- East Suffolk Council, Active Suffolk
-
Location: East Suffolk House, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 1RT
-
Salary: £28,598 - £31,022 per annum, plus car allowance
-
Hours: 37 hours per week
-
Contract: Fixed Term Contract until 31 March 2028
East Suffolk Council is an exciting place to work and a great place to make a real difference to people’s lives, delivering vital services to a quarter of a million people across East Suffolk.
We currently have an exciting opportunity to join the Active Suffolk Team as a Project Officer (Get Suffolk Working).
Active Suffolk is an independent, not for profit organisation, hosted by East Suffolk Council and is an energising place to work and a great place to make a real difference to people's lives.
Active Suffolk is committed to increasing the number of people taking part in physical activity and sport to improve health and wellbeing. We have developed our role and reputation as a key player in shaping the current and future provision of physical activity and sport across the county and work with a wide range of partners including local authorities, the health sector, charitable/voluntary organisations and third sector organisations to support people in Suffolk to lead healthy, active lives.
This role recognises the benefits of being physically active in relation to employability and economic wellbeing.
Your role
This role provides an excellent opportunity for an enthusiastic and passionate individual to take on this newly created position as Project Officer – Get Suffolk Working.
Working collaboratively with a wide range of partners across sectors, you will play a key role in reducing health-related barriers to employment, particularly for individuals who are economically inactive due to long-term health conditions or low levels of physical and mental wellbeing.
This role recognises the growing evidence that physical activity can support improved confidence, resilience, and overall health, enabling people to move closer to, and into, sustainable employment. It involves developing and delivering training and support for employment sector staff, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to have positive, person-centred conversations with clients about physical activity as a tool for improving employability. By integrating physical activity into employability pathways, you will help create inclusive opportunities for individuals facing multiple disadvantages. Therefore, experience and knowledge of the employment sector, particularly in relation to economically inactive groups and health-related barriers to work, is highly beneficial.
In addition, the position will include building strong relationships across employment services, health organisations and local delivery partners to ensure a joined-up and effective approach. The focus for this work will be in Ipswich, with a hyper local focus in priority areas.
The role is funded by Sport England’s Place-based expansion investment and is in partnership with key local organisations – Ipswich Borough Council, Ipswich & East Suffolk Alliance, Suffolk County Council – Public Health & Communities, the Department for Work and Pensions, SEETEC (Connect to Work) and Active Suffolk.
Active Suffolk's core principles and values:
-
We have Integrity: We commit to make decisions aligned to our organisational aims, values and principles. We will make the right decision, not the easy decision.
-
We are Inclusive: We recognise that listening to, capturing and engaging with differing views and experiences, allows us to continue to grow and learn. We will continually champion for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
-
We are Collaborative: We will put partnership working at the heart of everything we do and believe collaboration is key to providing positive physical activity outcomes.
-
We are Adaptable: We recognise that the barriers to physical activity are complex and changeable, and we must be adaptable to meet these challenges.
-
We are Informed: Data and insight will drive our decision making to ensure we maximise impact in areas of most need.
Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion:
We have a strong focus on equality, diversity and inclusion, whilst fully recognising that as an organisation and individuals we are committed to continue learning and evolving.
We take pride in our approach to diversity and inclusion and recognise that we can grow and learn better together with a diverse team of employees. We welcome and actively encourage applications from all sections of the community and all job applicants will receive equal and fair treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or nationality.
We know that diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, interests, and skills are essential to connecting with the communities of Suffolk and so when recruiting for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your lived experiences.
We are positive about employing disabled people and as part of our commitment to the Disability Confident scheme, we guarantee to offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria of the role.
Why work for us?
Active Suffolk is hosted by East Suffolk Council which is a great place to work and there are lots of benefits our employees can access.
Find out why we’re so proud of East Suffolk Council by watching our video 'Why Work for East Suffolk Council', where our staff explain why they think it’s such a fantastic place to work.
Here are some of the main benefits:
-
Generous leave entitlement (equivalent to 25 days a year, increasing to 31 days after 5 years’ service, plus bank holidays)
-
Local government pension scheme
-
Flexible working arrangements
-
Learning and development tailored to your role
-
A wide variety of staff support networks including access to health and wellbeing initiatives and programmes.
-
Discounts on mobile phones, computers, holiday and travel, fashion and clothing, health and beauty and many other products and services.
Find more information about what we offer in our benefits brochure (pdf).
How you'll work
We know the world has changed and we offer our employees the chance to work in our office space, whilst enjoying the convenience of working from home.
Active Suffolk has adopted a hybrid approach to give staff more flexibility on working arrangements. We work countywide and so some travel will be involved in this post and a flexible approach to working hours is required.
If you wish to discuss how that might impact your working arrangements if you were the successful candidate, please contact the recruiting manager listed at the bottom of this advert.
Your office base
Our main office is based at Riduna Park, Melton and is located directly opposite Melton train station with direct train links to Lowestoft and Ipswich. There are bike shelters and showers available on site.
Joint working arrangements with key partners in the Ipswich locality will be confirmed once the post holder has been appointed.
To find out more
We would be open to considering applications from candidates working at key partner organisations who may be interested in a secondment opportunity.
For an informal discussion regarding this post, please contact Suzannah Challis, Development Officer (Workforce), by calling 07989 571281.
Closing date: 11.30 pm, 2 August 2026.
Interview date: 20 August 2026.
How to apply
Step 1 - Read the advert and the Job Description and Person Specification (pdf).
Step 2 - Complete the Supporting Statement template (Word). Your statement needs to indicate how you meet each of the criteria contained within the Person Specification. Please use the template provided (other formats will not be accepted).
Step 3 - Complete the online application and upload your statement. Please note, CVs (Curriculum Vitae) are not accepted.
For more information, check out the How to Apply section of our career site.
East Suffolk Council is an exciting place to work and a great place to make a real difference to people’s lives, delivering vital services to a quarter of a million people across East Suffolk.
We hugely value our staff and know that in order for us to remain successful, it is essential for us to recognise talented employees, developing and retaining them within the organisation. We are therefore committed to investing in our staff and providing first-class support to ensure a positive culture and rewarding careers.
To find out more about why we are so proud of East Suffolk Council and to hear why our employees think it is such a great place to work, take a look at our video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSWedQksWt0
