Surrey County Council
Programme Support Officer
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This role has a starting salary of £33,552 per annum, based on a 36-hour working week.
Can you be the beating heart of a high performing team commissioning and contract managing county-wide skills programmes?
Can you ensure the team delivers benefits to Surrey’s residents and employers through effective programme support?
We are excited to be hiring a Programme Support Officer to play a key role in discharging adult education functions and funding devolved from the UK Govt to Surrey County Council.
The contractual base will be Woodhatch Place, Reigate. The role is hybrid with at least one day in Woodhatch (usually Tuesday), combined with regular attendance at meetings, workshops and events across the county, which will require travel across the county.
Our Offer to You
- 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
- Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
- A generous local government salary related pension
- Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
- Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
- An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
- Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
- Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
- A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents
About The Team
This post sits within the Council’s Economy & Growth service and plays a key role in driving inclusive and sustainable growth in line with Surrey’s wider economic ambitions. The service works across the organisation as One Council to deliver strategic priorities that grow the economy while ensuring no one is left behind.
We provide strategic services spanning business support, innovation, skills and employment, working with partners and major employers to champion and future-proof the county’s economy. Surrey is home to 110,000 businesses, supports 1.2 million residents and contributes £50bn annually to the UK economy.
Working closely with employers, providers and partners, the team delivers the Council’s devolved adult education functions, aligning skills provision with pathways into work and empowering residents to achieve sustainable employment.
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Make a real difference to people living, learning and working in Surrey
Surrey County Council is committed to ensuring residents can access the skills they need to enter, progress in and sustain meaningful employment, while employers can access the workforce they need. Through devolved adult education funding, Surrey is shaping skills and employment support around local needs to drive economic growth for all.
About The Role
This role will be central to a highly visible team with significant interest from senior political leaders, local partners and wider stakeholders. Working in the Council’s Economy & Growth team, you will be responsible for providing high quality programme, administrative, data and governance support to the Skills for Jobs programme; and enabling effective commissioning and contract management to ensure skills provision across Surrey is compliant, delivers agreed outputs/outcomes and secures value for money.
The Programme Support Officer will be expected to work horizontally across Economy & Growth and other Council services, contributing to the team's collectively owned outcomes and connecting into complementary programmes such as Connect to Work and WorkWell.
Key responsibilities include:
- Programme and PMO support
- Commissioning and procurement support
- Contract management administration
- Financial tracking and claims
- Data, reporting and assurance
- Stakeholder and provider coordination
- Systems administration, including Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Your application
In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and experience and align with our behaviours:
- Experience supporting projects or programmes in a structured, process-driven environment
- Strong organisation, prioritisation and attention to detail
- Confident using Microsoft 365 to produce trackers, reports and basic dashboards
- Clear written and verbal communication with good numeracy
- Experience of budgets, finance and compliance in a public-sector or funded setting
To apply, please submit your CV and outline your experience and suitability for the role by responding to the following questions (no more than 400 words each):
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- Describe your experience of providing effective support in a complex programme environment. What was your role and how did you help to ensure projects were successfully delivered on time and to budget?
- Please provide examples of how you have supported effective and efficient contract management. What was your role and how did you help to ensure the contract(s) were compliant and delivered successfully?
Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description and our Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.
Contact Us
Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.
For an informal discussion, please contact Rae McCarty via email on rae.mccarty@surreycc.gov.uk.
This advert will close at 23:59 on 18th September 2026, with interviews planned to follow.
We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)
Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.
Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents! Please see more information here: Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council.
Our Commitment
We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum criteria, we guarantee you an interview.
Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a work.
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