Senior Change Officer (Independent Living Project Manager)

Please note this post is dedicated to a single project: the replacement system for the Independent Living Alarm Response Centre (Lifeline / Tunstall), encompassing all aspects of project management, e.g. project planning and implementation, supplier and contract management, change management, budget, technical liaison with ICT, risk management etc., within tight deadlines due to digital switchover.

For further information please contact Jason Gould on 01482 615 403 or Anita Gunderson on 01482 614 396

ROLE AND PURPOSE

Design and develop change programmes and projects based on business drivers such as new or revised legislation, economic factors, innovation etc. – in conjunction with the Business Change Manager, senior managers within Neighbourhoods & Housing, other Council services, and the wider social housing sector.

Understand requirements from the wider social housing sector – Social Housing Regulator, Ombudsman etc. – and interpret into change programmes and projects, in conjunction with senior managers within Neighbourhoods & Housing, Practice Management Team etc.

Lead or support programmes and projects to deliver identified changes, improvements, and benefits. Provide knowledge, expertise and capacity in programme and project management, and in change management and improvement techniques.

Identify, define, and track progress, benefits, and outcomes in addition to risks and issues for projects/programmes, through recognised routes, such as senior management teams, boards etc.

Ensure change is embedded and is delivering the improvements expected from the implementation of programmes and projects, and that benefits are realised.

Foster a positive culture within Neighbourhoods and Housing and beyond, in line with the service area’s vision and values, and those of Hull City Council more broadly.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

1 Strategy –Research unfamiliar areas of public service delivery, in particular social housing, and establish what represents best practice in these areas.Take a lead role in creating change programmes that align to the strategic needs of service users and to agreed local strategies and corporate plans, incorporating national and local objectives, priorities, and targets, such as those published by the Social Housing Regulator, Ombudsman, DLUHC etc.Identify areas of impact beyond the core change activities, and ensure relevant stakeholders are made aware.Appropriately select and apply agreed strategies, policies, and methodologies to areas of programme and project work.The postholder will work autonomously, after receiving a broad scope from more senior officers, but will regularly check-in with progress and will receive direction and key decision-making through appropriate governance structures such as Programme Boards. These will usually be comprised of senior managers such as Heads of Service and Assistant Directors.

2 Customer Focus – Be customer focused and ensure programmes/projects are utilising customer / tenant insight to plan and deliver change.Ensure programmes / projects and their benefits effectively embed the voice of the tenant / tenant needDevelop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders. Ensure communication is effective at all levels, ensuring buy-in from staff and enabling change to be delivered.Work collaboratively with staff at all levels within the Council and partner organisations to ensure a clear understanding of the importance of designing for the customer / tenant when delivering change.Take the lead on transition management, ensuring that business as usual is maintained during the transition to new ways of working, and the timing of the changes are optimised to effectively integrate into the business.

3 Performance Management – Co-ordinate activity on programmes and projects.Capture and report on progress against the programme/project and raise and escalate issues and risks to line manager or Programme Board as appropriate.Deliver to tight deadlines and influence others to deliver within such parameters. Establish and implement the mechanisms by which benefits can be measured. Proactively monitor benefits realisation.Monitor and review project documentation prepared by more junior colleagues.Use performance management from within / outside the service to inform and shape change programmes and projects.

4 Leadership – Be an effective leader, modelling exemplary behaviour to staff and promoting a positive culture which seeks excellence in public service. Actively promote a culture of organisational learning and development, including coaching and mentoring of staff.The post holder will matrix manage a team when required; and may have permanent line management responsibility for more junior colleagues within Business Development and Change. Champion change and improvement methodologies and techniques. Embed learning into the organisation from reputable and proven external business change research and best practice. Transfer knowledge and skills to colleagues in the organisation. Work with and guide senior managers to shape and deliver change and transformation.

5 Statutory Obligations – Must take account of relevant statutory obligations within business process redesign and identification of efficiencies.These will usually be, although not limited to, obligations relating to the provision of housing, which is a highly-regulated area. Where necessary seeks advice from colleagues such as in Legal Services and Practice Management.

6 Manage Projects and ProgrammesProvide project and programme expertise to change programmes and projects.Decide most appropriate programme / project management methodology and techniques to use based on nature and needs of assigned projects. Identify the need for and develop appropriate project documentation. Identify synergies, potential duplication or conflicts and ensuring activities (e.g. risk management) are underpinned with recognised programme management methodologies.Ensure sufficient resources are available to undertake efficient project delivery and that the necessary resources are identified, planned and allocated to projects ensuring outputs are delivered on time and to the required level of quality. Support and lead project people resources from across the service area or other service areas in a matrix management arrangement. Oversee and report on project / programme budgets as assigned.Lead on stakeholder communication and engagement regarding programme outcomes.Ensure that new models of working are embedded successfully. Where not personally leading projects and programmes, provide project management skills to support service department staff to deliver change programmes and associated benefits. Champion change management and project management disciplines.

7 Conduct analysisIdentify potential improvements to service efficiency, using skills and knowledge (e.g. change management techniques, improvement techniques, data analysis). Provide advice in service business planning, processes, and performance. Make recommendations that take advantage of opportunities such as technological innovation, based on own up to date knowledge and research.Work with service managers to turn improvement ideas/proposals into workable solutions and formulate these into detailed viable plans.Analyse and review the benefits of individual projects to support prioritisation. Communicate with all stakeholders, deal with risks and barriers, to ensure objectives are delivered on time and within resources allocated. Complete post implementation reviews to ensure that the required business benefits have been achieved and will be sustained. Produce management reports on the findings.

8 Communicate and InfluenceEnsure the buy-in of stakeholders at a programme and project level (e.g., staff affected by change).Facilitate the development of a continuous improvement culture by identifying improvements, making recommendations, and providing support to and negotiating with managers to deliver change and improvement as a result of findings, dealing with any potential opposition to the proposed changes.

NC4958.Senior Change Officer.docx

Compensation Grades

GRADES 10.

Pay Ranges

£45,091.00 - £48,226.00

Job Classifications

3- Not Politically Restricted - Designated As Not Politically Sensitive (Politically Restricted Posts), Casual - (Travel Allowance Policy), No - (Childcare Disqualification Requirement), Statutory Post - (Statutory Post)

Benefits of Working of Hull City Council

• A competitive salary
• An excellent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Initially 23 days annual leave depending on length of service. You will also get eight public holidays per year, and three additional days off, one in May/August and one during the Christmas/New year period
• Career development and learning experiences from a range of training courses and learning methods
• Supportive and forward-thinking culture
• Great career development opportunities

Please ensure that you complete and submit your application by midnight prior to the closing date. Please ensure that your application demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria against the person specification as listed in the job description.

We are committed to increasing the diversity, equality, and inclusion within our workforce to represent the people we serve and build an environment in which everyone can feel like they belong. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

We adopt a ‘name blind’ approach to shortlisting. Recruiting managers will not have access to personal information, including your name and contact details, until a shortlisting decision has been made. Equality monitoring information is not accessible by recruiting managers at any stage.

We reserve the right to amend the dates associated with this advert, which may include closing the advert early where required.

The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

Online searches, including social media, may be carried out as part of the recruitment process.