Project Officer - Information, Advice and Communications

Posted 12 Aug 2022

Surrey County Council

Leatherhead (Project or Program Mgmt.)


Job Type:contractDuration:24 months
Category:Project or Program Mgmt.Recruiter Reference:orbis/TP/777/26424
URL for Applications:Apply HereSalary:£36,282 - £40,146 per annum

The starting salary is £36,282 per annum for 36 hours per week. While your admin base will be Fairmount House in Leatherhead, you will be expected to work flexibly from a range of locations across Surrey.

The Adult Social Care Information and Engagement Team has an exciting, 2-year fixed term contract or secondment opportunity to work in Adult Social Care that promises to be wide ranging, fast paced, complex, challenging and highly rewarding.

The government is introducing social care charging reforms from October 2023, changing the way people in England pay for social care to make the system fairer and to ensure people do not face enormous care costs.

Adult Social Care services in local authorities are preparing for the implementation of these plans and in Surrey we have a massive programme of work in place.

A robust information and advice and digital front door offer where residents can self-serve as much as possible, will play a critical role in managing demand on our service. We need to help residents understand the reforms and their impact on them and channel their enquiries as effectively as possible.  In Surrey we have an additional challenge of having a high percentage of residents who fund and arrange their own care without support from the county council, but under the new reforms they will be able to ask the council to commission residential and nursing care, regardless of their assets. This is just one aspect of the reforms.                  

We are, therefore, predicting much greater demand which we need to minimise through a transformational programme of innovation, digital solutions, channel management and strong targeted communications and messaging, and are therefore looking to recruit an experienced Project Officer (Information, Advice and Communications) to help support this workstream of our social care charging reforms programme.

Reporting to the Information, Advice and Engagement Lead and working as a critical additional resource with the ASC Information and Engagement Team and the SCC Communications Team, we are looking for someone with:

·         Excellent communications skills - verbal and written

·         Strong project management skills with demonstrable experience

·         Well-developed relationship building experience

·         High self-motivational skills

·         The ability to work under pressure in a constantly changing environment and with competing priorities

This role would be well suited to someone with a background in marketing or communications, looking for a new opportunity within a large and ambitious local authority.

In this role you will be collaborating with other departments across the council as well as a wide range of stakeholders and partners and other local authorities. You will support the workstream project priorities on multiple tasks and responsibilities. This will include engaging with a wide range of forums, networks and organisations, organising events and briefings, tailoring information for a wide range of audiences, including producing accessible information, sharing information and ‘call to actions’ with these audiences.

At Surrey, our values and behaviours are just as important as our skills and abilities. They shape who we are as an organisation. Find out more about the values we follow.

Additional Information

This job advert closes at 23:59 on Tuesday 30th August 2022 with interviews to follow.

This is a 24 month fixed term contract / internal secondment.

Internal applicants – please ensure you have discussed this secondment opportunity with your current Line Manager and have their agreement before you submit your application.

Contact Details

For an informal conversation about the role please contact Siobhán Abernethy on 07971 673423.

We look forward to receiving your application, along with a separate personal statement (no longer than one side of A4 please).

Please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Benefits

From flexible working to job sharing (where possible) we are committed to providing a healthy work life balance. A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role. You will benefit from 26 days annual leave, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service, a generous local government salary related pension, as well as the option to join our car lease scheme. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit MyBenefits for Surrey County Council staff.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer of first choice reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all under represented groups.

How to Apply

Apply Online