Director of Place in Witney

West Oxfordshire District Council is seeking an exceptional and forward-thinking Director of Place to join our Corporate Management Team at a pivotal moment for the district. This opportunity has arisen following an internal promotion, reflecting the strength of our leadership and creating an exciting opening for a strategic leader ready to shape the future of West Oxfordshire.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, you will provide visible, collective leadership across a diverse and high-impact portfolio including Economic Development, Climate Change, Strategic Housing, Communities, Leisure Strategy, Major Projects, Waste and Commercial Strategy. This is a broad and strategic role with oversight of services that directly influence the quality of life, prosperity and sustainability of our communities. From enabling transformational housing growth through projects such as Salt Cross Garden Village, to driving regeneration in Carterton, you will ensure that our approach to place shaping is integrated, ambitious and community focused.

You will not be expected to be a technical expert in every discipline, but you will bring significant senior leadership experience in at least one of these service areas, alongside a strong understanding of how economic development, housing, climate, leisure and community wellbeing interconnect to deliver lasting outcomes.

The ideal candidate will have operated at Director or Head of Service level within local government for a minimum of three to five years, with both strategic and operational credibility. You will be politically astute, experienced in working within democratic governance structures, and confident in advising Members and the Executive. As the Council approaches Local Government Reorganisation, this role will play a critical part in shaping the future of place services and ensuring West Oxfordshire is left in a strong position with a clear legacy.

Collaboration will be central to your success working across Oxfordshire with partners including the County Council, health, police, the Home Office (particularly in relation to refugee support), as well as key delivery partners such as Publica and Ubico.

We are looking for a supportive and inspiring leader with excellent communication and people skills, someone who embraces change and sees it as an opportunity to improve and innovate. You will foster a high-performance culture, ensure robust financial and risk management, and champion continuous improvement across your Directorate. This is a complex but deeply rewarding time to join West Oxfordshire, an opportunity to help shape the district's future and make a tangible difference to the communities we serve.

You will need:

• Senior leadership experience, leading teams and responsibility for budgets and resources.
• Substantial experience of developing strategies and or managing projects and translating them into effective outcome changes for place and communities.
• Proven ability to identify and drive forward opportunities, defining strategy and developing partnerships.
• Experience in operating effectively within the democratic process, with the political acumen and skills to develop productive working relationships with Councillors and central government that command respect, trust and confidence.
• Ability to tailor leadership style to respond to a variety of different situations and challenges.

Special Conditions:

• Full UK driving licence with access to a vehicle for work purposes.
• BPSS Check.
• This role is politically restricted; postholders are restricted from canvassing on behalf of a political party or for a person who is, or seeks to be, a candidate for election to a local authority, the House of Commons, or the European Parliament.

Closing date: Sunday 29th March 2026.

Please contact Mandy Smith, Senior Executive Assistant to arrange an informal conversation with Phil Martin, Chief Executive of West Oxfordshire District Council. For more information about this role please see the Job Description/Person Specification.

What can we do for you:

• Agile working allowing a mix of home and office working.
• Annual Leave will commence at 31 days, increasing to 33 days after 10 years' service.
• In addition, you will have an extra two volunteering days a year for you to support a charity of your choice.
• Renewed again for another year there is a Health cash plan giving you cash back on health, dental and eye care.
• Generous contributory local government pension scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme 24/7, providing positive, preventative and supportive advice and counselling to deal with everyday events and issues.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Salary sacrifice car lease scheme with significant tax and NI savings to be made on electric cars.
• Generous sickness cover above statutory entitlements.