About Us: The Environment & Communities Directorate in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories. Where dedicated people like Grace are using their skills and passion to progress environmental action in the heart of London. It was at university where Grace first started campaigning for improved recycling facilities, water refill stations, and other eco-friendly initiatives. When she saw the real difference people could make when they came together, she knew she wanted to dedicate her career to community action for the planet. When she joined us as Principal Engagement Officer, Climate Emergency, she quickly established herself as a passionate advocate for community outreach, engaging various stakeholders across Westminster in the social causes, impacts and solutions to climate change, air pollution, and biodiversity loss. Grace became a driving force behind our first Citizens’ Climate Assembly, which took place across two weekends in the summer of 2023. Fifty residents were chosen at random from across our diverse communities to come together, learn about the climate emergency, and deliberate how we overcome the barriers to becoming a net zero city by 2040. The assembly produced several recommendations which have informed the evolution of our Climate Emergency Action Plan. Due to the success of this initiative, we’re holding more assemblies to continue community involvement in local decision-making. To see the work of the Westminster Citizens’ Climate Assembly, click here. The Role: As a Programme Officer within The Waste and Cleansing team, you could make your own powerful contribution by helping us deliver a great quality of life for our local residents. Not only do we oversee efficient commercial and domestic waste collection and disposal services, but we are responsible for street cleansing, recycling and clean air initiatives. We know that how we deliver these services can have a significant impact on our environmental aims (such as tackling climate change) and to addressing health and wellbeing inequalities. As such, you could find this the most interesting challenge of your career. We are currently at a fascinating stage in our evolution, as we are assessing our waste contract (with an annual value of around £57 million) which is due to come to an end in late 2027. This is a great chance for us to reassess the needs of our local community and how we can best deliver these services, which is where you come in. Sitting at the heart of this high-profile project, you will help us carry out a strategic review of the service, and identify the measures needed to successfully re-procure this contract. Taking responsibility for your own workstreams while also supporting those being delivered by the wider team, you will work with everyone from our local communities through to Cabinet Members, so every day will present you with a wide range of challenges. Engaging with colleagues from a variety of teams including Communities, Communications, Procurement, Legal and more, you will see to it that shared objectives are being achieved by coordinating meetings and workshops (including producing meeting packs) and taking responsibility for maintaining programme documentation and project plans. You will also record the budget expenditure and maintain programme data, helping the wider team know that they have access to the most up-to-date information. Please refer to the Job Description for more information. About You: This is a unique opportunity to make a direct impact on how the council is perceived, so you can expect every day to be a unique learning curve! We want you to be an invaluable part of our friendly and sociable team from day one, so to be equal to the challenge you will have a background in supporting the delivery of a similarly large-scale programme. You will therefore be numerate and literate, with a good awareness of project management techniques and methodologies, including maintaining project documentation to the highest standards. With the ability to manage the needs and expectations of a wide range of stakeholders, you will have fantastic verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to both listen and influence others. Comfortable balancing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment, you will be a self-motivated individual, with a sharp eye for detail. If you also have a working knowledge of the relevant IT software (such as Microsoft Office, MS Project, Office 365 and SharePoint) that would be a distinct advantage. What We Offer: Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council’s strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe. At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health-strategy-policies-and-reports/equality-duties As a forward-thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working. The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application, we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.