Programme Support Officer - Public Health

West Sussex County Council; Selsey; Hybrid; GBP 34,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Laptop provided

27 days annual leave + pension

West Sussex Choices discounts

Job summary

West Sussex County Council is seeking a proactive Programme Support Officer to provide day-to-day support across multiple projects and programmes within the Public Health Directorate. You will help monitor progress, support decision-making, and ensure timely delivery of objectives.

The role requires strong organisation, analytical skills and the ability to work with diverse stakeholders. Flexible working arrangements are possible, with location at County Hall, Chichester.

Qualifications

• HNC or HND in an appropriate subject, or equivalent practical experience.
• Knowledge of project management and planning processes.
• Excellent literacy and numeracy skills for financial analysis and reporting.
• Strong problem-solving skills with independent decision-making.
• Advanced analytical skills to interpret complex project information.
• Excellent organisational and planning skills with ability to prioritise workloads and meet deadlines.
• Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills for stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

• Assist with the development and implementation of key initiatives and coordinate programme activities.
• Collate, analyse and report on performance data to monitor progress and outcomes.
• Keep records up to date and archive project information to acceptable standards.
• Interpret complex information to develop plans and manage progress to achieve outcomes.
• Collaborate across the Public Health Directorate on business planning, stakeholder liaison, and communications.

Skills

Project management

Planning processes

Literacy and numeracy

Problem solving

Analytical skills

Organisation and planning

Communication and interpersonal

Education

HNC/HND or equivalent

Job description

We are seeking a proactive and organised Programme Support Officer to provide effective day to day support across a range of projects and programmes.

The Public Health Directorate sets strategic priorities to reduce health inequalities, improve population health outcomes, and ensure readiness to respond to current and future public health challenges.

Salary: £33,673 to £36,581 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full-time (37 hours per week)

Location: County Hall, West Street, Chichester, PO19 1RQ

Interview Date: week commencing Monday 19 October 2026. Interviews will take place face to face at County Hall, Chichester.

Regular attendance at your base location will also be necessary, and there will be opportunities for remote work. Final arrangements will be confirmed with the successful candidate.

About the Job

No two days are the same within our Public Health Directorate. Working closely with colleagues and stakeholders, you will play a vital role in ensuring projects remain on track, supporting informed decision-making and the successful delivery of programme objectives.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Assist with the development and implementation of key initiatives, coordinate programme activities, and collate, analyse, and report on performance data to help monitor progress and outcomes.
• Keep records up to date, provide detailed progress reports and ensure that all project / programme information is collected, maintained and archived according to acceptable standards.
• Interpret complex information, for example to produce a high-quality document with minimal guidance, and to write project definitions in order to develop plans and manage progress to achieve successful outcomes.
• Work collaboratively across the Public Health Directorate, supporting a range of projects and programmes. Responsibilities include business planning, stakeholder liaison, drafting communications, coordinating meetings, taking notes, and maintaining effective reporting and monitoring systems.

Ready to make a difference? If you are a highly organised and proactive professional with strong analytical skills and an eye for detail, we would love to hear from you.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• HNC (Higher National Certificate) or HND (Higher National Diploma) in an appropriate subject, or equivalent practical experience / range of knowledge.
• Knowledge of project management and planning processes, and demonstrable experience of working as a competent member of a project team.
• Excellent literacy and numeracy skills to understand and carry out financial analysis and reporting.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to anticipate problems and resolve issues independently, planning solutions and making sound pragmatic decisions.
• Advanced analytical skills with the ability to interpret, evaluate and manage complex project information to deliver effective solutions that meet client requirements.
• Excellent organisational and planning skills, with a proven ability to prioritise workloads, meet deadlines and deliver high-quality outputs, including urgent reports and project updates.
• Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills, enabling you to build strong relationships with clients and stakeholders, influence at all levels, and provide guidance, coaching and support on processes and documentation.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

Rewards and Benefits

We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

• A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role.
• You will benefit from 27 days annual leave, rising to 28 days after 5 years' service (pro rata for part time) plus the opportunity to buy additional leave and an excellent local government pension scheme.
• A range of discounts give our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform.
• For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE06533.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to right to work within the UK, satisfactory references, and a health check.

Any candidates wishing to apply for this position, who would require sponsorship can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for the post by assessing their circumstances against criteria specified on the gov.uk website.

Equity, inclusion, accessibility and diversity is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all cultures, ethnicities, identities, backgrounds and lived experiences, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.