Programme & Improvement Officer

London, England, United Kingdom

7/23/2025

Overview

The London Borough of Harrow are seeking an experienced Programme and Improvement Officer with a strong background in improvement and project delivery to join their Strategy and Improvement team within the Climate Change, Natural Resources & Strategy division. This is an exciting opportunity to work across a wide range of Council place-based services on high-profile, cross-cutting work. As the Programme and Improvement Officer you can make a powerful contribution to improving outcomes for Harrow residents by supporting the development and delivery of strategy, programmes and improvement. This includes helping to tackle some of the big issues facing our borough like climate change, waste management and public protection making our services more sustainable for the long term. The post holder will play a key role in the development and delivery of policy priorities and help shape the direction of key services. This includes delivering bespoke improvement projects as well as researching and preparing briefings on pivotal policy and improvement areas. This involves delving into complex topics, analysing data and synthesising information to support decision-making.

The post holder will be working closely with officers and senior managers across the council, elected members, community organisations and partners, to drive forward change programmes and deliver improvements, to support the council in meeting the needs of Harrow residents. This is a fast-paced role working in a dynamic, supportive and influential team, so you will need to be flexible and organised, able to work under pressure and prioritise tasks. Good attention to detail is vital and you will be proficient in Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

The successful applicant will have a positive, can-do approach to supporting the council deliver their priorities for Harrow. The post holder will enjoy collaborating with the team, finding solutions to problems, working in a creative manner whilst being agile, resilient, and highly motivated within a political environment. You’ll bring considerable skills in engagement and negotiation and will be used to fostering partnerships and productive working relationships. You’ll also have experience of delivering projects at pace and to budget that have positive impact on services.

About You

Skills and Experience required will include:

• Expert knowledge of local government programmes and improvement workstreams.
• Experience of delivering systems change and behaviour change projects working with a range of colleagues.
• Knowledge and understanding of issues relating to services including environmental services, economy and housing.
• Knowledge and understanding of climate and sustainability issues as they apply to local government.
• Experience of managing projects and programmes to tight deadlines and within budget.
• Experience of managing and conducting research projects or strategy development.
• Good understanding of performance management processes, reporting and impact.
• Knowledge and understanding of collating and using data to inform service improvements, performance monitoring and policy.
• Excellent analysis skills.
• Experience of developing and maintaining robust systems and processes to support the delivery of policies, projects, programmes, and performance.
• Experience of working with councillors, senior managers and stakeholders and managing effective working relationships in a political environment.
• Excellent organisation skills to plan and prioritise work programmes, deliver results on time and within budget.
• Strong time management skills with the ability to meet deadlines and prioritise workloads effectively within a changing environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively convey complex information at all levels.
• Excellent report writing skills.
• Ability to build effective working relationships both within the organisation and with colleagues in partner organisations/other councils.
• Excellent negotiation and influencing skills.
• Advanced IT skills including advanced user of Microsoft Windows, Excel, and Office applications.
  
  

Related Documents

For more information, please refer to the Role Profile/Selection Criteria