Support Officer

Overview

Buckinghamshire Council are recruiting for a new and exciting Support Officer role in the Highways and Technical Services team. This is an important role in the delivery of the current highway service for Buckinghamshire Council.

The post holders will be integral in supporting the development and delivery of contract management activities and associated contracts and frameworks, ensuring the Council maximises service outcomes in relation to value of money, quality of service to customer and performance to ensure the efficient and effective service delivery to the people and community of Buckinghamshire.

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

You will play a important supporting role in assisting the leads for Term Maintenance, Contracts and Commissioning in the management of any required contracts and providing relevant information concerning delivery, performance, finance and value for money ensuring delivery of the work by the service in terms of either revenue or capital activities. This role will particularly concentrate on the delivery of our extensive revenue programmes of works.

You will be a key player in a team of approximately 10 staff, plus circa 200 indirectly managed external contract staff, working closely with the Commissioning and Contract manager, Head of Highways and other managers within the service area.

You will also work with Local Members, parish and town councils and support our local Community Boards as appropriate.

Key Accountabilities

• To ensure accurate financial and performance management information is provided by the service providers of the highways service, including at times validating, testing and interpreting financial trends of the information provided.
• To provide support and assistance to the wider highways team, both assuring compliance of the Business Unit to the key corporate business processes such as MTFP, closure of accounts, budget monitoring, cash profiling and corporate systems and facilitating the understanding of both cost and value across the Business.
• To support and assist on the form/procurement/payment mechanisms for the service.
• To support the highway service in the raising of any required commissions/orders in respect of required services.
• To support the highway service in conducting and evaluating benchmarking and relevant value for money activities, including providing a check and challenge financial audit process to both the annual task orders and the monthly application associated with the service.
• To support the highway service in relation to applying the financial performance mechanisms built into the contracts and contractual arrangements.
• To ensure Managers have access to the appropriate financial and performance advice and support from the service.
• To support and provide appropriate support, assistance and advice during the yearly budget setting process.
• Work with elected members and local parish and town councils, in particular the Local Community Boards.
• To support the wider team with project and meeting administration activities including arranging, chairing and minuting meetings and workshops.
• To support and update key systems for ordering, auditing and analysing contractor works and associated information.

For full details please see the attached job summary

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, 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 be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

To be a successful candidate, you will ideally have relevant experience in highways maintenance, contract management, finance and performance management and critically, understand value for money with a good understanding of systems.

Experience of project coordination would be an advantage as would a wide knowledge of the service area and wider sector/external influences.

You should have an understanding of commissioning, procuring and contract management. With good knowledge and experience of being able to pick up systems and processes quickly. You have experience and an ability to quickly analyse issues and identify and implement solutions, taking account of conflicting demands will also be advantageous.

You will need to be able to demonstrate excellent communication skills and have the proven ability to work with sensitive and contentious issues. You will also have the ability to build relationships and successfully work in team environments.

You must be able to show a clear understanding of when and what operational decisions can be undertaken with delegated authority and which require senior management and political awareness and it will be an advantage to have previous experience of working in a political environment.

For full details please see the attached job summary.

Other information

Interview-type / process: In person

Who to contact for additional information: Ryan Curtis

For an informal chat about this role in more detail, please contact Ryan Curtis on 01296 506247

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

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

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.

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.

Our values and culture

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 Business Unit

Our Communities directorate works across the county to deliver a number of the key customer-facing services that our residents, businesses and visitors rely on every day. 

This directorate includes a wide range of services, including:

• collecting and disposing of waste and recycling
• maintaining our roads and Rights of Way network and parking
• ensuring the delivery of school transport, and supporting sustainable travel including public bus services and School Crossing Patrollers
• managing Country Parks
• leisure facilities, museums, theatres and libraries, as well as developing our Cultural Strategy
• Licensing, Environmental Health and Trading Standards
• Cemeteries and Crematoria

The customer is central to how we develop and deliver all of these services, which help promote our rich and vibrant culture and special environment. 

We are looking for enthusiastic, ambitious and committed individuals to join our team and help us to continue to make Buckinghamshire a great place to live, work and visit. This is an exciting time for us as we bring together the services previously run by five separate councils before Buckinghamshire Council was created. Whilst making major changes to contracts affecting residents across Bucks, we continue to focus on delivering great customer service. You will join us on our journey of continuous improvement - whether that’s through developing strategies and ways of working or delivering services on the ground, every person in Communities is a valued member of the team.

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/