Bristol Future Strategic Programme Lead

Bristol is an ambitious city for its children and young people, but too many still experience outcomes shaped by deprivation rather than potential. Our ambition is clear: to break the link between deprivation and low educational attainment and ensure every child can thrive. To deliver this, we are seeking an exceptional leader to drive the Bristol Future programme, a city-wide partnership bringing together schools, trusts, employers and civic partners to improve outcomes at scale. This is a rare opportunity to shape system-wide change in a major UK city.

As the Strategic Programme Lead, you will provide clear, system wide leadership for the Bristol Future programme. You will work across organisational boundaries, build strong relationships and develop the structures and conditions that enable meaningful change. The role requires someone who can bring people together around a shared vision, navigate complexity, and champion new ways of working that support long term improvement. You will also ensure the programme is underpinned by strong governance, evidence based decision making and a commitment to delivering real, measurable impact for Bristol’s children.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Leading a major programme designed to break the link between deprivation and educational outcomes, shaping innovative approaches that support a more inclusive and equitable system.
• Building and embedding our trust based partnership with the local authority, academy trust CEOs, Headteachers, employers and community organisations across the city.
• Coordinating activity across multiple agencies, ensuring alignment and shared ownership of priorities.
• Establishing the programme’s governance and partnership structures, ensuring there is clear accountability, strong assurance and a framework that supports the long term sustainability and viability of the Bristol Future programme.
• Driving a culture of learning, creativity and continuous improvement across the programme and its partners.
• Ensuring the programme’s work is evidence led, well governed and delivers clear benefits for children and young people.

About You

• A strong understanding of the education system, including the role of multi academy trusts, inclusion and local authorities.
• Experience leading large, complex or place based programmes, ideally involving partnerships across schools or trusts and demonstrating clear impact.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to engage senior leaders in a high stakes environment.
• The ability to build productive, long term relationships across diverse partners.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills, including the ability to use evidence to guide decisions and assess impact.

Please note that this role is subject to an Enhanced DBS Check.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to contribute to a programme that will shape the future of education in Bristol for years to come. You’ll be working alongside committed leaders from across the city, all focused on creating better opportunities for children and young people. The work is challenging, collaborative and hugely rewarding. At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation. For the majority of our roles hybrid working arrangements are available, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice - mixing both home and office working. Join us and you’ll receive an excellent rewards package including membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you’ll be working in a supportive environment where you’ll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.

How do I apply?

If you share our values and are ready to be part of our exciting journey please select the apply button below. To be shortlisted for interview you’ll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application. On occasion we will receive high numbers of applications, we may then shortlist against the desirable criteria along with the essential criteria, so if you can, please demonstrate how you meet this in your application.

For permanent Bristol City Council employees, this post will be a secondment. For employees who are currently on a fixed term contract with Bristol City Council, the secondment must not extend beyond the end of the fixed term period to ensure there is a substantive post to return to. If you are currently a casual worker or a member of an employment agency (currently working with Bristol City Council) this post will be a fixed term contract.

We’re a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We’ll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.

Closing date: 28 June 2026. Interviews will be held the week commencing 6th and 13th July.

Bristol City Council strives to have a workforce that reflects the communities it serves, we are therefore committed to ensuring diversity in our hiring process. We welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community. Appointments will be made on merit. The personal information section (including your name) you’ll complete as part of the application form will not be visible to hiring managers, but is used confidentially to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.