Project Support Officer at Essex County Council, Essex, 6 Months, £350-£400 per day

Project Support Officer (Temporary)

Temporary (6 months with possibility of extension), Full Time

£350 to £400 per day PAYE/Umbrella

Location: Essex

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 31st August 2026

The role

The Project Support Officer will play a pivotal role in supporting the successful delivery of the People & Organisation Development (POD) Service Plan and associated strategic projects. Working closely with the POD Leadership Team, senior stakeholders, and project leads, you will coordinate activity across multiple workstreams, ensuring priorities remain on track, aligned to organisational objectives, and delivered within agreed timescales.

This role requires a strong HR background and experience of supporting and coordinating projects within a People, HR, or Organisational Development environment. You will act as a central point of coordination, providing effective governance, performance monitoring, reporting, and challenge to ensure delivery against service priorities.

The successful candidate will be highly organised, proactive and confident in working with senior leaders, facilitating discussions, interpreting project information, and translating complex findings into meaningful updates that support effective decision-making.

Accountabilities

• Coordinate and maintain the People & Organisation Development Service Plan, ensuring actions, milestones and deliverables are monitored and progressed effectively.
• Work closely with the POD Leadership Team and project leads to track progress, identify dependencies, and ensure projects remain aligned with agreed objectives and priorities.
• Prepare and present high-quality reports, dashboards and progress updates for senior leaders, highlighting achievements, risks, issues, challenges and required actions.
• Facilitate project and leadership meetings, ensuring actions, decisions and outcomes are accurately captured, communicated and followed through.
• Support project leads in the planning, coordination and delivery of HR and organisational development initiatives, providing appropriate challenge and support to maintain momentum and accountability.
• Analyse, interpret and communicate project findings, performance data and workforce-related information to a range of stakeholders, enabling informed decision-making.
• Maintain effective governance processes, including risk and issue management, action tracking, decision logs and project documentation.
• Act as a key point of coordination between project teams, stakeholders and senior leaders, ensuring clear communication and timely escalation of risks or barriers to delivery.
• Support resource planning, budget monitoring and reporting activities associated with POD projects and programmes.
• Develop and maintain robust project management systems, ensuring accurate record keeping, version control and compliance with organisational governance requirements.
• Build positive working relationships across the organisation, influencing and engaging stakeholders to support successful project outcomes.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of project management, governance and service planning processes across People & Organisation Development.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Significant experience working within Human Resources, Organisational Development, People Services, or a related people-focused function, preferably within Local Government.
• Demonstrable experience supporting or coordinating projects, programmes or service improvement initiatives within an HR or organisational development environment.
• Experience of working closely with senior leaders and stakeholders, providing progress updates, coordinating actions and supporting strategic delivery.
• Strong understanding of project governance, planning, risk management, reporting and performance monitoring.
• Experience of facilitating meetings, tracking actions and ensuring accountability for delivery against agreed objectives.
• Ability to analyse, interpret and communicate complex information, project findings and workforce-related data clearly and effectively.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce concise and impactful reports for senior audiences.
• Experience of building effective working relationships and influencing stakeholders at all levels.
• Evidence of adopting a structured, planned and proactive approach to delivery.
• Educated to GCSE level or equivalent through relevant experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to HR, organisational development or project management.
• Project management qualification or relevant professional certification (e.g. PRINCE2 Foundation, APM, CIPD).