THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF GRACE’S PASSION AND DEDICATION
The Environment & Communities Directorate in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories. Where dedicated people like Grace are using their skills and passion to progress environmental action in the heart of London.
It was at university where Grace first started campaigning for improved recycling facilities, water refill stations, and other eco-friendly initiatives. When she saw the real difference people could make when they came together, she knew she wanted to dedicate her career to community action for the planet.
When she joined us as Principal Engagement Officer, Climate Emergency, she quickly established herself as a passionate advocate for community outreach, engaging various stakeholders across Westminster in the social causes, impacts and solutions to climate change, air pollution, and biodiversity loss.
Grace became a driving force behind our first Citizens’ Climate Assembly, which took place across two weekends in the summer of 2023. Fifty residents were chosen at random from across our diverse communities to come together, learn about the climate emergency, and deliberate how we overcome the barriers to becoming a net zero city by 2040. The assembly produced several recommendations which have informed the evolution of our Climate Emergency Action Plan. Due to the success of this initiative, we’re holding more assemblies to continue community involvement in local decision-making.
To see the work of the Westminster Citizens’ Climate Assembly, click here.
The Role:
As Highways Programme Delivery and Assurance Manager with our high performing Highways Department team, you can make your own powerful contribution to Westminster’s success. Delivering our annual capital programme of highways and public realm schemes, you’ll manage the contractors and suppliers to achieve the strategic outcomes of the schemes. We’ll also expect you to produce the documentation which enables key governance decisions to be taken, including key decisions, briefing notes, budget reviews, procurement gateways and legal agreements.
Committed to developing relationships with key stakeholders and community groups to ensure the schemes maximise the opportunities for improvement, you’ll develop funding strategies with internal and external budget considerations, and manage these in line with our financial procedures. Undertaking risk mitigation and escalation, and making effective and timely decisions, we’ll also require you to manage relevant correspondence and promote the use of best practice.
Building positive and fruitful relationships with council colleagues and our partners, agencies and the wider local and government community, you’ll help to champion our approach to improving services. You should also be ready to contribute to the development of outcome-based commissioning models and income generation opportunities, and be committed to upholding and promoting the aims of our equality and diversity policies in the course of your day-to-day work.
Please refer to the Job Description for more information.
About You:
With well developed experience of working in the highways, public realm, place-shaping or built environment fields, you’ll have delivered a number of high value, high profile projects and programmes. Capable of preparing project documentation and with a good understanding of local government procedures and public sector processes, you’ll be a confident contract and project manager with excellent budget monitoring skills.
You’ll be working with a diverse range of stakeholders, so it’s important that you possess superb communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to quickly establish solid relationships. A positive problem solver and leader with a strong customer focus and experience of managing a professional team or function, you’ll also be capable of considering different ideas and viewpoints, drawing your own conclusions and advocating for the best resolution.
You should have a qualification in project management or equivalent hands-on experience, and in addition to experience of preparing performance and monitoring reports, you’ll be ready to work with a range of IT applications, including databases and financial systems. We’ll also look for good contract and budget management skills, the ability to analyse financial information, and a thorough knowledge of highways and procurement legislation.
Westminster City Council is committed to supporting Care Leavers into the workplace. Care Leavers seeking their first job and who wish to be considered under our scheme, will automatically be invited to interview should they meet the essential criteria for the role.
The Council is committed to achieving diverse shortlists to support our desire to increase the number of staff from underrepresented groups in our workforce. We especially encourage applications from a Global Majority (GM), people who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and or have been racialised as ethnic minorities (formally known as B.A.M.E, Black, Asian and multiple ethnic) background and, while the role is open to all applicants, we will utilise the positive action provisions of the Equality Act 2010 to appoint a candidate from a global majority background where there is a choice between two candidates of equal merit. If you are from a Global Majority background you can self-declare this to the hiring manager as part of our positive action commitments.
What We Offer:
Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council’s strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe.
At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health-strategy-policies-and-reports/equality-duties
As a forward thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.
The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application, we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.
To apply please click the Apply Now link below.
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