Team Associate

Do you have experience of working in children’s services? Interested in working on and contributing to a major social infrastructure programme that creates positive outcomes for children and families?

At Mott MacDonald, we are dedicated to tackling our clients’ toughest project challenges in order to achieve long lasting transformational change in our society. We are a family of people excited to solve complex challenges that have a positive impact on the world, and we are always looking for like-minded people to join our team.

The Adoption Support Fund (ASF) is a programme we have been running for our client the Department for Education (DfE) since 2015 with ongoing success. More than £200 million has been spent to support adoptive and special guardianship order (SGO) families across the country.

As part of our programme team, you will be joining a supportive network, who work together to continue to achieve our programme goals and excellence through connected thinking.

Job Description

We are looking for an associate to complement our wider delivery team and support the Project Manager to achieve positive programme outcomes.

The role will involve working with internal and external stakeholders to assess funding applications against the scope and criteria of the Fund. We are looking for an enthusiastic and self-motivated team player with excellent communication skills.
What you’ll be doing

• Utilise a bespoke IT solution to process applications made to the Fund.
• Establish effective communication across the programme delivery team.
• Monitor, investigate and respond to application queries, referring or escalating where needed.
• Attend programme meetings and share best practice with colleagues.
• Mentor more junior members of the programme team and provide sector expertise.
• Engage with the process of continuous improvement and support ways of increasing efficiency.
• Support the Project Manager and other team members in solving programme-wide challenges.
• Contribute to the evaluation of the programme at all stages and reviews.
• Report progress of assigned tasks in a timely manner.

To be successful in this role we would like to hear from individuals who have experience or an understanding of children’s services, is used to handling high volumes of data, is comfortable making decisions and has an excellent attention to detail.
You will be confident in liaising with individuals over the phone both internal and external and have excellent organisational skills with the ability to meet deadlines and work in a pressurised environment.
In return you will join a friendly and energetic team who work closely to support each other’s work and take pride in making a real difference to the children and families we support through the Fund.
Essential Experience

• Experience of working with Local Authorities or Central Government
• Experience of working with a range of stakeholders both within the private and public sector
• Ability to create an enjoyable and fulfilling work environment
• Excellent attention to detail
• Excellent written and oral communication skills

About the business unit
The Advisory and Programme Delivery (APD) unit delivers management services in all the sectors that Mott MacDonald operate in the Built Environment, Defence, Energy, Water, Transportation and Social Infrastructure

The Unit delivers services to projects ranging in scale and complexity up to £20bn, through the technical disciplines of Programme Management, Project Management, Project Controls, Scheduling, Cost Management, Estimating, Infrastructure Finance, Management Consulting, Digital Consulting and Education, Health and Care Management.

How to apply
To apply for this role, please complete our 15-minute application via our website. Our talent acquisition coordinators aim to provide feedback within 5 working days with the outcome of your application. More information about our application process can be found here. If you have any questions regarding your application or the role, please reach out to the dedicated recruiter listed who will be more than happy to help.

Mott MacDonald is Work180 accredited – which means we actively support and encourage women to join our work force!

Benefits we offer:

• Pension matched up to 7%
• Life insurance
• An annual professional institution subscription
• Continuous development opportunities – because we want you to thrive
• Agile/flexible working – because life isn’t 9-5
• Enhanced parental leave; shared parental leave policies – for parents and care givers
• Annual company performance bonus scheme – Subject to company performance
• Flexible benefits that suit you, including cycle to work & interest free season ticket loans .
• The opportunity to make a difference; learn more about our social outcomes