Programme Officer - Specialist Women Support

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, accepting of all and free from discrimination and bias.

Coventry City Council’s Migration Team supports newly arrived communities to build settled, independent lives in the city. Our work focuses on practical integration pathways, including employment, skills, education, English language support and access to local services, helping refugees, people seeking asylum and other migrant communities contribute to Coventry’s economic, civic and social life.

Join us in making Coventry a place people choose to live, learn and work.

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

As a Programme Officer - Women's Only Support & STEP Forward, you will play a key role in supporting the development, delivery and continuous improvement of projects that empower women from diverse backgrounds, including migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking communities.

You will work closely with colleagues, community organisations, statutory partners and service providers to coordinate programme activity, monitor performance, manage compliance requirements and contribute to the delivery of accessible, culturally sensitive and trauma-informed services. Through your work, you will help women overcome barriers to participation, employment, wellbeing, integration, safety and independence.

What we expect you to do

• Support the delivery of the STEP Forward Project and Women's Only Support Service, ensuring activities are accessible, inclusive and responsive to the needs of women facing multiple disadvantages.
• The ability to deliver high-quality tailored group and 1-2-1 sessions to support women overcoming barriers to integration
• Coordinate programme monitoring, data collection, reporting and evaluation activities to ensure effective project delivery and continuous improvement.
• Support financial administration activities, including budget monitoring, expenditure tracking and compliance with funding requirements.
• Maintain accurate records, documentation and evidence to support audits, performance reviews and funding compliance.
• Develop and maintain productive partnerships with community organisations, statutory agencies and other stakeholders.
• Organise and support engagement events, consultations, workshops and activities that encourage participation and improve outcomes for women.
• Identify barriers affecting women and contribute to solutions that improve access to services and opportunities.
• Prepare reports, presentations, case studies and impact evidence that demonstrate programme achievements and outcomes.
• Support governance arrangements, meetings and action tracking processes.
• Contribute to funding applications, project development activity and future service growth.
• Promote equality, diversity, safeguarding and trauma-informed practice in all aspects of delivery.

This is a 2-year fixed-term position.

This post has a genuine occupational requirement for the successful candidate to be a female. We are only able to accept applications from female candidates.

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

We're looking for someone who is compassionate, organised and collaborative, with experience supporting projects, programmes or community-based initiatives. You will be comfortable working with diverse communities, managing detailed information and building strong relationships with a range of partners and stakeholders.

The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of community engagement, partnership working and programme monitoring, along with a commitment to empowering women and reducing inequalities.

Essential Behaviours

• Supportive and inclusive – Demonstrates empathy, respects diversity and builds positive relationships with women from different backgrounds.
• Collaborative and partnership-focused – Works effectively with colleagues, community organisations and external stakeholders.
• Organised and dependable – Effectively manages competing priorities while maintaining high standards of accuracy.
• Proactive and solution-focused – Identifies barriers, develops practical solutions and responds positively to challenges.
• Professional and accountable – Takes ownership of responsibilities and ensures compliance with policies, procedures and safeguarding requirements.

Key Experience and Knowledge

• Experience supporting the delivery of women’s only projects, programmes or community initiatives within a complex environment.
• Understanding of migration-related programmes and services supporting migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking communities.
• Knowledge of issues affecting women facing multiple disadvantages and barriers to participation.
• Experience monitoring programme activity, collecting data and producing reports.
• Experience working with multiple stakeholders and developing effective partnerships.
• Understanding of grant-funded programmes, funding requirements and compliance processes.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret performance, financial and other information.
• Experience organising community engagement activities, events or consultations.
• Understanding of equality, diversity, inclusion and safeguarding principles.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to present information clearly to different audiences.
• Experience using Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• Graduate-level qualification or equivalent relevant work experience.

Join us and help empower women, strengthen communities and create positive opportunities for those facing significant barriers and inequalities.

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies