Project Support Officer

Cddft; Tees Valley; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Project Support Officer to join the Health Informatics team. This Band 5 role provides proactive project support for digital initiatives across the Trust, handling project plans, governance, and reporting to support safe, well-governed digital change for patients and staff.

The post requires strong organisational skills, the ability to work with clinical, operational and technical stakeholders, and experience in project or programme

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent in a relevant subject.
• Evidence of learning or development in project support, governance, or coordination.
• PRINCE2 Foundation or Managing Successful Programmes Foundation or equivalent qualification; MS Project/SharePoint training is useful.

Responsibilities

• Support PMO and project teams with coordination and delivery support for digital initiatives.
• Maintain project plans, trackers, dashboards, risk/issue logs and benefits information.
• Assist with monthly reporting and preparation for Project Board and portfolio reporting.
• Coordinate meetings, agendas, papers, and minutes; monitor follow-up actions.
• Support communications and engagement with stakeholders to enable delivery.

Skills

Project coordination

Governance support

Stakeholder engagement

Microsoft Office

Education

Degree or equivalent in a relevant subject

Tools

MS Project

SharePoint

MS 365

Job description

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Project Support Officer

The closing date is 26 November 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Project Support Officer to jointhe Health Informatics team at County Durham and Darlington NHS FoundationTrust. This Band 5 role will provide high quality, proactive project supportfor digital project initiatives across the Trust. We are looking for someonewho is highly organised, confident working with a range of stakeholders andable to support effective project governance, reporting, planning andcoordination. The role would suit someone with experience of project, programmeor business support who is motivated by helping teams deliver safe, effectiveand well-governed digital change for patients, staff and services.

Thisrole does not meet the requirements for Skilled Worker visa sponsorshipand is therefore not eligible for sponsorship.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will support the PMO and project teams with thecoordination and delivery support of digital programmes and projects. This willinclude maintaining project plans, trackers, dashboards, action logs, risk andissue logs, benefits information and other project documentation. They willsupport monthly reporting, collate updates from project teams, assist withpreparation for Project Board and portfolio reporting, and help ensure projectinformation is accurate, complete and up to date. The role will also involvecoordinating meetings and governance arrangements, preparing agendas andpapers, taking accurate minutes, recording decisions and actions, monitoringfollow-up and supporting effective communication with internal and externalstakeholders.

About us

If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.

You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.

We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.

Job responsibilities

The Project SupportOfficer will support the PMO Manager, Project Managers and programme/projectleads to deliver high quality, proactive project support for digitalinitiatives across the Trust. The post holder will act as a key point ofcontact for managers and staff in relation to project delivery status,project documentation and governance processes.The role will include monitoring and tracking project plans, action logs,risks, issues, dependencies, lessons learned and benefits information. Thepost holder will assist with the development and maintenance of projecttrackers, dashboards, process diagrams, reports and governance documentation,ensuring information is accurate, complete and available to supportdecision-making. They will coordinate monthly updates from project teams,support preparation of reports for Project Board and portfolio meetings, andhelp maintain consistent document management standards across the projectportfolio.The post holder will provide project coordination and governance support forboard and team-level meetings, including organising meetings, preparing anddistributing papers, taking accurate minutes, capturing decisions andactions, and following up progress against agreed actions. They will also support projectcommunications, stakeholder engagement, training coordination and projectworkshops that enable effective implementation and delivery.

The role requires excellent organisational, communication and prioritisationskills and the ability to work with clinical, operational, technical,managerial and supplier stakeholders. The post holder will contribute to bestpractice programme and project methodology, continuous improvement within thePMO and effective delivery of digital change that supports patients, staff,managers and clinicians.

Person Specification

Special Requirements

• Able to travel across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post. Presents a professional image at all times.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent in a relevant subject, or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in a specialist area. Evidence of relevant learning or development in project support, programme support, governance, business support, coordination or service improvement.
• PRINCE2 Foundation, Managing Successful Programmes Foundation, P3O Foundation or recognised industry equivalent qualification, or experience within the areas outlined. Microsoft 365/SharePoint or MS Project training would be useful.

Experience

• Experience of programme or project management support, business support, project coordination or governance support in a challenging and changing environment. Experience of working in a process-driven environment and in accordance with governance. Experience of maintaining project documentation, plans, trackers, action logs, risk and issue logs and reports. Experience of taking effective minutes, including accurate records of decisions and actions. Demonstrable experience of using Microsoft Office.
• Experience of working in a Programme or Project Management Office. Experience of working within an NHS environment. Experience of using Microsoft 365/SharePoint or MS Project. Experience of supporting group discussions, collaborative working, workshops, training sessions or project events.

Special Skills & Knowledge

• Good communication skills, both verbal and written. Strong organisational skills and ability to work in a structured way. Ability to prioritise effectively, use initiative and work productively without high levels of supervision. Standard keyboard skills and confident use of Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Awareness of formal programme and project management methodologies. Knowledge of data protection, Caldicott principles and the need to maintain confidentiality. Ability to work well under pressure and contribute positively within a team environment.
• Knowledge of Microsoft 365/SharePoint or MS Project. Understanding of broad NHS roles, responsibilities, structures and processes. Ability to demonstrate sound judgement and common sense when problem solving. Able to facilitate group discussions, encourage participation and support collaborative working.

Employer name

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust