Project Support Officer - Contract
Mar 15, 2025
Project Support Officer
Key Purpose of the Job
The role will assist the Project Manager with ensuring projects are delivered on time and on budget to the desired quality. We are currently in the process of replacing their key ticketing system with a more modern system to improve the customer experience and provide new business capabilities.
In conjunction with the main project there are several smaller projects which have dependencies which also need to be managed over the course of the implementation.
This is a Project Management Office support role with responsibility to ensure project governance is followed to include management of plans, risks, issues, and budgets. The role will also be responsible for arranging and facilitating where appropriate project workshops and similar sessions.
In addition to the main activities of this role the post would suit someone who has an interest in developing their skills in business process management and design to assist the team where necessary. This would include interacting with end users and other senior stakeholders.
Responsibility for Resources
People
The role has no direct reports but will work closely with the Project Manager other members of the IT team and the various Stakeholders in a matrix management environment.
Confidentiality
When authorised, the role may have access to confidential information which should be treated as such and within the context of all Information and Data Security policies.
Financial
The role has no direct financial responsibility; however, the post holder will be expected to track project budgets and spend highlighting and reporting deviations accordingly.
Main duties and key responsibilities
- Performing tasks allocated by the Project Manager and completing them within agreed time and quality standards.
- Project Office Support through maintaining:
- Project plans using Microsoft Project Online
- Agenda and minutes of meetings
- Tracking Actions
- Tracking and forecasting project budgets
- Risks and Issues logs
- Facilitating project meetings and workshops.
- In addition, there will be opportunities to enhance skills and become more involved in the analysis and documenting of Business Processes. This would include:
- Documenting business processes, ensuring they are relevant, accurate, correctly detailed, updated as necessary and organised in a consistent manner.
- Working closely with the business to support the To-Be processes.
- Where necessary designing processes to best use the functionality of the supporting IT solutions
- Assisting with the creation of Standard Operating Procedures
Building relationships
- The role requires significant interaction with:
- colleagues and staff of all levels.
- external organisations, describing accurately technical issues and queries, and establishing trust and rapport.
Mental Demands
Judgement
- The post holder will be required to use their experience and judgement to provide solutions and workarounds to problems as necessary; significant changes or departures from normal operating processes will require managerial approval
Original thought
- The majority of work will be planned and in accordance with agreed policies, procedures and processes. On occasion the post holder will be required to use their knowledge and skill to troubleshoot more complex situations. Any unresolved problem will be escalated to the Project Manager.
Flexibility
- The nature of a project requires that the post holder to be responsive and sensitive to the needs of staff and suppliers working on the project, prioritising work to meet operational needs, and changing priorities as necessary.
- This post is primarily based in London.
- At the current time, the role will work from home until lockdown restrictions ease.
- Following easing of lockdown restriction s location can be negotiated with the line manager with an expectation of circa xx days working from home per week.
- To ensure that the policy for equality of opportunity is adhered to and promoted in all aspects of the post holder s work.
- To ensure effective quality control and continuous improvement in all aspects of the work and responsibilities attached to this post.
- Demonstrate professionalism towards sensitive and confidential information.
- To comply with and promote Health and Safety policies and procedures and to undertake recommended Health and Safety training as and when necessary.
- To be committed to professional self-development, through participation in in-service training as necessary for the successful carrying out of the job.
- To undertake such other duties as are commensurate with the grade of the post.
Working Conditions
Expectations of job holder
NB: This job description is designed to outline a range of main duties that may be encountered. It is not designed to be an exhaustive list of tasks and can be varied in consultation with the post holder in order to reflect changes in the job or the organisation.
Person Specification
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, able to build effective relationships as part of multicultural, team through a supportive, culturally aware approach
- Collaborative nature, can build relationships, able to adapt approach to problem solving to reflect the nature of the audience and work well with peers
- Flexible and pragmatic to achieve agreed goals.
Qualifications & Experience
- Proven experience of working within project teams and environments, using Prince 2 methodology, MS Project and Visio tools
- Proven Project Management Office Support or Assurance experience.
- Project Management experience an advantage.
- Proven experience of leading on bespoke pieces of worksmaller projects
- A desire to expand skills and capabilities to include:
- process modelling,
- requirements analysis,
- workflow
- Able to apply knowledge of system functionality to support processes
Knowledge
- MS Project Online, JIRA and similar toolsets.
- Full Project lifecycle
- Establishment and execution of Project Office processes and techniques.
- Risk, Issue and Problem Management processes.
- Business process modelling and analysis tools and techniques.
- Microsoft Office 365 products including Excel (Visio desirable)
Skills & Abilities
Excellent planning skills along with a good understanding of project management principles to support delivery of solution.
Able to establish good working relationships through excellent communications skills and the ability to interact with staff at all levels of the business.
Excellent report writing and communication skills, able to distil complex information, and offer practical solutions to colleagues.
Process modelling skills
Able to organise the ideas and thoughts of others into a logical set of steps and processes.
Ability to identify areas where changes to processes and supporting systems would deliver business benefit.
Willingness to seek support and assistance from other team members when necessary.
Other Requirements
While predominately a Monday to Friday role, there is a need to work occasional weekends or evenings, as project deadlines require which will be compensated as per standard terms and conditions.
A commitment to our values and mission.
