Performance Officer - Working for Essex

About the role

Performance Officer

Permanent, Full Time

£28,059 to £33,010 Per Annum

Location: Chelmsford

Closing Date:26th May 2025

This position has been classed as an anywhere worker role but has an expectation that the successful candidate will attend the office, in Chelmsford, 1 day per month, with the remaining time allowing for remote working if desired, in line with the organisation’s needs.

The Role

As a Performance Officer, it’ll be your job to turn our deep well of data into insights that can help senior leaders take operational and strategic decisions. Working to support one of the council’s key business areas – Children Services, you’ll build reports that tell a story, exposing the questions our senior leaders need to focus on. You’ll develop a role as a trusted specialist business intelligence adviser – helping senior leaders to understand what the data means for their business, and supporting effective performance conversations.

You will work in partnership with stakeholders across the organisation helping to visualise performance information through the creative use of reporting solutions such as Microsoft Power BI. You’ll be a key part of a new team, building the council’s capacity and capability to ask and answer difficult questions.

To read more about our business area, please visit:

People, Policy, Economy and Public Health

The Opportunity

The Performance Officer is part of a flexible team within the Performance & Business Intelligence Service specifically working with the business to deliver accurate, timely and purposeful management information and performance intelligence that enables senior leaders to take accountability for and manage performance. The role involves various aspects of information management including performance reporting, supporting the business to complete statutory data returns, interpreting & presenting performance information.

The role requires the application of subject matter expertise across the functional areas of the business with skilled matrix working to ensure improved integration with services to align priorities and deliver efficiency. The role provides specialist knowledge within a defined business area to support data quality monitoring and key organisational information systems.

Accountabilities

Responsible for manipulating data and turning information into insight to provide detailed technical advice to champion the value of information and business intelligence within and outside the organisation.
Working collaboratively with functional business areas and analysts to make business intelligence available, aligned to the Council’s strategic aims and priorities to provide senior leaders with the information required for effective leadership, governance and decision making.
Responsible for working with a range of data and evidence sources for the development of services and products to agreed standards to enable performance analysis and data interpretation, and translation of information requests.
Building effective relationships with key business areas to understand and agree management information requirements and working collaboratively to develop solutions that provide access to high quality information to enable services to manage their performance
Responsible for using quality assurance techniques to empower data owners to understand and repair data quality issues and complete statutory data returns, including reporting on the quality of data held within management information systems and providing recommendations for data quality improvement.
Responsible for identifying, collecting and reporting the right data sources and then preparing, validating, cleansing and interpreting data to ensure it is fit for purpose. Working with data developers to automate processes.
Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

On top of your ability to manipulate data and present with confidence, you’ll need strong people skills. You’ll work closely with business areas and Analysts, making sure intelligence is aligned to the Council’s strategic aims and priorities.
We’re an evidence-led organisation, but you’ll also need to understand the complexities of working in a political environment and be able to appreciate and respond to different perspectives.
We’ll also expect you to have advanced user knowledge of Microsoft Office suite including sound experience in manipulating data using Excel and Power BI, enabling you to prepare clear and concise reports and make robust recommendations.

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 February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) 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 jamielea.wallis@essex.gov.uk

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