• Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 2BX
• £29,269 - £33,945 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• Part Time, 18.5 hours per week
• Permanent

Part Time and Job Share options will be considered

What we are looking for

We are looking for a Performance and Research Officer to join our team in Communities. You will share our values, commitment, and motivation to make a difference for our residents, clients, and communities.

About the role

Reporting to the Community Grants and Development Manager your role will involve delivering reports, projects and activities that drive improvements in service quality, efficiency and performance of the Communities Team. 

You will contribute to the development of ‘place based’ community programmes, seeking customer intelligence and community insight through undertaking research, public consultations and analysis to inform decision making within the Communities Management Team.

This is an exciting and varied role where you will support the Management team in meeting performance targets and addressing performance issues. You will be producing regular performance reports for councillors and senior management using dedicated IT packages while also supporting the organisation in improving consultation and engagement through surveys and other research methods.  

Although demanding, the work will provide a good platform to test and showcase your abilities. You will also be part of a talented and supportive team that is orientated to think about new and innovative ways of delivering solutions to the key challenges and issues facing Babergh and Mid Suffolk.

The role includes a multitude of duties:

• Coordinate the delivery of the Communities Service Delivery Plan and Performance Indicators.
• Support the development and maintenance of a performance management system for reporting and data analysis. 
• Present monthly performance information (monitoring and identifying trends) against key indicators through a variety of means e.g. monthly performance management reports, cabinet members updates, ensuring that the Head of Service and Managers are fully appraised of key performance trends and issues and that areas of under-performance can be effectively challenged.

About you

You will need to demonstrate:

• An NVQ3 level or equivalent plus relevant post qualification experience in specialist area or equivalent knowledge gained through experience.
• Excellent verbal communication skills for customer interaction you will also need written communication skills.
• Experience in information gathering, and a good working knowledge of and ability to operate a range of computer packages, including Excel.
• Good organisational and time management skills.
• Experience of managing performance improvement or research and consultation projects.
• A high level of interpersonal, influencing and presentation skills, including the ability to summarise complex information and communicate to a range of audiences.
• An understanding of the strategic environment within which local authorities work, and the role of performance monitoring in local government.
• Knowledge of and commitment to equality and diversity issues.

About us

Working together across our councils and with our partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors, we provide excellent services to our 190,000 residents across Babergh and Mid Suffolk. 

We are proud of the role we play in creating the environment, economy, and communities for our districts. We believe that the heart of Suffolk is an incredibly special place to live and work. With picturesque market towns, 60 conservation areas and with two National Landscapes within our districts, it is little wonder that we are consistently within the top 50 places to live in the UK.

Benefits of working for us

• Great opportunities for learning and development.
• Generous leave entitlement (equivalent to 26 days a year, increasing to 31 days after 5 years’ service, plus bank holidays).
• Competitive Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Wellbeing Support Programme
• Employee Assist Programme
• Health Care Options

For more information, visit our Employee Benefits page (suffolkjobsdirect.org) and view `The best things about working for Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils (youtube)` to find out what our employees say about working for us.

Our ways of working:

Work is what we do, not where we go! We are committed to working in a more Hybrid way, with a mix of office, home, and remote based working (Business needs permitting). This has worked well for us and is something we will be continuing with.

We are committed to supporting equality and diversity, Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils provide opportunity and ambition for all, supporting and enabling our people to deliver the best possible service for our residents

For more information

Please read the Job Description and Person Specification -  Performance_and_Research_Officer_JDPS.pdf before applying for this job opportunity.

If you wish to discuss the hybrid working approach for this role, or for an informal discussion, please contact Laura Butters by either calling 01449 724883 or emailing: [email protected] 

 Closing date: 5pm, 3 October 2024.

When applying, please ensure: 

• that you complete the application form as fully as possible with your employment and educational history as shortlisting will be based upon the application form and supporting statement only.
• your statement indicates how you meet each of the criteria in the ‘Person Profile’ section of the Job Description/Person Specification (JDPS).