Senior Triage Officer - Working for Essex

About the role

Senior Triage Officer

Permanent, Full Time

£26,485 to £31,158 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: Wednesday 28th May 2025 at 11.59pm

To read more about our business area, please visit: People, Policy, Economy and Public Health

The Opportunity

Essex has a number of key employment and skills challenges including low productivity, low wages and lower than average workforce skills levels. Whilst the unemployment claimant count is low, Essex suffers from high levels of economic inactivity and significant pockets of deprivation in communities and cohorts.

To resolve these challenges, Essex County Council delivers the Connect to Work Programme which supports residents with facing barriers or challenges to get into and maintain meaningful employment.

The Senior Triage Officer will oversee the effective processing of referrals and onboarding of residents to the Connect to Work programme, delivering effective signposting, administration and project support that enables the delivery of a customer-focused and outcomes-based service. The role plays a vital role sustaining the programme by supporting the coordination of applications for support, quality assuring and delivering initial eligibility assessments and working with managers and partners to develop the triage and assessment service.

Accountabilities

Contribute to the successful delivery of the Connect to Work programme by providing high-quality administrative support and quality assurance as well as acting as the first point of contact for enquiries to the programme.
Maintain a strong understanding of eligibility and suitability requirements of the Connect to Work Programme, ensuring updates are identified, communicated and amendments made to programme materials and application forms.
Oversee the processing of Expressions of Interest received for the programme in the form of direct and third-party referrals from professionals, coordinating with providers and clients to ensure an efficient process is operated and expressions of interest are processed within specified timescales.
Assist in the development and maintenance of a structured approach to managing Expressions of Interest by the triage service to facilitate effective coordination of applications, supporting as required Triage officers to make recommendations for participant engagement in the programme.
Facilitate effective working relationships with commissioned providers, coordinating support assessments for participants, acting as the initial point of contact for complaints or issues, seeking to resolve any urgent or complex issues that arise, escalating significant issues to programme management.
Collaborate with partner organisations, such as local authorities, educational institutions, and business intermediaries to develop and maintain a database of employment support and skills programmes, using this to provide signposting for support to those not eligible for the Connect to Work programme.
Prepare analysis, reports and presentations on performance of the triage service, providing recommendations to support strategic decision-making and continuous improvement in the Connect to Work programme.
Lead research into benchmarking and best practice to support service innovation and continuous improvement.
Assist in the development and maintenance of a structured client engagement approach, ensuring updates are made to the Management Information System (MIS), PRaP and other systems as required, accurate records are kept, and confidentiality is maintained through regular quality assurance audits of the MIS.

The Experience You Will Bring

Educated to RQF Level 4 in Business Administration (or similar) or equivalent relevant experience in senior business administration role.
Project coordination skills, with the ability to manage tasks, meet timelines, and contribute to team objectives with an ability to demonstrate a high level of attention to detail and assure programme quality are essential.
Strong analytical skills, with experience in data collection, performance measurement, and translating data into actionable insights to improve program effectiveness and support data-driven decision-making.
Experience of MS Office suite of programmes and their practical application, as well as the ability to use computerised systems with a high level of speed and accuracy.
Experience in client engagement, with a demonstrated ability to build relationships and collaboration with service users, commissioned providers and partners.
Experience of developing and implementing CRM / MIS system and/or other financial and data management systems and creating customer-focused communication processes.
Ability to manage time effectively and demonstrate a wide understanding of customer needs and being able to manage their expectations as well as solve simple problems and identify alternative solutions
Experience of working with Government programmes, particularly in employment and skills is desirable.

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.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

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 daniel.warner@essex.gov.uk

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