Programme & Improvement Officer

Job Description

The London Borough of Harrow are seeking an experienced Programme and Improvement Officer with a strong background in improvement and project delivery to join their Strategy and Improvement team within the Climate Change, Natural Resources & Strategy division. This is an exciting opportunity to work across a wide range of Council place-based services on high-profile, cross-cutting work. As the Programme and Improvement Officer you can make a powerful contribution to improving outcomes for Harrow residents by supporting the development and delivery of strategy, programmes and improvement. This includes helping to tackle some of the big issues facing our borough like climate change, waste management and public protection making our services more sustainable for the long term. The post holder will play a key role in the development and delivery of policy priorities and help shape the direction of key services. This includes delivering bespoke improvement projects as well as researching and preparing briefings on pivotal policy and improvement areas. This involves delving into complex topics, analysing data and synthesising information to support decision-making.

The post holder will be working closely with officers and senior managers across the council, elected members, community organisations and partners, to drive forward change programmes and deliver improvements, to support the council in meeting the needs of Harrow residents. This is a fast-paced role working in a dynamic, supportive and influential team, so you will need to be flexible and organised, able to work under pressure and prioritise tasks. Good attention to detail is vital and you will be proficient in Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

The successful applicant will have a positive, can-do approach to supporting the council deliver their priorities for Harrow. The post holder will enjoy collaborating with the team, finding solutions to problems, working in a creative manner whilst being agile, resilient, and highly motivated within a political environment. You’ll bring considerable skills in engagement and negotiation and will be used to fostering partnerships and productive working relationships. You’ll also have experience of delivering projects at pace and to budget that have positive impact on services.

Skills and Experience required will include:

• Expert knowledge of local government programmes and improvement workstreams.
• Experience of delivering systems change and behaviour change projects working with a range of colleagues.
• Knowledge and understanding of issues relating to services including environmental services, economy and housing.
• Knowledge and understanding of climate and sustainability issues as they apply to local government.
• Experience of managing projects and programmes to tight deadlines and within budget.
• Experience of managing and conducting research projects or strategy development.
• Good understanding of performance management processes, reporting and impact.
• Knowledge and understanding of collating and using data to inform service improvements, performance monitoring and policy.
• Excellent analysis skills.
• Experience of developing and maintaining robust systems and processes to support the delivery of policies, projects, programmes, and performance.
• Experience of working with councillors, senior managers and stakeholders and managing effective working relationships in a political environment.
• Excellent organisation skills to plan and prioritise work programmes, deliver results on time and within budget.
• Strong time management skills with the ability to meet deadlines and prioritise workloads effectively within a changing environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively convey complex information at all levels.
• Excellent report writing skills.
• Ability to build effective working relationships both within the organisation and with colleagues in partner organisations/other councils.
• Excellent negotiation and influencing skills.
• Advanced IT skills including advanced user of Microsoft Windows, Excel, and Office applications.

For more information, please refer to the Role Profile/Selection Criteria

About us

Harrow Council is the 12th largest London borough and one of the most culturally diverse local authorities in the UK, making it a great place to live, work and visit with a range of cultures, religions and opinions that come together to produce high achieving schools and a close and friendly community. Located 10 miles from the city centre and just 13 minutes to Euston from Harrow & Wealdstone station there are great transport links via the Metropolitan Line, Watford DC Line and national rail service. It is easily accessible to the M1, M25 and A406.

Other information

Support for candidates visit:Harrow.gov.uk Our behavioural indicators roles below G11 and above G11 Here at Harrow Council, the vision is one of 'Working together to make a difference for Harrow' Please click here to view Harrow Council's benefits

Important Note

To deliver our commitment to equality of opportunity in service provision, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs at the London Borough of Harrow. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender, reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, or maternity unless a Genuine Occupational Qualification applies. As such, we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds. For further information, please read our equality statement.

As a disability-confident employer, we are committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and accessible to everyone. This includes reasonably adjusting the recruitment process for those with disabilities or long-term health conditions. For further information, please contact us at resourcing@harrow.gov.uk

London Borough of Harrow is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Harrow operates stringent, safer recruitment procedures.

Due to the high number of applications received for some posts, we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible.

Harrow redeployees will be given priority consideration.

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, any your data protection rights, can be found by visiting www.cifas.org.uk/fpn