Project Support Officer - 20683

We are looking for project support officers to co-ordinate and support the Waste Regulatory Reform programme.
The programme comprises of several projects seeking to deliver ambitious reforms identified within Defra’s Resources and Waste Strategy. This is a ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to make a seismic shift in waste and resource management. It currently includes projects such as a new deposit return scheme for containers and digital waste tracking to record over 200 million tonnes of waste movements annually.

You will work closely with our Waste Regulatory Reforms project managers and support project leads in promoting good programme and project management discipline.

You’ll build effective relationships working as part of a larger, multidisciplinary programme team. This will involve influencing and encouraging delivery from colleagues across the department and beyond, including those more senior than yourself. Most important will be your energy, enthusiasm, willingness to learn and ability to tackle challenges.


You will:
•Provide administrative support to project teams across the programme
•Work closely with project leads and implementation teams to monitor and track progress
•Support governance arrangements
•Collect and analyse data
•Generate reports to enable decision making
•Support Project and Programme Managers in managing programme risk registers and action logs

The roles sit within the Waste Reforms Programme within the Waste Regulation department, which is part of the Environment and Business directorate.
You will need to be comfortable working in a dispersed team, both at home and in the office when restrictions allow. Your office base is flexible. Occasional travel for training and meetings may be required.

Our teams are motivated, vibrant and committed to driving regulatory reform that will lead to environmental improvement.

We are looking for someone with great organisation and communication skills. Good time management and self-motivation are essential. You'll have tenacity and be able to work under pressure to deliver results.

PRINCE2 Foundation or APM Foundation would be an advantage. However full training and support will be available to enable you to feel confident in your role. This may include the opportunity to take on an apprenticeship in Project Management.


Essential:
Proven time organisational skills and ability to deliver to time
Enthusiasm and self-motivation
An understanding of project management
Strong communication skills and the ability to build relationships quickly
IT skills; Good MS office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Desirable:
Project management foundation
A basic understanding of waste regulatory regimes
Experience or knowledge of MS Project, SharePoint Online, MS Teams.

We’re looking for applicants who believe that having a truly diverse, representative and engaged workforce is fundamental to protect the environment and effectively serve our communities.

We will encourage you to keep developing your skills. Opportunities are available for those wanting to progress their career, including personal and professional development and apprenticeships.

The candidate pack and role profile should be read along with the advert in order to understand the experience and skills needed. We do not assess CVs.

Interviews will be conducted remotely and are likely to take place during February 2022.

We may use the outcome of this recruitment to fill any similar vacancies that arise within 6 months of the interview.

For more information contact Kelly Short – Kelly.short@environment-agency.gov.uk or 02030 258531.

It is your answers given to these questions that will be used for interview selection. More information on how to answer competency questions can be found in section 5 of the candidate pack. It is strongly recommended that you read this before answering.

You'll be clear and to the point in your written and verbal communication. Your reports will be accurate and use an appropriate style for your audience. You'll be able to produce project updates that are easily understood by your project manager using a style that reflects their needs.

This role involves communicating with a lot of different people. Describe your experience of writing reports, giving presentations and communicating effectively with a range of people to get your message across respectfully, clearly and succinctly.

You'll be able to organise work to meet deadlines including planning and tracking whether work is on course to deliver on time. You'll be able to set goals and make adjustments in response to any setbacks to your timetable. You'll have tenacity and able to work under pressure to meet deadlines.

Giving a specific example of a piece of work you have delivered, describe how you prioritised your workload and how you met the final deadline.

You'll be familiar with how to handle and store data and information. You'll be able to gather and present data accurately, both written and graphically, so that it's easily understood.

Tell us about a time when you have collated, managed and stored information, detailing which platforms and formats were used and why.

Selects, plans and manages programmes or events to achieve a set of Environment Agency objectives cost-effectively.

Tell us about a time when you have coordinated a project or piece of work containing many interlinked tasks. Please describe how you tracked progression of the project and identified risks.