Better Lives Project Manager

Overview

Are you an experienced Project Manager who thrives on driving positive change and delivering meaningful outcomes? Do you enjoy bringing people together, turning ideas into action, and making a real difference to services that support local communities?

We're looking for a Better Lives Project Manager to play a key role in delivering transformational projects and improvement initiatives across Adult Social Care. Working alongside colleagues, partners and stakeholders, you'll help shape and deliver projects that support the Better Lives vision, ensuring services continue to evolve and improve for the people who rely on them.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

About the role

As our Better Lives Project Manager, you'll be responsible for leading and coordinating a range of complex projects and improvement activities that support strategic priorities across Adult Social Care. This is a varied and rewarding role where no two days are the same. You'll work closely with colleagues across services, senior leaders, partners and stakeholders to ensure projects are planned effectively, delivered successfully and achieve positive outcomes.

You'll use your project management expertise to oversee delivery from planning through to implementation and review, ensuring risks are managed, progress is monitored and governance arrangements are in place. Alongside this, you'll analyse information, engage with stakeholders, support co-production activities, and produce high-quality reports and briefings that help inform decision-making.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who enjoys working in a collaborative environment, influencing positive change, solving complex challenges and helping to shape the future of services through innovation and continuous improvement.

Some of your key responsibilities will include:

• Managing projects and workstreams from planning and implementation through to review and completion.
• Developing and maintaining project plans, risk registers, reporting tools and governance arrangements.
• Building strong relationships with stakeholders, partners and colleagues to support successful delivery.
• Producing reports, briefings and recommendations to inform strategic decision-making and service improvement.

For a full list of duties and responsibilities, please refer to the Job Description.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need a desk, screen a keyboard to get your job done. You’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

We're looking for someone who is an organised, proactive and confident project professional with a passion for delivering improvement and achieving positive outcomes. You'll be comfortable managing multiple priorities, building effective relationships across a diverse stakeholder network and navigating complex challenges, with a solution-focused approach.

To be successful in this role, you'll bring significant experience of project management within a large or complex organisation, alongside the ability to coordinate activity across teams and influence stakeholders to achieve shared goals. You'll have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, strong analytical abilities and the confidence to make informed decisions and manage risks effectively.

You'll also have a strong understanding of project management methodologies and be experienced in developing project plans, monitoring progress, and supporting the delivery of change programmes. A degree-level qualification (or equivalent experience), or a relevant project management qualification, such as PRINCE2 is essential. Strong Microsoft Office skills and experience producing high-quality reports and presentations are also important for success in the role.

For full details of the essential and desirable criteria, please refer to the Job Description.

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Other information

Other Information

For more information about this role, please contact Jade Brooks at [email protected] for an informal discussion.

Closing date: 1^st November 2026

Interview Date: w/c 9^th November 2026

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

Our values

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Service Area

The Better Lives Team is a newly formed team within the Adults and Health Directorate, responsible for delivering the Better Lives Strategy for Adult Social Care. Working collaboratively with colleagues, partners and stakeholders, we lead key transformation and improvement activity to achieve better outcomes for residents and communities.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/