Job Introduction
HAF Project Lead - Fixed Term Contract/Secondment from 24.03.25 until 31.03.26
Salary: Band 9 - £37,937 - £41,510 p.a.
37 hours per week Monday to Friday (we would consider applicants from people wishing to work on a part-time basis of at least 29.6 hours per week)
Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) is an innovative programme, funded by the Department for Education, providing free holiday provision for children aged 5 - 16 who are eligible for benefits related free school meals. As a result of this programme, we want children who attend provision to:
- Be more active and eat more healthily during school holidays;
- take part in engaging and enriching activities which support the development of resilience, character and wellbeing and other skills;
- be safe and not to be socially isolated;
- along with their carers, parents and families, have greater knowledge of health and nutrition; and
- be more engaged with school and other local services and to have greater knowledge and awareness of local free holiday provision.
The role is located in the Housing, Neighbourhoods and Buildings Directorate and extends to Play and Youth services, the Children's, Families and Education Directorate and the wider statutory, voluntary and private sector.
Within the service colleagues support one another in working through issues and identifying solutions. Regular supervision with the line manager is in place as well as creative problem-solving on a daily basis.
What is the role?
The aim of the role is to develop an efficient, joined-up and enriching approach to free holiday provision for disadvantaged children and to ensure there is enough good quality holiday provision in Portsmouth during the school holidays.
Key to the role is building relationships that continue to work beyond the life of the project in a way that supports vulnerable children and families.
The role is to lead the continuing development and management of the HAF project, working across Portsmouth City Council (PCC), schools and citywide providers to maximise impact and connect provision. This involves working in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders to implement and manage the project, for example, schools, SENCOS, special needs organisations, social worker hubs, play and youth services, the Youth Justice Service and Early Help.
For full details of what the role will involve please see the job profile attached at the bottom of this page!
Who is the person?
You need to have:
- Experience of commissioning and/or delivering high quality activities for children and young people.
- Successful experience of partnership working, including evidence of building new partnerships.
- Strong project management and/or commissioning experience, including managing an application process, project monitoring and evaluation, and budget management experience.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel including the ability to create and manage complex spreadsheets, use formulas and functions, and analyse data effectively.
- Strong report writing skills with the ability to present data and insights clearly, concisely, and in a structured format tailored to various audiences.
- An enthusiasm for innovating and trying new things, and the ability to problem solve.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to communicate with people at all levels within both Portsmouth City Council and partner organisations.
- Excellent negotiation, influencing and conflict resolution skills demonstrated in a demanding environment.
- Ability to prioritise workloads to meet deadlines.
- An ability to manage, prioritise and delegate effectively in a busy environment.
The post will be based partly in the office and partly from home. The post-holder will be expected to travel around Portsmouth during the periods that Holiday Activities are running to visit provision.
If applying as a secondment you will need permission from your current line manager releasing you for this secondment. Please state you have this on your application form.
When completing the application form, please thoroughly tailor your application to the 'Who is the Person' points with the use of examples from your experience. This is really important or you are likely not to be shortlisted. Please see the full job profile attached at the bottom of this page!
Closing date: 13th February 2025
Interviews: 20th February 2025
About Portsmouth City Council
What we can offer you:
Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.
Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our careers portal homepage: Careers Portal - Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council
