Senior Project Officer in Leeds

We are looking for an enthusiastic, proactive and adaptable Senior Project Officer to join our Business Development and Housing Projects Service. You will help shape housing services, deliver efficiencies, support compliance and drive positive change across the council. No two projects are the same, so you will know how to tailor your project approach, language and style to suit the size, complexity and needs of the organisation while engaging and working with stakeholders in a practical and accessible way.

As a Senior Project Officer, you will bring to the role:

• Degree level qualification or equivalent experience.
• Project management skills equivalent to APMP and/or IPMA Level C.
• Experience of delivering projects or programmes in complex environments.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience supporting procurement, change and service improvement projects.
• A positive approach to tackling challenges, building strong relationships, and finding practical solutions.
• Motivation and the ability to inspire confidence and help drive projects forward.

As a Senior Project Officer in the Housing Projects team you will have a varied workload, meaningful projects, supportive colleagues, and professional development opportunities, along with the chance to make a visible difference to services and customers across Housing Leeds. Our service provides professional project management support to Leeds housing and corporate priorities, helping services deliver change, improve efficiency, strengthen compliance and realise benefits from transformation activities.

The role is part of the Housing Projects Team, who have led Housing Leeds through major changes in legislation, including the Building Safety Act, The Social Housing Act and the Renters Right act, along with delivering local environmental projects, establishing a winter fuel voucher scheme and delivering a programme on the future of high-rise large panel buildings in Leeds.

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying.

Working as part of the team, you will live and model values and behaviours to help us to achieve our ambition to become the best city council in the country. Your role will be important in ensuring the council is more enterprising and efficient and to support appropriate arrangements for the administration and delivery of projects. The role operates within the context of the council’s Business Plan Objective to increase efficiency.

The post holder will be responsible for leading limited complexity projects and supporting professional and management functions in respect of projects and sub projects of complex projects as well as supporting the authority to meet a range of statutory and regulatory undertakings, for example in relation to procurement, planning and highways, for the council and supporting the providing of advice to members and colleagues on related commercial activity.

The Senior Project Officer will be able to demonstrate relevant skills and experience in project management and will be responsible for leadership functions of non-complex projects, or the management of a subproject within a complex project in most competence elements of project management.

Responsibilities also include supporting the management of projects on behalf of the council utilising and coordinating resources from across the Authority, contributing to innovation in project development.

The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Support and deliver non-complex projects or complex project sub-projects, planning, organising, coordinating, delivering and monitoring sub projects and workstreams to ensure agreed outcomes within a context of budget pressures and funding restrictions.

Support the management of projects and the application of project management tools, techniques and controls, ensuring the delivery and improvement of services which meet the needs of our communities and stakeholders.

Provide advice on project matters to senior officers and other stakeholders. Contribute to effective joint working within the council. Provide direction and support to colleagues and immediate line reports, creating an organisational culture of shared accountabilities, learning and continuous improvement.

Contribute to new ways of working and to partnership working and relationships with key stakeholders both internal and external to the council, to improve corporate priority outcomes and to ensure that developments and improvements remain focused on delivering outcomes for local people.

Promote and support positive solutions to achieve diversity and equality of opportunity in all aspects of service delivery, community engagement activity and human resource areas.

Support effective consultation and communications with colleagues, councillors, partners and other stakeholders in accordance with council policy. Support open, responsive and accountable government, ensuring good governance compliance with decision making, financial and procurement procedures.

Manage all aspects of risk and be responsible for the safety of staff, stakeholders and contractors in accordance with all statutory obligations and relevant health and safety policies.

Manage non-complex projects and/or sub projects of complex public sector projects, contributing to key project documentation and effective project decision-making, reporting, governance and delivery.

Support the matrix management of resources within projects. Advise colleagues on the project delivery of non-complex projects including coordinating associated commercial input and interfaces with other professions such as legal, finance and technical.

Manage and lead the identifying, and resolving of risks and issues in all projects. Provide advice to the council on standards for the delivery of non-complex projects and complex project sub projects through the development of project brief and business cases/pre-procurement documentation for the feasibility, project initiation, expression of interest and outline business case stages of a project, including undertaking options appraisal and developing pre-procurement strategies for the presentation of projects to the market.

Lead the development and implementation of project management tools and techniques including developing business cases. Support the identification and pursuit of relevant funding opportunities where appropriate, completing applications and supporting the development of bids to external bodies to support the council’s objectives.

Act as a mentor for the council in disseminating project ideas and best practice. Implement standardised project management methodologies including managing the organisation of projects, development of objectives, benefits realisation, risk, issues, actions, configuration logs, scope, resources, programming/planning, costs, reporting and change.

Support the undertaking of stakeholder consultation, developing communications and stakeholder plans in relation to projects. Support the delivery of complex multi competing workstream projects e.g. complex public sector procurements, in accordance with the council’s governance and management arrangements.

Where required, provide support to the formulation of bids to Government agencies in relation to complex public sector projects in accordance with the council's asset management priorities. Ensure compliance with statutory undertakings. Ensure safety and safeguarding requirements are complied with.

Qualifications: Degree or relevant demonstrable skills or experience. Relevant demonstrable skills or experience at a level equivalent to APM Level C and/or APMP.

Essential requirements: Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the following essential requirements:

• Experience of supporting complex multi and competing workstream projects.
• Experience of managing projects, or sub projects within large scale multi-disciplinary project, and coordinating the associated commercial approach.
• Demonstrate drive, energy, resilience and self-management skills as well as integrity, openness and awareness of others in delivering non-complex projects.
• Ability to present complex information in a clear and concise manner using a variety of presentational formats.
• Experience of working in a multi-discipline project environment and coordinating inputs from across a project team.
• Experience of supporting a multi-disciplinary and occasionally geographically dispersed project team.
• Experience of successful management of change programmes which reflect service needs, provide value for money, and maintain quality.
• Ability to find and implement creative and innovative solutions to complex problems in a project environment.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence and negotiate to form positive relationships with a variety of stakeholders.
• Ability to employ a range of project management tools and techniques which focus on achieving results in terms of outcomes for staff and customers.
• Experience of delivering a high level of customer satisfaction through leading projects.
• Knowledge, understanding and experience of performance management and programme and project management to drive service improvement.
• An understanding and practical experience of complex public sector projects and commercial approach from feasibility to service delivery.

Essential Behavioural And Other Characteristics:

• Understand and embrace Leeds City Council values and behaviours and codes of conduct.
• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Leeds Ambitions of health and wellbeing, inclusive growth, thriving strong communities, and a resilient sustainable city.
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
• Carry out duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing.
• Participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up-to-date knowledge and skills.
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding equality and diversity of Leeds City Council.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.