Introduction

As a result of the local government acts of 1999 and 2000, councils are bound by ‘best value’ principles – to give the local population the service they need and to which they are entitled as far as limited resources allow.

Policy and project officers work in the chief executive’s office and undertake a range of strategic duties designed to fulfill this mandate. Most will have particular specialisms such as the development and implementation of social inclusion and partnerships policies. In essence, this means working to ensure that the council is involved with the public and that all its services are freely available to them in an open and accountable way.

The post exists in all types of authority.

Work Environment

This is mainly office-based but includes training and conference centres and council meetings. Local and regional travel is necessary and sometimes national and international (through the ‘Eurocities’ initiative) travel is required. This may entail carrying of equipment like flipcharts, easels, overhead projectors for presentation assignments. There is considerable use of the computer.
The contractual hours are 37 per week but may often be nearer 45 hours because of the need to attend internal and external meetings with partners in their time.

Daily Activities

Working to the chief executive and the deputy on high policy matters means dealing with complex and sensitive issues on their behalf. This might include ensuring that complaints are properly dealt with – where equality commitments are being violated or community safety is endangered, for example – which involves working with customer services and the quality and business service and other managers in order to uphold the council’s democratic principles. Central to this relationship between the authority and the public is the partnerships development officer whose remit is to develop partnerships with the police, health providers, community groups, social service agencies and the like. This entails extensive liaison with other departments, external agencies and community groups, translating policy into action with programmes for bringing communities together: helping them with housing, benefit entitlements, employment, care issues, discrimination and so on. There will be daily contact with the voluntary sector and community activists. It will involve research and writing reports and policy documents, evaluating and monitoring schemes in consultation with policy projects officers and managing funding needs. There is considerable talking and negotiation, writing and thinking attached to this post. Making presentations to various groups inside and outside the council is a continuing activity and is designed to give them accessible information and guidance. The overall aim is to ensure that the work of the authority and its partners succeeds in giving equal treatment to everybody, no matter what class, status or ethnic group they come from – to reduce social exclusion – through co-operative and collaborative working. In this way the partnerships development officer determines that the council meets its statutory obligations to provide best practice based upon best principles. Officers will work mainly on their own initiative but in close collaboration with others and be bound by deadlines, though they do not have to complete certain duties every day or each week. The work also includes special project management of, for example:

• quality and performance initiatives
• neighbourhood partnerships and renewal strategies
• social clauses in contract procurement
• services for refugees, including helping with access to council facilities
• purchasing arrangements, for example for special needs housing
• local government modernisation.

Skills & Interests

You would need to be a mature and caring person to do this job well and have:

• analytical skills
• excellent communication skills, written and spoken
• patience
• understanding of local government, local needs and
• an interest in politics
• presentation skills
• project management ability
• confidence
• the ability to get on with people from different backgrounds
• a head for figures
• interpersonal skills.

Entry Requirements

These are not specific but you would require a good standard of education, preferably to degree level or the equivalent.

Experience of working in this area of social/community work and management, especially in local government, is essential.

You will need to show a commitment to continuing professional development to keep abreast of national and European Union policy changes and developments but there is no vocational qualification.

Estimated salary range

Variable: from £22,971 to £29,847 due to possible differences in job description as given above.

Please note that salary information is a guide only and there may be local agreements in place. For further information about salaries for particular positions, please contact your local council directly.

Future prospects & opportunities

Promotion prospects are limited but the skills required to do the job are transferable to many other areas of senior management work. A natural next step upwards would be to chief service manager of one of the directorates. It may mean that you have to move councils or departments to get ahead, though advancement to assistant chief executive is possible and there are senior posts in central policy units.

The can be many opportunities outside of local authorities in central government, or strategic management posts in the private sector.

Related Occupations

Follow this link to view a list of all related occuptions in Supporting Your Community.
Alternatively, follow this link to view all career profiles placed in the same job area.

Further Information & Services

Local Government Association www.lga.gov.uk

LGpartnerships www.lgpartnerships.com

Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government (IDeA) www.idea.gov.uk

Institute of Local Government Studies, University of Birmingham www.inlogov.bham.ac.uk

What should I do next?

Look for current local government Senior Policy Officer/Partnerships Development Officer vacancies in the following places:

• LGjobs.com - the official recruitment website for local government.
• Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly jobs bulletins produced by local councils themselves, available from libraries, community centres, town halls/main civic buildings and central council personnel departments.
• Local council websites.
• Local newspapers
• National newspapers – The Guardian is particularly well known for its public sector job advertisements on a Wednesday.

Find out about the council and get some work experience if possible by:

• Making the most of work experience placements arranged through your school, college or university.
• Contacting councils close to your home to find out about the work experience opportunities they offer.
• Talking to someone who does the job you are interested in – ring your local council to see if someone can spare some time.
• Making an appointment to see a careers adviser for more specific information about jobs and training.