Strategic Partnership Director - Local Authority - Leeds

Shape the Future with the National Wealth Fund. At the National Wealth Fund, our mission is to swiftly and effectively mobilise trusted sector insights and investment expertise to unlock billions in private finance for projects across the United Kingdom. Providing £27.8bn of capital and an expanded mandate, we are ready to help the market invest with confidence, continue to drive forward the Government's growth ambitions.

We are looking for skilled and results-oriented individuals who are motivated to help us build the National Wealth Fund into an industry-leading institution.

Job Purpose: As part of the Fund’s mission to support net zero transition and drive local and regional economic growth, the Local Authority (LA) function plays a key role in enabling technically complex and innovative infrastructure investments. Following HMT’s January 2025 announcement, NWF is establishing Strategic Partnerships with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, West Midlands Combined Authority, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Glasgow City Region.

Local authorities have high ambitions and broad remits to manage and regenerate local infrastructure. The LA function helps to unlock potential and increase shared learning across authorities in the UK and is working increasingly in partnership with Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs), city regions and local leaders to support the development of their local growth plans and investment pipelines.

Location: Leeds, hybrid working with a minimum of 3 days per week in the office. Deadline to Apply: 13th July 2026. Early submission is encouraged, and applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

The Strategic Partnership Director role for LA is a senior, client-facing, leadership position, that will be required to proactively build relationships across the regions they operate across to identify advisory and lending opportunities within a specific Partnership. The Director will bring together excellent relationship management skills, delivery knowledge and financing excellence to enable local government to enter into successful commercial and financial arrangements with delivery partners and to bridge financing gaps in sustainable ways.

The role will work across our LA advisory and lending services, supporting the deployment of NWF’s capital and collaborating with sector and investment teams, both within NWF and within their allocated Strategic Partnerships and MCAs in their regional areas. LA sector areas of focus include retrofit, heat networks, transport, and place-based regeneration, with scope to expand as NWF’s remit evolves.

Core Responsibilities:

• Represent the Fund - Cement the Fund’s reputation as a centre of excellence in local authority project financing. Act as the Director coordinating the Strategic Partnership portfolio of support and an ambassador for NWF by participating at industry events and conferences, using these opportunities to influence the broader infrastructure agenda, and successfully showcase NWF’s mission and purpose.
• Build relationships within a Strategic Partnership and regional MCAs executive communities. Proactively network and engage with both internal and external senior stakeholders, to include investors, developers, banks and leading industry experts to create future commercial opportunities to enhance NWF’s reputation in the market regionally.
• Strategically solve complex problems, draw on own expertise and identify solutions efficiently. Ensure authorities receive expert advice enabling them to best identify and facilitate the most commercially sustainable and appropriate outcomes effectively that align to the Fund’s principles.
• Managing the engagement, specifically for the Strategic Partnership team, working alongside and bringing in resource and support from other LA team members (e.g. with financing or sector knowledge) and from other parts of the Fund (e.g. Banking & Investments, Impact or Policy).
• Support in shaping the Fund’s LA regional role, helping to attract and retain high performing talent and expertise within project and infrastructure finance and delivery, and establish NWF as a market leader in the provision of trusted advice to authorities on project investment and delivery.
• Utilise industry experience to advise the Strategic Partnership and partner with other MCAs/City Regions through commercial and financial negotiations and ensure all affiliated risks are clearly identified and communicated to the appropriate levels within the local authority.
• Interface in an open, constructive, and collaborative manner with senior colleagues across NWF to share expert knowledge and experience, draft sector strategies and to fulfil the strategic mission of the Fund.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience:

• Significant experience in financing or delivering infrastructure projects and investments, with a focus on public sector infrastructure.
• Extensive experience of working with both government finance, public sector accounting, devolved governance and institutional investors.
• Must be commercially astute with demonstrable evidence of excellent negotiation skills from involvement in complex transactions.
• Substantial experience of partnership working and managing advisory engagements and ideally formal lending processes; including negotiation, due diligence and review of contracts, and assessment of programme/project risks.
• Be a skilled communicator ensuring positive representation of NWF within public sector forums.
• Collaborative team player with a commitment to NWF’s mission and contributing to the positive culture of the organisation.

A career with us offers a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact and work on cutting-edge technologies that will drive the UK’s future. We value diversity in our people and inclusion is at the heart of what we do. We offer competitive benefits and unique learning opportunities from combining both private and public sector skills and experience. Please note, referencing and background checks are carried out for all roles here at the National Wealth Fund.