Project Officer

Job Introduction

Job Title: Project Officer

Starting Salary: £38,220 progressing to £41,771 per annum
- Pay award pending

Hours:37

Location:Apsley

Contract Type: Permanent

Directorate:Children Services

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…