We are recruiting a 12 month fixed term Project Development Officer to support the design and implementation of a new waste collection model, helping to increase recycling and reduce residual waste across the city.
This is a fantastic opportunity for someone interested in service transformation, behaviour change and operational delivery, with work taking place across office-based project activity and on‑street engagement alongside operational teams and partners.
About the role
Working as part of a multi‑disciplinary programme team, the postholder will support the development and rollout of a new waste collection model, translating policy and project decisions into practical, deliverable changes for residents and crews.
The role will involve close working with operational managers, supervisors, frontline staff, communications, data/insight colleagues and external partners/suppliers to ensure the new model is tested, implemented effectively and embedded into day‑to‑day service delivery.
Key responsibilities
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Supporting the planning, mobilisation and delivery of the new waste collection model, including trial activity and phased rollouts
- Working alongside operational teams (including on‑street) to support route/service design, practical testing and operational readiness
- Gathering, analysing and presenting data (e.g., participation, tonnages, contamination, service performance) to inform decisions and evaluate impact
- Supporting process mapping and service redesign, ensuring that new collection arrangements and customer processes are clear and workable
- Identifying and helping to resolve implementation issues and risks, escalating where needed and feeding learning back into the programme team
- Supporting stakeholder engagement and communications activity (e.g., resident information, FAQs, briefings), ensuring feedback is captured and acted on
- Producing clear documentation, reports and updates for project and programme governance, including milestones, dependencies and decision logs
About you
This opportunity would suit someone who:
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Has experience in waste, recycling, street cleansing or a related front‑line service, or experience working closely with operational delivery teams
- Has a strong interest in improving recycling performance, reducing waste and delivering practical service change
- Is organised, proactive and confident working across teams, balancing multiple tasks and deadlines
- Is comfortable spending time in operational environments (depots/on‑street) as well as undertaking desk‑based project work
- Wants to build experience of project delivery, service redesign and change implementation within Environmental Services
Enthusiasm, practical problem‑solving skills and the ability to work collaboratively are key.
What you’ll gain
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Hands‑on experience supporting a high‑profile digital implementation programme
- Exposure to project and programme governance, reporting and delivery
- Opportunities to work closely with senior managers, project managers and operational leaders
- A strong development opportunity for those considering future roles in project delivery, digital or service improvement
Encouraging a diverse workforce
Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.
Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).
Why work for us?
As a council, we want to:
- be connected
- be confident
- be innovative and creative
- be diverse and inclusive
- be healthy and psychologically safe
For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us which gives details of our wellbeing support, our benefits including leave and pensions as well as details of our training and development.
How to apply
Please read our Apply for a job at the council pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.
As part of your application, you will need to provide your education and career history and answer some application/shortlisting questions. Your answers to the application/shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our Shortlisting questions guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.
AI advice for candidates
We are interested in hearing about your experience and skills in your own words. While we value people who know how to use AI, we ask that you minimise using it in your application.
We are keen to hear how your experience and skills align to our values and the skills and experience needed to perform well in our roles with clear real examples from you. To support you in this, we have guidance on using the STAR model which can help you ensure you are telling us your whole story. We also provide clarity on the skills we are looking for in our adverts and in the job description/person specification attached to each job advert.
All the applications we receive are read by at least two hiring managers and we do not use AI in this process. Our experience of reading applications is that those that have heavily used AI contain generic paragraphs that are strikingly similar to other applicants’ responses. This makes it extremely difficult to differentiate between applications, and doesn't give us enough evidence of your individual skills. There is a risk that we will therefore not be able to shortlist you. Instead, we recommend you ensure your application stands out by presenting clear examples of your actual skills and experiences in your own words.
Additional information
Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.
We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team and travel to and from your contractual location would be at your own expense.
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