About the team we are recruiting to

The Employment & Skills Service is part of Coventry City Council.  We work with a range of delivery partners to provide a wide portfolio of top quality support to Coventry residents of all ages who are looking for work.  We work with partners across the city and our Employer Hub actively works with local employers to generate opportunities for local people. 

Our friendly and welcoming Job Shop is situated in Coventry City Centre. We are here to support all Coventry residents to search for employment, training, apprenticeships and work placements.  People can explore a wide range of local vacancies that are updated daily and access training opportunities.  

We also provide ground-breaking specialist support for local residents who face multiple and sometimes complex barriers that make it hard for them to find a job.  The Job Shop and our exciting range of specialist employment support programmes are among the very best support available in the UK 

What is the job role?

Supported by the European Social Fund 2014-2020

Our Programme Management Team has an enviable track record of successfully attracting, managing and delivering a wide range of large grant funded programmes, particularly European Social Funds (ESF). The team is currently responsible for leading on 4 large ESF funded programmes with a range of delivery partners from across the city and we will shortly be leading on developing partnerships to bid for additional grant funding. These programmes further enhance the lives of Coventry citizens by providing high quality and personalised education, training and employment support.

We are looking for a Programmes Manager to join our expanding Programme Management Team as we work with internal and external partners from across the city to deliver new, exciting and innovative education, training and employment programmes.

This role will play a significant part in ensuring that our existing and future programmes are effectively managed and deliver high quality support for the people of Coventry.

You will be responsible for:

• Managing people.
• Leading on the delivery and management of programmes ensuring that agreed outputs, results and spend is achieved.
• Monitoring performance and ensuring that corrective action is taken where required.
• Developing and maintaining effective relationships with delivery partners.
• Working with the team and partners to develop and submit funding applications.
• Liaising with funding bodies and ensuring that claims are accurate and submitted on time.
• Developing systems and processes to further enhance our auditing and claims processing functions.
• Maintaining, monitoring and reporting, verbally and in writing on project activity including performance and finances.

Who are we looking for?

You will have the ability to analyse and interpret complex information and be able to translate this into guidance for delivery partners.

You will have excellent interpersonal skills and be able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with a broad range of people including funding bodies.

You will have excellent ICT skills and be proficient in using a variety of packages to develop, record, monitor, analyse and report on complex information.

Your work will be target driven and you will need to demonstrate that you have strong project management experience and experience of working with delivery partners to ensure that expected spend and results are achieved. Experience of working on ESF funded projects is desirable but not essential. You will also have an understanding of the issues relating to the development and delivery of education, training and employment support services.

Due to COVID, members of the Programme Team are all currently working from home. Post-COVID we expect that this will continue with the exception being attending essential meetings and visiting delivery partners premises to carry out claim audits. Therefore, the ability to be self-motivated, organised and responsive is essential, as is the ability to use Microsoft Teams to communicate and participate in meetings.

This is an exciting opportunity for the right candidate to excel in a small dynamic team and to make a valuable contribution with your skills and experience.

The role is initially fixed term until 30 June 2022.

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'

All attachments for the job can be found here

Interview date(s): Week Beginning 14th December 2020

About Coventry

Coventry is a lively, multicultural city, which embraces old and new. Around the modern city centre there are traces of history everywhere – in the old city walls, the timber-framed buildings and the reconstructed medieval Spon Street. But Coventry has always had an eye on the future, and is now firmly focused on regenerating and re-inventing itself to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. With major developments and new projects taking place right across the city, Coventry City Council is the place to be!

There's a huge buzz about the city – Coventry ranks as the 8th best city to live, work and do business in the UK, and is the UK City of Culture 2021 ! We believe this will help put Coventry on the map for all the right reasons. You can feel the sense of local pride throughout the city as we build towards this momentous year. It also offers a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to those joining us to play their part in it.

We genuinely believe that Coventry City Council is a special place. You will be joining Coventry City Council during an exciting time to become part of a team that contribute to achieving our visions for the city. We have made our council a place where we look after our people, making sure you're happy in your work and given everything you need to succeed. We've created friendly, welcoming workplaces where everyone is working towards the same cause, providing the best possible services for the city of Coventry.

As a council with improvement at its heart, we’re committed to making life better for the people who live and work in Coventry. We’re equally concerned with the quality of life enjoyed by our people, so by joining us, you won’t just be helping the community, you’ll be helping yourself too.

Not only do you get to work alongside great people that are helping to improve services for our community we offer great benefits too! For your valued contribution we will provide a fantastic benefits package including;

• Flexible working arrangements
• Generous annual leave allowance starting at 27 days and rising to 32 days
• Pay progression through multiple increments
• Outstanding local government pension scheme
• Learning & Development with access to certified courses.
• Access to an award winning Occupational Health Team
• Vibrant employee networks 

Coventry City Council