Project Officer in Hemel Hempstead

The School Aged Statutory SEND Service works with children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), their families, schools and partner agencies to ensure statutory duties are fulfilled and positive outcomes are achieved. We are committed to delivering a responsive, high-quality service that places children and young people at the centre of decision-making and continuously seeks opportunities to improve outcomes for Hertfordshire families.

Our service works closely with schools, health services, social care and a range of Local Authority teams to support children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). As part of an ambitious programme of service improvement, we are focused on strengthening performance, developing innovative ways of working and embedding a culture of Accurate, Compassionate and Timely (ACT) communication across all aspects of our practice.

This newly created Project Officer role plays an important part in supporting the delivery of the service's improvement priorities. Working directly with the Head of School Aged Statutory SEND and senior leadership team, the postholder will help coordinate projects, monitor performance and support the successful delivery of initiatives that improve outcomes for children, young people and families across Hertfordshire.

As Project Officer, you will play a key role in supporting the delivery of projects and strategic priorities across the School Aged Statutory SEND Service. You will coordinate a range of projects and service improvement activities, working with managers and stakeholders to track actions, monitor progress, manage risks and support the achievement of agreed outcomes. Your work will contribute directly to improving the effectiveness, efficiency and quality of services provided to children, young people and families.

A significant aspect of the role will involve collecting, analysing and presenting performance information. You will develop reports and briefing materials that provide valuable insights for managers and senior leaders, helping to inform decision-making and monitor service performance. You will support the oversight and implementation of the service's ACT (Accurate, Compassionate and Timely) Communications approach, helping to embed high-quality communication standards across the service and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

The role also provides administrative and project support to the Head of School Aged Statutory SEND and senior leadership team. This will include coordinating meetings, maintaining project documentation, preparing reports and presentations, supporting governance processes and contributing to reporting for senior leadership forums. Working closely with SEND managers, casework teams and colleagues across SEND services, you will build strong working relationships, support collaborative working and help ensure improvement activity is effectively delivered.

This is a hybrid role, with an expectation that staff attend the office approximately two days per week alongside flexible remote working arrangements.

Essential:

• Experience of supporting, coordinating or delivering projects within a complex organisation.
• Demonstrable experience of collecting, analysing and presenting data to support operational or strategic decision-making.
• Experience of producing high-quality reports, presentations, briefing papers and other written communications for managers or senior leaders.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret information, identify trends and make evidence-based recommendations.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and work to deadlines.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present information clearly and effectively.
• Excellent ICT skills, including experience of Microsoft Office applications, databases and reporting systems.
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently, use initiative and exercise sound judgement.
• Experience of handling sensitive information with professionalism and confidentiality.

Desirable:

• Knowledge and understanding of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
• Experience of working within a SEND, education, local authority, health or social care environment.
• Knowledge of EHCP processes and statutory SEND legislation.
• Experience of supporting service improvement, transformation or performance management programmes.
• Experience of providing administrative or executive support to senior leaders.
• Experience of preparing reports or presentations for senior leadership groups.
• Experience of developing dashboards, management information or performance reports.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a service that is committed to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND across Hertfordshire. As a newly created role, you will have the opportunity to help shape how project management, performance reporting and improvement activity are coordinated across the School Aged Statutory SEND Service. Working directly with the Head of School Aged Statutory SEND and senior leadership team, you will gain valuable experience of service improvement, strategic planning and performance management within a large and complex statutory service.

This role offers an excellent opportunity to develop your project management expertise, influence meaningful change and contribute to the delivery of high-quality services for children, young people and families. You will work closely with senior leaders, gain insight into strategic decision-making and play a key role in supporting the service's improvement journey.

If you are organised, analytical and motivated by using projects, data and collaboration to drive improvement, we would love to hear from you. We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is Level 10.

To hear more about this opportunity please contact Alistair Hines.

Interview Date: 11th September 2026

Benefits of working for us:

We are changing Hertfordshire County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). If you are employed by Hertfordshire County on 1 April 2028, it is expected that most roles will transfer to the newly-created unitary councils on existing terms and conditions under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings – Protection of Employment) principles. LGR is one of the biggest changes we will face in a generation. It will reshape how we work and how services are organised and gives us a real opportunity to build something better.

To find out more, visit Hertfordshire LGR.

Disability Confident: We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding: This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

English Fluency: The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.