Salary range: £39,378 - £44,317 per annum

 (pro-rata) + exclusive benefits

Hours: 22.5 hours per week

Contract: 18 months fixed term

About Us

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is a strategic authority working with partners to deliver a stronger West Midlands, with a focus on skills, innovation, transport, economic development and regeneration.  Individual Councils and Local Enterprise Partnerships will still deliver services and retain their identity but on the big decisions we will have the resources to work together.

This is an exciting time for the West Midlands - the Commonwealth Games will be here in 2022, the arrival of HS2 will help make us a world class business location and a new £350m housing deal aims to deliver 215,000 new homes by 2031.

Against a backdrop of a uniquely challenging and evolving environment, we are looking for the right people to ensure we can meet the demands of delivering an ambitious agenda that aims to build a healthier, happier, better connected and more prosperous West Midlands.  This new role will truly have an impact on the whole of our region.

About the Role

You will be working within a fast paced and dynamic environment, based within the Public Services Reform Directorate as a member of the Mental Health Commission.

You will play a key role within a supportive team to provide specialist knowledge and leadership of key Workstreams that will lead to the development of an Individual Placement Support (IPS) Academy.

Research has shown that moving into employment from being out of work can be beneficial for health and that people in employment report higher levels of wellbeing than those out of work.  NHS England and Improvement in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Work and Health Unit to explore ways to help more disabled people with health conditions to find and stay in work. This is to benefit those individuals, their employers, the welfare system and the NHS.

The development of the IPS Academy will help grow an IPS workforce, develop a career ladder and explore options for working with specific client groups.

Reporting to the Thrive into Work Strategy Lead you will lead, manage and oversee multiple projects.  You will have extensive knowledge of project methodologies and have experience of working on work and health related Programmes. 

Your role will include:

• Engaging, leading and negotiating with key stakeholders.  Managing internal, external and third party relationships.
• Planning, executing and managing projects.  This will include identifying risks, financial planning and development of robust Action Plans.
• Managing project team members.
• Conducting status review meetings and reports.

You will need:

• A degree or relevant experience.
• Evidence of leading complex projects.
• Excellent problem-solving abilities demonstrating a can-do attitude.
• Specialist knowledge in at least one area of the project portfolio.
• Solid stakeholder management skills with a consultative approach.
• Ability to manage a suite of projects to challenging timescales.
• High level of competence in the use of Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, excel and word).
• Ability to handle and interpret complex data and information.
• Strategic awareness whilst ensuring effective delivery and implementation of projects.
• Excellent communication skills both verbal and written.
• To be a Team Player with a passion for making a difference.

In return for your hard work and commitment, we will reward you with a range of competitive and attractive benefits.

We are committed to developing an organisation that is representative of the diverse communities that we serve and welcome applications from all sections of the community.  The following groups are currently under-represented: young people, Black, Asian and ethnic minority groups and women at senior levels.

Wherever possible we will offer flexible working options which assist work-life balance and support service delivery for the customer

To view and apply for these opportunities please visit https://jobs.wmca.org.uk/ where you will be required to register with our Online Recruitment System which is quick and easy. Please provide detailed information in your application outlining your suitability for the post and ensure it is submitted by the closing date.

A CV may be uploaded for extra information, but please note that personal details should be omitted and a CV alone will not be accepted.

Closing Date: 19^th July 2019

Interview date: TBC

We are committed to equality of opportunity in service provision and employment. Our recruitment policies, procedures and practices enable all applicants to be considered on merit and ability to do the job. We will make reasonable adjustments, in line with the Equality Act, for disabled applicants if these are needed.