Project Support Assistant

This role reports directly to the Senior Programme Officer and is responsible for assisting with the delivery of projects and programmes across the Highways and Transport service to run effectively and efficiently. The role will include assisting with managing correspondence and highway searches, assisting in maintaining programme documentation, organising and taking minutes for Highways and Transport meetings with officers, councillors and external stakeholders, as well as providing financial support such as raising purchase orders and paying invoices, which will be important parts of the role.

• Assisting with the delivery of high-profile Highways and Transport projects.


• Communicating all stages of the project to internal and external parties and stakeholders.


• Organising meetings and publications.


• Maintaining records, financial support such as raising purchase orders and paying invoices, quality checks and updating the project delivery plan.


• Helping to manage and track correspondence.


• Assisting with managing Highway Search enquiry responses.


• Analysing data under direction., The Programme Management and Support Team sits at the heart of the shared Highways and Transport service across Kingston and Sutton. The service covers a multi-million pound delivery programme including a wide variety of disciplines from walking, cycling and bus priority schemes, to school streets, behaviour change events and planned maintenance programmes.


The Programme Management and Support Team provides critical project and programme support across all Highways and Transport teams, through the centralisation and coordination of all project delivery, helping to keep the service running efficiently and to manage competing priorities across a diverse range of transport projects. The team is key in helping to streamline shared systems and processes, ensuring both boroughs are working in collaboration to deliver high quality and consistent services to residents, through a one culture holistic approach.

On a day to day basis the team helps to track the health of the overall Highways and Transport programme, escalating or assisting with any issues where needed to help the project managers ensure successful delivery. We are the key communication line between a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, providing a hub of information and data to facilitate the smooth running of projects, for example financial information, data analysis and coordination of funding bids. The team also oversees longer term projects to identify ways to improve processes and increase efficiencies, so as to continually improve service delivery.

You are a quick learner, have a keen attention to detail, are confident to take initiative and ask questions, and are able to manage multiple priorities in a busy and varied work environment. You will have an interest in, and preferably some experience of working within a Highways, Transport or Project and Programme Management environment.

You are competent with IT and Digital processes, and have experience on Google sheets or Microsoft Excel, or have an eagerness to learn. You are organised and are able to keep data well managed in order to be able to respond quickly to information requests. You ideally have experience of project administration including providing financial support such as raising purchase orders, assisting with correspondence and complaints, or a willingness to learn.

You enjoy working collaboratively, have great communication skills and are committed to ensuring equality and diversity is embedded in everything we do. You would like to be part of a friendly team, helping to keep the Kingston and Sutton shared Highways and Transport service running smoothly.
Our Offer To You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we're committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We're constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Kingston and Sutton councils have a number of shared services serving both authorities, with some teams and roles more focussed on one council than the other, but the majority are shared across both, meaning you get multiple opportunities to learn from a wider pool of activities and two different political bodies.

We work flexibly in both Kingston and Sutton offices, and support working at home or flexible working patterns that enable you to tailor your working and personal life. We provide the equipment and tools to enable you to work flexibly, and in return ask you to use that flexibility to be creative and ambitious in the services we deliver.

There are some really exciting things happening in both boroughs. In Sutton, we are developing the London Cancer Hub, a world leading cancer research and treatment hub that will bring together professionals from across different sectors to identify and test new treatments and therapies. Over in Kingston, we are undertaking the largest housing regeneration programme ever delivered in the borough, building new energy efficient housing that will transform some of our oldest Council owned housing. Both boroughs have publicly committed to doing what they can to tackle the climate emergency and are investing in new technologies and societal change that will help bring carbon emissions down and improve our climate impact.

You should choose Kingston and Sutton if you are looking for an opportunity that will challenge you to deliver more, support you to achieve personal ambitions, and expect you to put borough residents at the heart of what you do.

Kingston is a beautiful Royal borough with a historic setting on the banks of the Thames with excellent schools and a bustling retail centre, all surrounded by open green spaces such as Richmond Park and Bushey Park, former recreation grounds for Tudor Kings and Queens. The Council is controlled by a Liberal Democrat Administration and has a council plan "Greener, Fairer, Safer, Together", that sets out a vision to be a vibrant, diverse and inclusive borough where residents are active, empowered, engaged and able to remain independent and resilient. The Council engages with residents through a number of forums and events through the year, and like Sutton plays a leading role in developing the South West Region of London.

Sutton is a well connected attractive part of London that has a reputation for excellent schools, green and leafy open spaces, and a history that drives a thriving heritage and culture offer through our museums and libraries. The Council is controlled by a long established Liberal Democrat Administration and has high ambitions set out in its corporate plan "Ambitious for Sutton", that will ensure Sutton remains a great place to live, work and raise a family. The Council plays a leading role in a number of local partnerships and places great emphasis on engaging effectively with its residents, listening to local voices and making their message heard across London Government., This is an exciting opportunity to join a recently formed team to provide overarching support across a broad range of transport programmes and projects. The team currently consists of the Programme Manager, Senior Programme Officer and a Project Support Officer. We are recruiting for a Project Support Assistant to complete our team., We are committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) so all personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc is completely anonymised during the shortlisting process. Our hiring managers review applications based on the knowledge, skills and experience demonstrated in your application, and how well these match the job profile. Our HR Shared Service with Sutton Council was recently recognised nationally for having the 'Best Inclusion and Diversity Programme' at the PPMA Excellence in People Management Awards 2023, something that we're incredibly proud of., We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough. Our aim is to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and staff feel a sense of belonging. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce.

As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to thinking differently about disability and taking action to improve how we recruit, retain and develop disabled people. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role.

We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are an accredited London Living Wage Employer and this means that everyone working at the Royal Borough of Kingston, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors and suppliers receive the London Living Wage. The real Living Wage is higher than the government's minimum, or National Living Wage, and is an independently calculated hourly rate of pay that is based on the actual cost of living.

The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.

In addition we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff supported by our IT infrastructure, Google Chromebooks and Google Apps, which have acted as a key enabler for collaborative and streamlined working. We operate hybrid working, a flexible working model which allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week. It enables staff to achieve a work life balance whilst still meeting the needs of the organisation.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)


• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston or Sutton


• Flexible and agile working arrangements


• Comprehensive learning and development programme


• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres


• Interest free season ticket loans


• Local Government Pension Scheme


• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme


• Zip car scheme


• Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses


• Confidential wellbeing and counselling support


• Subsidised gym membership