function of the role will be to support project team members to fully utilise the MS Project Online system (POWA), advising and assisting in the application of project procedures and disciplines, and taking responsibility for recording and reporting throughout the project lifecycle.
About you
To succeed in this role, you will have a good level of knowledge and understanding of:
- project management
- stakeholder engagement
- reporting and project tools to effectively manage and monitor projects and workstreams.
You will be:
- capable of coordinating a range of projects of varying complexity
- organised, with excellent time management skills, with ability to self-direct and work under own initiative
- keen to support positive project outcomes
- motivated to make a visible difference to our communities and drive forward change.
About us
Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes.
Our four values are central to our culture, driving everything we do.
We are proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and want our workforce to be reflective of this diversity, which we firmly believe benefits our colleagues, the organisation and our communities. If you don\\\’t meet every single requirement in the job role but think this could be you, please don\\\’t be put off. We are committed to building a workplace that is compassionate and inclusive as well as diverse, so if you think you could be a good candidate for this role please consider applying and speak to the recruiting manager if you have any questions.
Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, along with our employee network \\\’IDEAL\\\’ and self-organised peer support groups help us to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe working environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered. We collect relevant diversity data for monitoring as part of the recruitment process to understand the diversity of our applicants and monitor any trends throughout the recruitment processes so that we can take meaningful action.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We fully support providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process, as well as when you join us, and we encourage candidates to contact the Hiring Manager, whose details can be found in the advert, to discuss any adjustment needs. Some examples of adjustments could include additional time to complete an assessment or printing a document on pastel coloured paper with larger font size and line spacing. We would value talking about what might be possible to enable you to join us and thrive, so if there is something that would help you to do your best during your journey with us, please get in touch.
Visit our jobs and careers section to find out more about our wide range of learning and development opportunities; apprenticeships; our wellbeing package; staff benefits; our commitment to equality, diversity and Inclusion.
https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/council/jobs-and-careers
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Project Support Officer employer: Cambridge County Council
Contact Detail:
Cambridge County Council Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Project Support Officer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the field of children's social care, especially those involved with the Families First Partnership Programme. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insights that might just set you apart from other candidates.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for your interview by brushing up on project management methodologies and stakeholder engagement strategies. Show us you know your stuff and can hit the ground running as a Project Support Officer!
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t forget to showcase your organisational skills! Bring examples of how you've managed multiple projects or tasks effectively. We love to see candidates who can juggle responsibilities while keeping everything on track.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves. Plus, you’ll find all the info you need about the role and our fantastic benefits right there.
We think you need these skills to ace Project Support Officer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to highlight how your skills and experiences align with the Project Support Officer role. Use keywords from the job description to show that you understand what we're looking for.
Show Your Enthusiasm: Let your passion for supporting children and families shine through in your application. We want to see your motivation for making a difference in our communities, so don’t hold back on expressing why this role excites you!
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make it easy for us to read and find the key information about your qualifications and experiences.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application through our official website. This ensures that your application is received directly by us and helps streamline the process, making it easier for you and for us!
How to prepare for a job interview at Cambridge County Council
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you understand the key policies and frameworks related to children's social care, especially the Families First Partnership programme. Familiarise yourself with the recent changes and how they impact early intervention strategies.
✨Show Your Organisational Skills
Be ready to discuss your experience with project management tools and methodologies. Highlight specific examples where you've successfully coordinated projects or managed documentation like RAID logs and project plans.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Prepare to talk about your experience in stakeholder engagement. Think of instances where you've effectively communicated with various parties, both internal and external, and how that contributed to positive project outcomes.
✨Demonstrate Your Passion
Express your motivation for making a difference in the community. Share why you're excited about this role and how you can contribute to the council's strategic ambitions, particularly in supporting children and families.