Senior Projects Officer - Insecure Immigration Status

We are a collaborative, motivated and friendly Unit of around sixty people. We have four teams within the Unit: Community Engagement, Equalities, Financial Hardship and Migration.

Together, we are responsible for:

• Helping ensure all Londoners can thrive irrespective of their background and immigration status.

• Helping Londoners to access the support they need to avoid or escape financial hardship.

• Helping increase civic participation, especially among underrepresented groups, so that Londoners have the voice, power, and influence that they need to thrive.

• Delivering the Mayor's statutory equalities duties and helping to address structural inequalities.

• Tackling labour market inequalities and increasing opportunities for underrepresented groups in the labour market.

The Migration team's work includes overseeing the most senior Board on Migration in London - the London Strategic Migration Partnership - and delivering on a business plan that ensures the success of refugee resettlement in London and provides strategic oversight and guidance for the operation of accommodation and support contracts for people seeking asylum. The team also delivers a programme of welcome and integration for new arrivals from Hong Kong, work has including support to London's local authorities, grant funding to Hong Kong voluntary sector organisations and mental health support. The team also oversee the Migrant Londoners Hub and deliver on a range of policy and projects that support migrants in London to thrive.

About the role

This role is based in the 'Insecure immigration status' sub-team of the migration team, which focuses on strategic support for Londoners with insecure immigration status. At present this work includes

• Chairing The Migration Sector Advisory Panel (MSAP)

• Management of the Migrant Londoners' Hub

• Funding access to immigration advice, e.g. The Migrant Justice Greater London Project

• Work focused on addressing migrant labour exploitation

• Management of the Migrant Londoners' Advisory Group

This role is based at London Fire Brigade's Head Office (Union Street SE1 0LL)

Skills, knowledge and experience

To be considered for the role you must meet the following essential criteria:

1. Experience of working in partnership with a range of organisations, including public sector agencies and civil society.

2. In-depth understanding of the policy issues affecting Londoners with insecure immigration status.

3. Experience of successful policy and programme development and delivery in a relevant social policy field.

4. Project management skills and experience, and ability to ensure initiatives are delivered to agreed targets and timescales.

5. Experience of planning and organising a variety of partnerships, networks, engagements, events and activities involving civil society, diverse communities and a wide range of stakeholders at all levels.

6. An understanding of operating in a politically sensitive environment, working across a range of stakeholders with potentially competing perspectives.

Behavioural competencies

1. Building & Managing Relationships

is developing rapport and working effectively with a diverse range of people, sharing

knowledge and skills to deliver shared goals.

Level 3 indicators of effective performance

• Actively engages partners and encourages others to build relationships that support GLA objectives

• Understands and recognises the contributions that staff at all levels make to delivering priorities

• Proactively manages partner relationships, preventing or resolving any conflict

• Adapts style to work effectively with partners, building consensus, trust and respect

• Delivers objectives by bringing together diverse stakeholders to work effectively in partnership

2. Communicating and Influencing

is presenting information and arguments clearly and convincingly so that others see us as credible and articulate, and engage with us.

Level 3 indicators of effective performance

• Encourages and supports teams in engaging in transparent and inclusive communication

• Influences others and gains buy-in using compelling, well thought through arguments

• Negotiates effectively to deliver GLA priorities

• Synthesises the complex viewpoints of others, recognises where compromise is necessary and brokers agreement

• Advocates positively for the GLA both within and outside the organisation

3. Planning and organising

is thinking ahead, managing time, priorities and risk, and developing structured and efficient approaches to deliver work on time and to a high standard.

Level 2 indicators of effective performance

• Prioritises work in line with key team or project deliverables

• Makes contingency plans to account for changing work priorities, deadlines and milestones

• Identifies and consults with sponsors or stakeholders in planning work

• Pays close attention to detail, ensuring team's work is delivered to a high standard

• Negotiates realistic timescales for work delivery, ensuring team deliverables can be met

4. Problem solving

is analysing and interpreting situations from a variety of viewpoints and finding creative, workable and timely solutions.

Level 2 indicators of effective performance

• Processes and distils a variety of information to understand a problem fully

• Proposes options for solutions to presented problems

• Builds on the ideas of others to encourage creative problem solving

• Thinks laterally about own work, considering different ways to approach problems

• Seeks the opinions and experiences of others to understand different approaches to

problem solving

5. Research and analysis

is gathering intelligence (information, opinion and data) from varied sources, making sense of it, testing its validity and drawing conclusions that can lead to practical benefits.

Level 2 indicators of effective performance

• Proactively seeks new information sources to progress research agendas and address gaps in knowledge

• Grasps limitations of or assumptions behind data sources, disregarding those that lack quality

• Analyses and integrates qualitative and quantitative data to find new insights

• Translates research outcomes into concise, meaningful reports

• Identifies relevant and practical research questions for the future

6. Responding to pressure and change

is being flexible and adapting positively, to sustain performance when the situation changes, workload increases, tensions rise or priorities shift.

Level 2 indicators of effective performance

• Maintains a focus on key priorities and deliverables, staying resilient in the face of pressure

• Anticipates and adapts flexibly to changing requirements

• Uses challenges as an opportunity to learn and improve

• Participates fully and encourages others to engage in change initiatives

• Manages team's well-being, supporting them to cope with pressure and change

7. Organisational awareness

is understanding and being sensitive to organisational dynamics, culture and politics across and beyond the GLA and shaping our approach accordingly.

Level 2 indicators of effective performance

• Challenges unethical behaviour

• Uses understanding of the GLA's complex partnership arrangements to deliver effectively

• Recognises how political changes and sensitivities impact on own and team's work

• Is aware of the changing needs of Londoners, anticipating resulting changes for work agendas

• Follows the GLA's position in the media and understands how it impacts on work