Project Support Officer

Project Support Officer

Fixed Term, Full Time

£28,402 up to £33,413 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 3rd July 2026

Please note this vacancy is available as a fixed term contract or secondment opportunity for up to 12 months

The opportunity
Essex County Council has a significant track record of delivering complex and innovative transformational change.  The Transformation approach is a key part of that and since 2021 our transformation programmes have delivered over £48M of savings from the most complex initiatives at the Council.

Our organisational and political leadership have prioritised their critical areas of focus, which will deliver meaningful and sustainable change over the next few years aiming to deliver a further £20m financial benefit during 27/28.   Our nationally respected, award-winning Transformation Team are critical to driving change in ECC and Greater Essex over a number of areas. Whether your background or interest as a project professional is in public realm, technological change and innovation, citizen and resident experience, there are a myriad of exciting opportunities in Essex. We’re looking forward to helping you to start, continue or expand your project career here!

Essex County Council (ECC) is a dynamic and forward-thinking organisation that offers a compelling environment for both aspiring and experienced project management professionals. Whether you are starting your career or bringing experience, we invest in you. With career pathways, training opportunities, and a strong project profession community, you’ll be supported to thrive.

At ECC, project management is not just about delivery—it is about improving the lives of over 1.8 million residents. From transforming adult social care and education services to advancing digital innovation and improving resident experiences, the projects you work on have a tangible impact. Joining the Transformation Team at ECC offers exposure to a broad and diverse portfolio of programmes and projects. As a project professional you will have the chance to work across multiple service areas, including highways and waste, adult social care, children’s services, and digital services. This variety ensures that no two projects are the same and provides continuous opportunities to build experience, broaden expertise, and develop professionally.

Essex County Council has a strong focus on transformation and continuous improvement. The organisation embraces new ways of working and innovative approaches to service delivery. For project professionals, this means being at the forefront of change—leading complex transformation programmes and helping shape the future of public services. Project professionals at ECC are part of a supportive professional community, one that builds capability, with access to training, communities of practice, informal and formal learning opportunities and recognised methodologies. The scale and ambition of ECC’s transformation agenda mean there are always opportunities to stretch and grow.

The role

A Project Support Officer plays a key role in supporting the delivery of projects, programmes or portfolios by coordinating activities that enable successful outcomes and smooth day-to-day operation.

Working closely with Programme Managers and project teams, you will help ensure effective delivery through the coordination of business management actions, maintaining key documentation, and supporting governance and reporting processes. You will monitor progress across projects or workstreams, contribute to managing risks and issues, and, with direction, take responsibility for overseeing smaller projects where required.

You will be highly organised, able to prioritise competing demands, and bring strong communication and interpersonal skills, enabling you to engage effectively with stakeholders at all levels across the organisation.

To read more about our business area, please visit:

Corporate Services

Accountabilities

• Support the team by maintaining appropriate systems to ensure effective planning and scheduling of projects or programmes.
• Support the team by assisting them in maintaining project controls and producing project reports to ensure adequate and regular monitoring of project progress.
• Responsible for programme/project file management using robust version control and organising programme/project boards and meetings, together with providing support to ensure efficient operation of day to day activities.
• Supports the programme/project teams by being a main point of contact for responses to external requests for information and engaging with both internal and external contacts.
• Supports the team by monitoring programme/project spend and contribute to the compilation of budget updates whilst also ensuring updates of other tasks, such as, maintaining risk and issue logs and clearly documenting decisions.
• Supports the team by sharing any insights or escalating issues to ensure Programme and Projects Managers are kept up to date.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Experience of engaging with others to build good working relationships and communicating effectively
• Experience of working with a broad range of individuals at different levels within an organisation and engaging with them.
• Experience and evidence of working in a project support role in a large, complex organisation
• Evidence of adopting a structured and planned approach
• Educated to GCSE or equivalent by experience
• Evidence of continuing professional development and knowledge in relevant professional area.
• Curious and inspired to work in an environment where you can learn and develop
• Experience of working within a political environment with knowledge of a public sector setting

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

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Further details can be found on our careers page.

Downloads

Pay and Reward | Our Ways of Working  | About Us  | Organisation Behaviours