Active Essex Project Officer

Active Essex is positioned within Essex County Council's Adults, Public Health and Community Wellbeing team and is the strategic lead for sport and physical activity across Essex including Southend and Thurrock. In July 2021, Active Essex launched "Fit for the Future" a ground‑breaking 10-year strategy for physical activity and sport owned by the whole Essex eco‑system. We now also published an implementation plan for "Fit for the Future", which clarifies all of our delivery targets across the five strategic priorities and confirms Active Essex commitment to place‑based working underpinned by the principles of asset‑based community development.

As Project Officer you will play a key role in implementing our strategy, supporting place‑based working, and managing grant‑funded programmes. Your work will be dynamic, adapting to the priorities of different places, funding received, and the impact we aim to achieve.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Collaborating with local stakeholders, developing system capacity, monitoring project delivery, and ensuring that our initiatives are effectively communicated and impactful.
• Maintaining appropriate systems to ensure effective planning and scheduling of projects or programmes.
• Assisting in maintaining project controls and producing project reports to ensure adequate and regular monitoring of project progress.
• Managing programme/project file management using robust version control and organising programme/project boards and meetings.
• Being a main point of contact for responses to external requests for information and engaging with both internal and external contacts.
• Processing grant agreements and payments, contributing to budget updates while maintaining risk and issue logs and documenting decisions.
• Coordinating and monitoring data of evaluation surveys and communications returns from delivery providers and participants.
• Organising meetings, boards, events, and workshops, providing venue hire, catering arrangements, action/minute taking, and attendance tracking.
• Sharing insights or escalating issues to ensure Relationship and Projects Managers are kept up to date.
• Providing flexible administrative, project, and event support across the county to assist delivery of programmes and priorities across the wider Active Essex team.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• Educated to 'A' level or equivalent by experience.
• Experience of using Microsoft Office and adaptable to use bespoke packages such as Canva and Monday.com.
• Evidence of continuing professional development in a relevant area.
• Experience in supporting delivery of projects within a fast‑paced, high performing environment.
• Demonstrable understanding of successful project delivery elements.
• Proven collaborative working with partners through high‑quality relationships.
• Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal) with strong interpersonal, influencing, and negotiating abilities.
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects, prioritise, and meet deadlines.
• Experience working effectively within a team environment and liaising professionally with a wide range of contacts.
• Knowledge of Holiday Activity and Food Programme, Active Essex Foundation, Place partnerships and wider Active Essex portfolio.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you've secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained.

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.

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email ami.fosker@essex.gov.uk.