3 months contract with a Local Authority Job Summary: • The Project Management Officer plays a critical role within the Council ensuring that projects are planned, executed, and completed effectively, and that they contribute to the community's strategic objectives. • The role involves working closely with stakeholders including senior leaders, managers, and project participants to ensure successful project delivery. Key Duties/Accountabilities (Sample): • To demonstrate understanding of the Council’s Customer Care Standards and ensure that these standards are met to deliver the Council vision of ‘putting our residents first’. • No direct supervisory responsibility however may be requirement to establish and coordinate meetings and task and finish groups, and to assist in induction and training of peers and new employees. • Project Planning and Execution • Develop and implement project management strategies and plans aligned with the government's strategic goals and priorities. • Work collaboratively with project leads and relevant stakeholders to create detailed project plans. • Engage and communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders to ensure project buy-in and alignment. • Provide guidance and training to project teams on best practices for project management. • Facilitate workshops and meetings to ensure stakeholder commitment to project objectives. • Develop and implement mechanisms for tracking and reporting on project progress, ensuring transparency and accountability. • Regularly review project progress to ensure that objectives are being met and identify any issues or risks to project success. • Provide regular updates to senior leadership on the status of projects across the portfolio. • Continuously evaluate and improve project management processes and methodologies to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. • Lead lessons learned sessions to capture insights and best practices from completed projects and apply them to future initiatives. • Stay abreast of industry trends and developments in project management and incorporate relevant innovations into the local government's practices. • Maintain knowledge of the Council’s plans, priorities, risks, opportunities and programmes, alongside the Teams Plan and understanding of own contribution to ensure delivery of these plans. • To demonstrate cost-consciousness and identify any cost-effective changes to own way of working. • To identify and suggest any improvements to current ways of working to deliver a more efficient and effective service for customers. • Primary contact will be with other officers within the Council, Members, and service users / residents and their representative bodies. • Complete other reasonable tasks to fulfil role purpose or as instructed by management. • Delivery of the agreed Personal Performance Appraisal Objectives. Skills/Experience: • Evidence you have continuously evaluated and improved programme and project methodologies to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. • Collaborative working, ability to capture insights and best practices from completed projects and apply them to future initiatives. • Proven track record of successfully delivering results in complex project environments. • Demonstrable experience of best practices in project development and delivery and relevant tools and methodologies. • Strategic Thinking: Ability to understand and align projects with broader organisational goals and objectives. • Stay abreast of industry trends and developments in project management and incorporate relevant innovations into the local government's practices. • Analytical Skills: Strong analytical skills. • Stakeholder Management: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to engage and influence stakeholders effectively. • Project Management: Solid understanding of project management principles and practices. • Financial literacy: skilled understanding of financial and extra-financial data, information and risks, including budget development, forecasting and monitoring • Strong IT skills and the ability to proficiently use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Visio. • Proven ability to manage a range of projects through to completion • Proven written and oral communication and interpersonal skills with good negotiation and influencing skills and the ability to work collaboratively with internal and external partners/professionals. • Continuous Improvement: Commitment to continuous improvement and learning. • Putting Our Residents First'. Delivers the Customer Care Promise; is welcoming, helpful & polite. Engages, empathises and takes ownership. Gives clear information about service standards and timescales. Treats all customers and colleagues with dignity and respect. • Aware of Local Government purpose & Nolan principles including integrity, openness and honesty. Adopts a 'One Council' perspective on service delivery. • Plans, prioritise & organises workload to meet deadlines. Is quality orientated and accepts responsibility for outcomes (positive and negative). • Considers financial implications of service delivery. Cost-conscious, aware of budgetary controls and escalates decisions where appropriate. • Engages with Council's vision and priorities and takes 'One Council' view. Actively listens and contributes to team meetings and decisions. • Takes responsibility for own development and wellbeing. Encourages constructive feedback and is self-aware of own strengths, wellbeing and development needs. Actively participates in learning activities and applies new knowledge and skills in the workplace. • Solution focused, challenges existing practices and suggests new ways of doing things. Willing to try new things, accepts responsibility and learns from own mistakes. • Remains positive and engages with change and service improvement. Remains open-minded to new ideas. Additional Information: • Degree in a relevant subject, or equivalent experience. • Professional certification in project management (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2, AGILE) is highly desirable.