OSCP Project Officer

Oxfordshire County Council; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Oxfordshire seeks a skilled Project Officer to lead multi-agency improvement projects. The ideal candidate will have experience in project management within complex environments. Responsibilities include managing projects, driving policy improvements, and stakeholder collaboration. Strong analytical and communication skills are essential. Candidates who value continuous improvement and high-quality service for children and families will thrive in this role, which also offers flexible working and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Flexible working culture

30 days holiday plus bank holidays

Employee Assistance Programme

Learning and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience delivering projects or transformation initiatives involving multiple partners.
• Knowledge of recognised methodologies (e.g. Prince2, Lean, Prosci).
• Strong analytical abilities, including using qualitative and quantitative evidence.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to plan effectively and manage competing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage end-to-end projects across the Partnership.
• Drive improvements in safeguarding policy and practice.
• Support and strengthen local safeguarding arrangements.
• Work with stakeholders to co-produce solutions.
• Facilitate workshops and produce reports.

Skills

Project management experience

Analytical skills

Excellent communication skills

Ability to build relationships

Continuous improvement mindset

Education

Project management qualifications (e.g., Prince2)

Job description

About Us

The Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (OSCP) is committed to improving outcomes for children and families across the county. Our partnership brings together three statutory safeguarding agencies:

• Oxfordshire County Council (Children, Families and Education)
• Health (Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board)
• Thames Valley Police

Working in line with the "Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023" framework, we lead and coordinate local multi‑agency safeguarding arrangements, collaborating with a wide range of organisations to protect and promote the welfare of children and young people.

About the Role – OSCP Project Officer

We are looking for a skilled and motivated Project Officer to lead and deliver multi‑agency improvement projects across the safeguarding system in Oxfordshire. This is a specialist change and transformation role, ideal for someone who enjoys collaborative working, system improvement, and seeing projects turn into meaningful outcomes for children and young people.

You will:

• Lead and manage end‑to‑end projects across the Partnership, from business case development to implementation and evaluation.
• Drive improvements in safeguarding policy, practice, and partnership processes.
• Support and strengthen the effectiveness of Oxfordshire’s local safeguarding arrangements.
• Work with a wide range of stakeholders to co‑produce solutions and embed new ways of working.
• Facilitate workshops, produce reports and data insights, and ensure robust governance and monitoring.
• Champion innovation, continuous improvement, and the values of Delivering the FutureTogether and Children’s Oxfordshire Way.

This is a role with significant scope to shape how our multi‑agency system works — ensuring safeguarding arrangements are strong, coherent, and focused on improving outcomes for children.

About You

You will be an experienced and confident project or change management professional who thrives in a complex, multi‑agency environment.

We are looking for someone who has:

• Experience delivering projects or transformation initiatives involving multiple partners.
• Knowledge of recognised methodologies (e.g. Prince2, Lean, Prosci) and the ability to apply them effectively.
• Strong analytical abilities, including using qualitative and quantitative evidence to drive improvement.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships across organisations.
• Proven ability to plan effectively, manage competing priorities, and work flexibly as situations evolve.
• High professional integrity, including handling sensitive information appropriately.
• Confidence working independently as well as collaboratively.
• A commitment to continuous improvement and delivering high‑quality services for children, families, and partners.

Desirable

• Relevant project, programme, service improvement, or change management qualifications (e.g., APM, Prince2, MSP, Lean, Prosci).
• Experience within local government or safeguarding environments.

Most importantly, you will be someone who shares our values: Always learning | Being kind & caring | Equality & integrity | Taking responsibility | Daring to do things differently.

Rewards and benefits

• Culture of flexible working
• Technology to support agile working where role permits
• 30 day’s holiday p.a. plus bank holidays
• Option to ‘buy’ additional holiday
• Employee Assistance Programme including access to health and wellbeing support
• Membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, with an employer’s contribution of up to 19.9%
• Enhanced family friendly policies
• Local and national discounts for shopping and travel
• Great learning and development opportunities to support your ongoing development

Our commitment to: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education and safe spaces for all.

Our commitment to: Guaranteed Interview Schemes

As a DisabilityConfident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

Our commitment to: Safeguarding

Oxfordshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

Our commitment to: Flexible Working

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi‑time, part‑time working, job sharing, nine‑day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.

Follow us on Social Media: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

If you would like to hold a conversation before you submit an application you can contact Laura Gajdus, Business Manager on: [e-mail]

Interviews are planned for week commencing Monday 9th February 2026.