Graduate Project Trainee

Graduate Project Trainee

Fixed Term, Full Time

£29,468 to £34,668 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 12th July

Please note this vacancy is available as a fixed term contract or secondment opportunity for up to 24months

Start your career in project management while making a real difference. At Essex County Council, our projects don't just deliver change-they improve services and outcomes for over 1.8 million residents.

As a Graduate Project Trainee, you'll play an active role in delivering high-impact programmes across one of the most ambitious transformation agendas in local government. From supporting digital innovation and service redesign to contributing to projects in social care, infrastructure, and resident experience, you'll gain hands-on experience from the very start.

Through a structured two-year programme, you'll rotate across the Transformation Team, working alongside experienced project professionals who will support your development. You'll get involved in real project delivery-helping to plan and coordinate activities, track progress, manage risks and issues, and support governance and reporting. You'll be contributing, learning, and building confidence every day.

Alongside your practical experience, you'll work towards a recognised project management qualification, with access to training, mentoring, and a strong professional community that's committed to helping you grow.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Corporate Services

The Opportunity

As a Graduate Project Trainee, you will play a key role in supporting the delivery of programmes and projects while developing a strong understanding of project management within a local government environment.

Working alongside experienced project professionals, you will contribute to delivery by supporting planning and coordination activities, maintaining key documentation, and assisting with governance and reporting. You will help monitor progress, support the management of risks and issues, and ensure that project activities are delivered efficiently and to a high standard.

Accountabilities

• Responsible for maintaining appropriate systems to ensure effective planning and scheduling of projects.
• Assist in maintaining project controls and producing project reports to ensure adequate and regular monitoring of project progress.
• Work collaboratively with a broad and diverse group of internal and external stakeholders including senior management. Including facilitating project meetings, workshops and reviews
• Responsible for effectively monitoring specific project spend and provide information required to support business case sign off to ensure both Project and Programme Managers are kept up to date on progress.
• Drafting project governance documentation (e.g. business cases) for the Project or Programme Manager to approve.
• Responsible for taking the lead on highlighting potential areas for risk and escalating as appropriate to the Project/Programme Manager, recommending ways to mitigate such risks.
• Responsible for leading specific workstreams within projects to ensure delivery of agreed outcomes within time, cost and constraints. This will include design of workstream and delivery approach.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework

The Experience You Will Bring

• Educated to degree level in any discipline or equivalent qualification.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area. - can be altered include membership of essential professional membership e.g. HCPC, CIPD
• Working knowledge and understanding of Microsoft office packages.
• Ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels.
• Ability to work co-operatively with others to successfully achieve tasks and deliver results.
• Willing to assist in developing solutions to tackle problems and achieve outcomes.
• Curious and inspired to work in an agile environment where you can learn and develop.
• Basic understanding of Project Management to enable effective contributions to proposals and decisions to be made.

Interview Process

Our interview process is designed to be engaging, fast-paced, and give you the chance to really stand out.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to complete a one-way video interview. This is your opportunity to showcase your experience, personality, and values. Following a thorough review of the one-way interview, successful applicants will be invited to attend an in-person assessment centre in Chelmsford, where you'll bring your skills to life and meet the team. From there, the top performers will be invited to a final MS Teams interview to explore your potential in more detail, with decisions made shortly afterwards.

Every stage is carefully reviewed, and only the strongest candidates will progress to the next stage - so bring your best and make each stage count!

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we're committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you've secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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