As a council we face the same challenges every business does - investing in the right places and delivering great results. Except for us, it’s all about making the Royal Borough a great place to live, work and do business and improving outcomes for our 153,500 residents. This is a fantastic opportunity to join our high profile, well-respected and friendly Strategy, Policy and Performance unit at the heart of the council, in the role of Strategy, Policy & Performance Officer.

About the role

You will be responsible for supporting the effective delivery of the council’s priorities. This includes making sure that the council has clear aims and objectives, set out in a new Corporate Plan and supporting strategies. It means supporting the development of evidence-based policies, projects and programmes, and robust delivery plans which set out clearly how our priorities will be delivered. It means identifying the right metrics and milestones, so that performance and progress can be measured, and action can be taken to address performance issues.

You'll develop a role as a trusted adviser, partnering with managers to develop policies and strategies aligned to corporate vision, and work across the organisation to support the development of effective delivery plans. You will also play a lead role in strengthening the organisation’s use of performance information, building credibility and trust and ensuring that robustly defined KPIs are developed and monitored to drive continuous improvement and unblock delivery challenges.

About you

The ideal candidate will be self-motivated and experienced in research and development of policy proposals. You will have a broad knowledge of the current issues affecting local government and proven experience of developing effective strategies to advance corporate priorities. You will understand how to use data to manage performance, be able to provide oversight and challenge, and be proficient in the analysis of data and intelligence to develop insights that support operational and strategic decision-making. Experience of using performance reporting software and business intelligence tools such as PowerBI is desirable, and the ability to get to grips with new policy areas, new systems and processes with ease is essential.

With excellent communication skills, you will be able to collaborate and communicate effectively with a wide range of people across the organisation and external partners, providing sound advice and producing a range of high-quality and engaging materials and written reports. You'll also need to understand the complexities of working in a political environment and be able to appreciate and respond to different perspectives. A proactive, “can do” attitude is a must.

About the council

The council is set in a major tourism area with tourist attractions including Windsor Castle, Legoland and Ascot Racecourse and with the Royal Family on the doorstep. The borough is largely affluent, but also includes communities who are facing inequalities and disadvantage. This is an ambitious council, committed to improving the way it works as an organisation, to strengthening partnership working, and to achieving the best outcomes for our residents.  

The council operates a flexible system in relation to remote working arrangements however for this post there is an expectation of working in the office at least 1 day a week, and according to the needs of the business.

To learn more about the role, please contact Rachel Kinniburgh, Service Lead – Strategic Policy, Performance and Insights at rachel.kinniburgh@rbwm.gov.uk