Roles at this level are experienced professionals who manage elements of complex technical services in a specific area to deliver complete solutions. They provide expert advice in area of specialism to contribute to the delivery of solutions and improvements in the community and the wider organisation.
Scope of Work
Role holders will be expected to work on complex, or broader specialist technical issues with expectation to oversee the work of more junior technical colleagues within a defined and linked area of delivery, although this could be through matrix management for specific technical projects, or could be direct line management responsibility.
Role holders will need to navigate around a wide range of procedures and use these to fit each local situation as they arise. Although frameworks, procedures and processes exist there is a requirement to suggest improvements to ways of working, to infrastructure and to processes in order to feedback on what works, what doesn’t and what should be done in future to ensure that Hertfordshire delivers consistently excellent advice and services to the community.
Communication skills will be required to provide advice and technical guidance within specific area of specialism, managing streams of activities, to use expertise in a specific technical area to deliver outputs, liaising with a number of stakeholders to deliver required outputs. The role holder will be expected to translate technical and complex language into documentation (contracts, briefs, reports) that can be easily understood by a non-technical audience.
Accountabilities/Responsibilities
- Supervise a small team of technical specialists, or oversees the work of external contractors, to ensure all technical project activity and ongoing workloads are delivered effectively, safely, accurately and on time.
- Provide technical advice and guidance within specialised area on the application of methods and processes, and on the safety and appropriateness of current and future activities to ensure that the area of focus continually improves.
- Keep abreast of activities happening across the wider project, with an understanding of how activities undertaken by this role will be impacting on other areas.
- Build relationships with internal and external stakeholders/customers to deliver expert technical advice and guidance where necessary and appropriate.
- Ensure all projects are carried out in accordance with health and safety and environmental regulations and procedures.
Managerial
• Manage and motivate a team of staff maintaining a competent, creative and participative culture through visibly effective leadership, promotion of high quality standards and the development of high performance teams.
• Manage allocated budgets and other resources (such as equipment or buildings) to deliver the agreed results.
Professional
- Provides specialist technical services and advice to particular area of the council, often ensuring that they bring best practice from the marketplace internally..
Skills, knowledge and experience
- Typically professionally qualified and/or relevant degree (or equivalent), plus substantial experience or substantial vocational experience demonstrating development through involvement in a series of progressively demanding roles. Formal professional qualification (where relevant).
- Up to date and authoritative knowledge of the work practices, systems, processes and procedures relevant to the role, and able to apply this knowledge in new and varied circumstances.
- Experience of managing and developing teams to enable continued development of service standards.
- Experience in delivering small projects or managing areas of projects within larger and more complex projects.
- Knowledge of contract management principles and associated procedures and regulations, with the ability to agree and shape standards to a particular project environment.
- Ability to monitor, plan and manage an agreed budget within a defined area, producing reports and analysing.
- Able to organise own work over weeks and months, or plans ahead for others, taking account of priorities and the impact on other people.
- Ability to assess the impact of new legislation, provide advice and promote compliance.
- Organisation and political awareness, and the ability to understand the political implications for certain decisions and provide advice and guidance for political representatives.
- Ability to influence and provide specialist guidance and advice to others, including the ability to motivate others.