Service Improvement & Project Support Officer

Wokingham-Borough-Council; Wokingham; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous Annual Leave

GP Helpline

Employee Assistance Programme

Free Onsite Gym

Car & Cycle to Work schemes

Local & Lifestyle Discounts

Job summary

Wokingham Borough Council is recruiting a Service Improvement & Project Support Officer to join the Executive Business Support team on a full-time, permanent basis. The role supports improvement, transformation and operational projects in Children's Services, strengthening data quality and governance to help services run effectively.

You will help prepare for inspections, manage trackers and reports, and coordinate pre- and post-inspection activity with Ofsted.

Qualifications

• Highly organised with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Ability to identify opportunities to improve processes and ways of working.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to build positive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel and PowerPoint.
• Takes initiative and can work independently.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and support service improvement activity across Children's Services Service Delivery teams, reviewing operational processes and identifying opportunities to improve consistency, resilience and service effectiveness.
• Undertake process mapping and support the development of improvement plans, identifying gaps and inefficiencies and strengthening procedures, systems or working practices.
• Maintain trackers, action plans and project documentation to monitor priorities and actions, ensuring progress is recorded and followed up.
• Support reporting and escalation by collating updates, preparing progress information and reports on improvement projects, identifying risks and escalating matters.
• Support Ofsted inspection planning and service readiness, including logistics, coordination for pre- and post-inspection activities and evidence gathering.

Skills

Highly organised

Prioritisation

Communication

Stakeholder relationships

Microsoft Office

Initiative

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Service Improvement & Project Support Officer

Employer: Wokingham Borough Council
Salary: £32,578 - £36,582 per annum, plus benefits
Location: Shute End, Wokingham
Contract: Permanent
Working Pattern: Full Time
Hours: 37 hours per week.
DBS Check: Yes
Closing Date: 22/11/2026 at 23:00
Reference: 710871

We have an excellent opportunity for a Service Improvement & Project Support Officer to join our Executive Business Support team here at Wokingham Borough Council, on a full-time, permanent basis.

This is an exciting opportunity to work across improvement, transformation and operational projects in Children's Services. You'll strengthen data quality and governance and support key operational functions, helping services for children and families run effectively, meet statutory requirements and prepare for inspection and assurance activity.

Not only is this an excellent opportunity, but it’s a fantastic time to join our team. You will receive an extensive range of employee benefits including:

Generous Annual Leave - 28 days per annum (rising by 5 days with 5 years continued local government serviced), plus Bank Holidays

GP Helpline- Available 7 days a week

Employee Assistance Programme- Including a 24/7Your CareHelpline

Free Onsite Gym- Located at Shute End Offices, Wokingham

Salary Sacrifice Schemes- IncludingCarandCycle to Work schemes

Local & Lifestyle Discounts- Save on shopping, entertainment, dining out & more

Move through Menopause Course

Sports & Social Group Activities– Including running, football, cricket & more

And more!

Key Responsibilities:

• Coordinate and support service improvement activity across Children's Services Service Delivery teams, including reviewing operational processes and identifying opportunities to improve consistency, resilience and service effectiveness
• Undertake process mapping and support the development of improvement plans, including identifying gaps, inefficiencies and areas where procedures, systems or working practices could be strengthened
• Maintain trackers, action plans and project documentation to monitor agreed priorities, improvement activity and operational actions, ensuring progress is clearly recorded and followed up
• Support reporting and escalation arrangements by collating updates, preparing progress information and written reports on improvement projects, identifying risks or issues and escalating matters appropriately
• Support Ofsted inspection planning and service readiness, including operational and administrative logistics, project coordination for pre-inspection preparation and post-inspection action planning, evidence gathering, data quality activity and preparation of the required evidence base for presentation to Ofsted

Candidate Requirements:

• Highly organised and able to manage competing priorities
• Ability to identify opportunities to improve processes and ways of working
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to build positive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, such as Excel and PowerPoint
• Takes initiative and can work independently

Our Area:

Wokingham Borough is set in the heart of Berkshire with excellent transport links to Reading and central London. Our area comprises of a vibrant and historical market town, attractive villages, and miles of beautiful countryside.

We’re home to a range of high performing schools, a host of international businesses and an incredible community. The borough has a strong local economy with accelerated growth, a range of excellent public facilities and low levels of crime, offering an exceptional quality of life.

Interview date: TBC

AI in Applications:

We recognise that candidates may choose to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support the preparation of their job applications. When used appropriately, AI can be a helpful aid in structuring responses, checking clarity, and improving presentation.

However, applications must reflect your own skills, experience and understanding. If an application appears to rely excessively on AI-generated content, it may not meet the required standard and could be rejected.

We encourage all applicants to ensure their submissions are authentic, tailored to the role, and clearly demonstrate their own knowledge, experience and suitability.

If your application is shortlisted for an interview, you will be required to provide proof of your right to work in the UK at that stage. Additionally, successful candidates must present proof upon receiving a job offer.

Please note that all offers are conditional and subject to the satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks.

Please be aware that we will be reviewing the applications we receive on a daily basis, and we reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified.

Wokingham Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff, other workers and volunteers to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks along with other relevant employment checks.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we regret that we are unable to respond to every applicant individually.

If you do not hear from us within 4 weeks of the application closing date, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion.

We appreciate your interest in joining Wokingham Borough Council and thank you for taking the time to apply.

Wokingham is an equal opportunities employer.