Project Manager

We are committed to the development of our workforce. This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council. We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.

The starting salary for this role is £ £47,142 per annum, based on a 36 working hour week.

Within our Design and Transformation Service, we have two vacancies for Project Managers, which are offered as fixed term contracts to end March 2027. For SCC permanent team members, this role will be a secondment.

These roles will work as part of our Delivery team to support the Devolution & Local Government Reorganisation programme - the largest change to the local government landscape in 50 years.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Annual leave allowance (for bank) or remove for term time
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About us

The design and transformation teams are dedicated to shaping, driving, and facilitating sustainable change and improvement for residents in Surrey. By partnering with, challenging, and supporting our stakeholders, we strive to achieve better outcomes for our residents, against a challenging financial context.

Our Design & Transformation service is a hub of innovation and improvement, driving strategic change across Surrey County Council. The team is structured into three key areas:

• Design – focusing on service and business redesign
• Transformation – delivering change programmes and projects
• Data – enabling evidence-based decision-making

We work in a fast-paced, agile environment, collaborating across departments to deliver high-impact transformation initiatives. Our mission is to improve outcomes for residents, enhance efficiency, and embed a culture of continuous improvement.

About the Role

As a Project Manager, you will manage and deliver key projects that support the safe and legal disaggregation of Children’s, Education and Lifelong Learning services (with the potential to be deployed to other areas of D&T if needed), working closely with the Portfolio Lead, Programme Manager as well as LGR Programme Management Office to ensure that projects are delivered on time, within budget, and in alignment with the Council’s Devolution and Local Government Re-organisation objectives.

You will work with one of more of the workstreams in the D&LGR programme, to oversee project planning, managing resources, and mitigating risks to ensure successful implementation of change initiatives. You will drive continuous improvement and foster collaboration to ensure that we are ready to create safe, legally compliant and efficient unitary authorities by vesting day.

Key Responsibilities

As a Project Manager, you will:

• Oversee the end-to-end delivery of assigned projects, ensuring they are completed on time, within scope, and in line with the Council’s transformation objectives.
• Ensure Project outputs support and contribute to the Programme’s objectives in collaboration with the Programme Manager.
• Track project progress, ensuring milestones are met and providing regular updates to senior leadership and stakeholders on performance, risks, and issues.
• Proactively identify risks and issues that may impact project delivery, implementing effective mitigation strategies to ensure projects stay on track.
• Manage a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, ensuring their ongoing support and involvement throughout the project lifecycle.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive project documentation, including plans, schedules, and status reports, ensuring accuracy and alignment with project goals.

What We’re Looking For

• Degree qualified, or significant vocational experience demonstrating development through involvement in a series of progressively more demanding relevant work/roles.
• Professional qualification, or ability to evidence knowledge and understanding of project management principles and practice.
• 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.
• Proven problem-solving skills, and the ability to exercise high levels of initiative to devise and implement workable solutions.
• Proven ability to manage a range of projects simultaneously through to completion.
• Significant practical or professional experience and understanding of business, supporting service teams and/or providing support to the public.

Shortlisting Criteria

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• A self-starter with the ability to work independently on tasks and proactively sharing progress updates
• Strong analytical abilities and vision with excellent communication and engagement skills.
• A good understanding of the national local government policy agenda
• A track record of managing complex change projects and programmes in a public sector setting
• Strong leadership skills and be able to manage effective relationships across the organisation in a complex stakeholder environment
• Good stakeholder engagement and management skills, at all levels of the organisation
• A collaborative approach to delivering change

As part of the application process, you will be asked to upload your CV and answer three questions which will help us assess your application.

1. Describe your experience in successfully delivering a complex project to time and to budget. What issues or risks did you experience and how did you overcome these?
2. Can you provide an example of when you developed and delivered an effective approach to stakeholder management within a project. What did you do that was effective?
3. Please tell us about a project that you led that had a demonstrable impact and why? Please set out the approach you took to be able to evidence this impact.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description & Our Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 18/03/2026 with interviews to follow.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Contact details

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

For an informal discussion please contact Andrew Evans via email at andrew.evans@surreycc.gov.uk.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.

Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents! Please see more information here: Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council

Our Commitment

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum criteria, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.