GCS Water Delivery Senior Support Officer

Job summary

Water is vital for life - clean, freshwater for drinking and sanitation, providing for farms and industry, creating and sustaining the ecosystems on which all life depends. The Independent Water Commission made recommendations for reform of the water system and White Paper commitments to this reform include an integrated and empowered new single regulator, a significant machinery of Government change, resetting regulation for the water system, and reforming the water system planning.

Defra Group’s Corporate Services (GCS) operates as a unique shared services model underpinning delivery of the department’s priorities. Working through five functions (Human Resources; Finance; Commercial; Digital, Data, Technology and Security (DDTS); and Property), GCS supports over 30,000 people in the Defra group- managing one of the most complex and far-reaching corporate services portfolios in government. As a key enabler, GCS and its functions will work collaboratively with colleagues to support the establishment of a single water regulator.

We are seeking a GCS Delivery Hub (Single Water Regulator) Senior Support officer (SEO) for our GCS Delivery Hub (Single Water Regulator) PMO.

Job description

Reporting to the G7, GCS Delivery Hub (Single Water Regulator) PMO Manager, this is an exciting opportunity to help shape the successful delivery of a major transformation programme. In this role, you will drive planning, governance, reporting and business coordination across multiple GCS workstreams, providing the insight and structure needed to support effective decision-making and project delivery.

Working at the heart of GCS Delivery (Single Water Regulator), you will help bring people, processes and priorities together, ensuring GCS workstreams remain on track and delivery objectives are achieved successfully.

This role is aligned to the Project Delivery Capability Framework (PDCF). Further information on the PDCF can be found on the gov.uk homepage (search "Project Delivery Capability Framework").

Detailed Description and Main Responsibilities

• Implement and maintain systems to enable effective planning and scheduling for GCS workstream delivery.
• Implement and manage project controls, reporting the project status to the DD, GCS Delivery Hub (Single Water Regulator) by producing project performance reports.
• Manage and monitor compliance of the project in line with Defra guidelines and legislation, including Health & Safety, Equality & Diversity, Security.
• Support the G7, GCS Delivery (Single Water Regulator) PMO Manager with workforce planning.
• Manage the procurement of supplies and services within Delegated Financial Authority limits.
• Build and maintain strong professional relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Draft and sign off correspondence.
• Manage and monitor GCS Delivery (Single Water Regulator) spend, compile budgets, and support the development of business cases.
• Lead potential risk areas, working with risk managers to resolve issues and escalating where appropriate.
• An active member of the Defra Project Delivery Profession Community

Person specification

• Significant experience of risk and issue management, governance, assurance scheduling, and change control in a project or programme environment.
• Working knowledge of planning in a project or programme environment, or appropriate skills that have been gained in a non-project environment.
• Working knowledge of project methodologies and frameworks.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment, managing complex and involved pieces of work that have lots of dependencies and moving parts.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence, challenge effectively and collaborate across boundaries.
• Strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to develop effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Experience using Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Knowledge and experience of Project Management Methodology supported by professional qualifications such as: PRINCE2 Practitioner, APM Project Management Qualification, Managing Successful Programmes Practitioner or PMI Project Management Professional

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £42,665, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £12,360 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Flexi Time Policy. Our Flexi-time policy allows you to vary your hours from day to day, within the requirements of your role, to suit your needs and to offer a better work/life balance.

Leave. If you work full time at Defra you are entitled to 25 days’ leave (rising, over 5 years, to 30 days’). If you work part time it will be pro-rated.

Privilege day. You are also entitled to a privilege day off in May to mark the King’s birthday (date varies), plus time off for the 8 public holidays a year.

Career breaks. We recognise that your work-life balance can extend beyond the short-term to the longer-term, and to support this you are able to apply for career breaks. These are unpaid extended breaks from work, granted at the discretion of the department.

Volunteering leave - 3 days paid volunteering leave every year (pro-rata). Once you have passed probation.

Season ticket loan – for an interest free season ticket loan, if you have worked within the Defra for more than three months. This can be used to purchase train and bus season tickets, as well as station car parking.

Tenancy deposit loan – for an interest free loan, to assist you in meeting the deposit costs for your privately rented home.

Salary advances and loans for other circumstances – for salary advances and loans in the following circumstances: for new entrants, for the purchase of bicycles, holidays and religious holidays.

Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme – Since the closure to new entrants of the employer childcare voucher scheme, the government introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. In this scheme, working parents open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2,000 a year for each child or £4,000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay for registered childcare.

Support to buy a bicycle – we run two schemes that can help