Project and Change Officer

• 30 days annual leave excluding bank holidays.
• Hybrid - office base at County Hall, Taunton with some remote working.

A unique and exciting opening has arisen for a Project and Change Officer to support key projects and programmes within the Partnerships, Localities & Culture directorate and contribute to bringing about positive change for our communities in Somerset. The role will predominantly support the Local Devolution Programme and the Community Engagement Review. The Local Devolution Programme is working to bring about more local control of assets and services and involves the transfer of hundreds of assets and services to city, town and parish councils and community organisations within Somerset. The Community Engagement Review is aiming to agree and implement a framework for community development and engagement between Somerset Council and its partners which will support community resilience and positive outcomes for Somerset residents.

If you are passionate about making things better for communities across Somerset, have an enthusiasm for learning new things and are keen to get stuck in and make things happen we'd love to hear from you!

What will I be doing?

We're working to improve the lives of people in Somerset - and you'll be a key part of that.

Your day-to-day work will involve:

• Supporting all aspects of project and change delivery for a variety of projects and programmes within the Partnerships, Localities & Culture directorate and collaborating with colleagues across the council and partner organisations to deliver these projects and programmes.
• Engagement with both internal and external stakeholders and responsibility for preparing project and programme communications.
• Maintaining accurate project documentation and assisting with data collection, reporting and monitoring of project progress to keep everyone on track.
• Supporting with the management of risks and issues including implementation of mitigation actions.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But it will really help if you have:

• Experience of supporting projects and programmes, ideally within a public sector environment.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to maintain accurate records, and manage multiple tasks.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with experience of stakeholder management and engagement.
• The ability to use your initiative to solve problems.
• Understanding of when to escalates risks and issues and seek support from colleagues.
• Strong IT skills and are confident using digital platforms (such as SharePoint).
• A proactive approach to learning and development, with a willingness to build knowledge.
• Certification in project management methodologies (Agile, PRINCE2, PMP) and/or change management (Prosci, APMG) is desirable.

We're proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there's anything you want to talk about before you apply.

What's in it for me?

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave.
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more.

The salary for this role is £32,597 - £36,363 per annum for 37 hours per week.

Interviews will be held on Friday 16th January 2026 at County Hall, Taunton.

This role will sit within the Council's Service Design & Change team but day to day work will be on projects and programmes within the Partnerships, Localities & Culture service directorate.

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

Supporting documents and information

Please read any attached documents before applying for this job.

If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button - we can't wait to hear from you.