About the Migration Team 

Coventry has a proud record as an International City of Peace and Reconciliation and a City of Sanctuary. 

The Council was one of the first to respond to the crisis in the Middle East by supporting the resettlement of the most vulnerable refugees fleeing the violent conflict in Syria. Coventry currently resettles around 100 refugees per year with the support of a partnership of dynamic and innovative voluntary sector agencies working alongside the Council and other statutory partners. 

Following an internal promotion, the Council’s Migration Team (Resettlement Function) is keen to recruit 2 Project Support Officers who are passionate about changing lives. The team supports regional work around the dispersal of asylum seekers to the West Midlands, and liaise with local providers and partners. The team are also part of and support the Coventry Migration Network which represents voluntary sector partners with an interest in refugees and newly arrived communities. 

The Migration team also co-ordinates the City’s local partnership which aims to provide a warm welcome to the City along with range of support to refugees arriving in the city under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and the Resettlement of Vulnerable Children. 

These posts will sit within the resettlement function of the Council’s Migration Team which also includes project management of the EU funded ‘MiFriendly Cities’ initiative and the CMF funded ‘Building Bridges’ project. Both of these projects are intended to deliver services and test interventions that enable a more holistic model to integration for newly arrived communities to be created. Importantly both projects stress the importance of work with established communities. 

This is an exciting time to live and work in Coventry. Coventry is the European City of Sport for 2019, UK City of Culture for 2021, will be a host city for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the Council has been shortlisted for the prestigious Council of the Year Award. 

The City is fortunate to also be an area of learning with two top-class universities: Warwick and Coventry who are ranked 8th and 12th in the Guardian University Guide 2019, both universities have shared their expertise and research in supporting refugee resettlement in the City.

Fixed  term for  21 months 

Interview Date : 17/06/2019

Are you passionate about migration and integration issues? Do you have experience of building relationships within a partnership of cross-sector organisations?

Coventry City Council has an opportunity for motivated individuals to join the Project Management Team in the Resettlement function of the Migration Team.

As a Project Support Officer you will have experience of project management and partnership working. An understanding of both the challenges and opportunities created by the resettlement of refugees is key to this role.

Your role will be key in supporting senior management in managing, reviewing and shaping the package of support available to resettled refugees, ensuring that the provision meets clients’ needs and supports their integration. The successful candidate/s will be proactive in managing and engaging with stakeholders, ensuring the voices of clients are heard as well as managing the partners who provide project support to integration activities such as ESOL tuition, employment and social activities. You will also ensure strong links to both local and national partners are maintained.

If you have experience of supporting people focused projects, have empathy and an understanding of the needs of this varied and complex client group then this may be an exciting opportunity for you. The posts will be focused on resettlement work, but will be expected to cover wider responsibilities as part of the team including support to the Project Manager on a daily basis.

About you

The right candidate will possess the following:

Excellent ICT skills and be proficient in using a variety of packages in order to accurately record, analyse, monitor and review information. The ability to work effectively as part of a team, on your own and with a wide range of partners is also critical to this role.

Strong numerical skills required to process complex documents, with an eye for detail when processing information.

Effective time management skills, with an ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines, prioritise competing work tasks.

Ability to handle confidential information with tact and discretion.

Strong interpersonal and negotiating skills to positively challenge partners and have difficult conversations when needed.

You will also be involved in supporting the team to bid for additional funding. Excellent communication skills with the ability to understand and translate complex information into guidance for staff and partners both verbally and in writing will be highly desirable.

Experience of handling and processing manual or computerised information, experience of using databases, Word and Excel

Abie to work in a client facing environment

If you would like to discuss this opportunity please call Sunairah Miraj on Tel: 024 7697 6939

This is a fixed term contract until 31st March 2021.

Working Hours:   37 hours

Interviews will be on 10th June