Project Manager - Learning Disabilities & Autism Health Equalities

Fixed Term / Secondment, Full Time

£48,211 to £56,718 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

This is a fixed term contract or secondment opportunity until 31/03/2028.

Interviews will be held W/C 11th May 2026.

The Learning Disabilities & Autism Health Equalities (LDHE) team operates as a partnership between the Local Authorities and Integrated Care Boards across Essex, bringing together commissioning and operational expertise to improve outcomes for people with learning disabilities and autism.

This role plays a central part in turning ambition into delivery across the LDHE Programme. As Project Manager, you will support complex, multi‑agency projects from initiation through to completion, ensuring clear objectives, measurable outcomes and delivery to time and quality. Working collaboratively across local authorities, the NHS and commissioned partners, the role has direct impact on how priorities are implemented, risks managed and improvements realised across the system.

With a strong focus on coordination, assurance and performance, the postholder provides the structure and momentum that enables the programme to succeed. You will drive day‑to‑day project activity, maintain grips on milestones, dependencies and risks, and provide high‑quality reporting and governance support that informs senior decision‑making.

The role is well suited to an experienced project manager who wants to focus on delivery, influence and tangible outcomes—using robust project management disciplines to improve services and reduce inequalities for people with learning disabilities and autism.

Accountabilities

Managing projects that contribute to the strategic aims of the LDHE programme, ensuring agreed outcomes are delivered to time, scope and budget.
Coordinator of all project activity, supporting commissioners and programme leads to deliver workstreams effectively across the programme.
Development of robust business cases and project documentation, ensuring specialist commissioning and operational input informs proposals and aligns deliverables to programme priorities.
Monitoring project performance, budgets and resource requirements.
Identifying, assessing and escalating project risks and issues, ensuring mitigations are agreed and monitored, and that dependencies across the wider programme are managed effectively.
Ensuring effective change management processes are in place, with any changes to scope, deliverables or commissioning activity captured, agreed and governed through appropriate LDHE forums.
Implement programme governance, including preparation of board and subgroup papers, coordination of agendas, recording and tracking actions, and ensuring consistent, timely reporting and assurance.
Maintaining accurate performance and operational data for LDHE projects, producing clear reports, dashboards and analysis to support governance, commissioning decisions and delivery of programme outcomes.

About You

Educated to degree level or equivalent by extensive experience
Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area, such as, AMP practitioner or Prince 2.
Evidence of having successfully completed several projects and experienced contributing to a range of other projects and/or programmes.
Experience of working with a diverse range of individuals at different levels within a complex organisation and engaging with them, finding ways to overcome obstacles.
Experience of working within a political environment with knowledge of a public sector setting and involvement in a large, complex environment.
Strong experience in developing, interpreting and presenting performance data and reports, using analytical insights to drive decision‑making and inform project and commissioning activity.
Experience of working across health and care systems, ideally within an LD and/or autism context, collaborating with NHS, local authority and provider partners to deliver shared outcomes.
Experience of supporting effective governance arrangements, ensuring discipline around boards, programme forums and meetings, including preparation of papers, tracking actions and enabling clear, timely decision‑making.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Adult Social Care

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email Abbie.Mollison@essex.gov.uk.

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