Coventry City Council’s Migration Team is an innovative and dynamic team that is focussed on meeting the needs of newly arriving communities in the city and supporting integration.  The team works with internal and diverse external partners to deliver projects and other interventions based on our migrant needs assessment and other evidence related to the barriers faced by new migrants.  

Coventry was one of the first cities to welcome Syrian refugees in 2014, and the team leads a partnership in delivering a resettlement programme welcoming some of the most vulnerable individuals fleeing conflict and persecution from Syria and the Middle-East.  Work is centred on enabling refugees to make Coventry their new home, living with dignity and respect as well as contributing positively to our vibrant and growing city. 

Building on Coventry’s history of welcoming new arrivals into the city, we work towards maintaining a strategic overview of our refugee and migrant population including people seeking asylum dispersed to the City.  With over £3.5m already brought into the city, from external funding we establish collaborative partnerships to maximise interventions to promote community cohesion and enable everyone to contribute towards making Coventry a place where people choose to live, learn and work. 

The Migration Team celebrates diversity while also ensuring rights, opportunities and responsibilities are understood. Projects including: 

• Building Bridges 

• Ignite Integration Programme, and  

• MiFriendly Cities  

aim to promote a more holistic approach towards integration by involving local communities, maximising skills and cultural awareness and creating opportunities for social and economic growth in the city.

It’s great to know that you are interested in working with us at Coventry City Council. As a prospective employee, it is important that everyone who works for us is committed to our One Coventry values and shares our commitment to becoming a more diverse and inclusive organisation. 

Our Values are:

Coventry has a proud record as an International City of Peace and Reconciliation and a City of Sanctuary. The City Council’s Migration Team are seeking to recruit an Project Officer Apprentice to assist in delivering an exciting programme of work supporting our newly arrived communities.

 As one of the most diverse cities in the UK more than one in seven Coventry residents were born outside of the UK. Coventry was one of the first to offer a place of safety and welcome to Syrian refugees since 2014 and continues to support global refugee resettlement programmes.  

These roles will report directly to the Project Manager (Resettlement and Community Projects) and will be part of a small team of staff working with newly arrived communities to support them to learn about life in the UK, improve language skills and make a successful transition into employment and integrate into society 

Successful applicants will be supported to:

• Develop excellent interpersonal skills, including the listening to and establishing empathy with local and newly arrived communities.
• Learn to research and identify issues affecting local and newly arrived communities.
• Learn to organise and deliver events and projects. 
• Develop skills to generate, collate and analyse data and intelligence regarding local needs and make recommendations to service providers. 
• Supporting the Senior Business and Finance Officer to provide high quality administrative and financial support to Coventry Migration Team
• Place and receipt goods. 
• Send invoices for payment to Accounts Payable.
• Purchase items using the Service Purchase card and reconcile purchases.
• Check Outstanding Debtor reports to ensure payments are up to date, liaise with outstanding debtors re outstanding payments.
• Update relevant spreadsheets.
• Maintain and order supplies of stationery, specialist resources and materials.

The apprenticeship will be a fixed-term contract for 18-20 months and you will study towards the Level 3 Business Administrator Apprenticeship Standard.

We are looking for applicants who:

• Have an understanding of the migrant experience and the barriers they face
• Have excellent communication and interpersonal skills 
• Have strong numeracy skills and an interest in working in Finance
• Have the ability to take ownership of tasks and work accurately and flexibly within a busy team 

When applying for this role you will be asked to write a personal statement, when writing your personal statement please include examples of how you meet the points above.

Our Workforce Diversity & Inclusion & Apprenticeship Strategy sets out the aim for the Council to have a workforce that is representative of the communities that we serve. Due to this we are keen to receive applications from those that are from a Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic background.

Closing date is midnight on 22^nd August 2021.

The application and selection process for candidate is as follows:

Stage 1 (23^rd August) – Candidates will be shortlisted based on the answers given.

Stage 2 (26^th August) – Pre-interview and Maths & English assessment.
(The pre-interview is a short session to give you further details of the apprenticeship role and to help you understand what to expect from and how to prepare for the final interview. You will also complete a short diagnostic assessment to check the level of Maths and English that you are currently working at and identify any support you may require).

Stage 3 (1^st September) – Final interview.

If you would like to discuss this opportunity, please call Mandy Sanghera on 02476977075 

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'

Coventry is a lively, multicultural city, which embraces old and new. Around the modern city centre there are traces of history everywhere – in the old city walls, the timber-framed buildings and the reconstructed medieval Spon Street. But Coventry has always had an eye on the future, and is now firmly focused on regenerating and re-inventing itself to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. With major developments and new projects taking place right across the city, Coventry City Council is the place to be!

There's a huge buzz about the city – Coventry ranks as the 8th best city to live, work and do business in the UK, and is the UK City of Culture 2021 ! We believe this will help put Coventry on the map for all the right reasons. You can feel the sense of local pride throughout the city as we build towards this momentous year. It also offers a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to those joining us to play their part in it.

We genuinely believe that Coventry City Council is a special place. You will be joining Coventry City Council during an exciting time to become part of a team that contribute to achieving our visions for the city. We have made our council a place where we look after our people, making sure you're happy in your work and given everything you need to succeed. We've created friendly, welcoming workplaces where everyone is working towards the same cause, providing the best possible services for the city of Coventry.

As a council with improvement at its heart, we’re committed to making life better for the people who live and work in Coventry. We’re equally concerned with the quality of life enjoyed by our people, so by joining us, you won’t just be helping the community, you’ll be helping yourself too.

Not only do you get to work alongside great people that are helping to improve services for our community we offer great benefits too! For your valued contribution we will provide a fantastic benefits package including;

• Flexible working arrangements
• Generous annual leave allowance starting at 27 days and rising to 32 days
• Pay progression through multiple increments
• Outstanding local government pension scheme
• Learning & Development with access to certified courses.
• Access to an award winning Occupational Health Team
• Vibrant employee networks