Policy and Partnerships Lead

We currently have a Policy and Partnerships Lead vacancy in our Financial and Professional Services and Digital Industries sector team within the wider Business, Innovation and Inclusive Economy team. The newly created Business Team leads on creating a thriving and globally recognised business and innovation ecosystem in West Yorkshire, ensuring collaboration and partnerships across the public and private sectors enables all businesses to succeed and strive to become fair employers. The team does this through its system leadership and enabling role, thought leadership and policy development, partnership development and strategic commissioning across key sectors and thematic areas such as innovation, export, business investment and inward investment.

As a Policy and Partnerships Lead, you will lead planning, policy and programme development, partnership development, and commissioning across Financial and Professional Services and Digital Industries, ensuring alignment with strategic and corporate priorities. You will be responsible for identifying and delivering change and transformation in order to deliver the Combined Authority's ambitions; and lead a flexible and agile team, responding to emerging priorities and pivoting priorities and activities as needed.

Our Offer

• 28 days Annual Leave (increasing upon years of service) plus Bank Holidays.
• Generous Employer-Contribution Pension Scheme.
• Free Travel on rail and buses across West Yorkshire with the MCard (Zones 1-5).
• Flexible Working Practices with Health & Wellbeing initiatives, including agile working options, as well as a generous flexi-time scheme to ensure you achieve the best work/life balance and career goals.
• Bright, airy, modern office space, with all latest technology, just a 2-minute walk from Leeds Train Station.

The Role

Reporting into the relevant Inclusive Economy Lead for Sectors and Clusters, your key responsibilities will include:

• Provide leadership for the planning, policy and programme development, partnership development, and commissioning across the Financial and Professional Services and Digital Industries sector team, ensuring alignment with strategic and corporate priorities.
• As one of a number of senior roles you will have a focus on an area of strategic importance for West Yorkshire, as part of the implementation of the Local Growth Plan. You will be responsible for identifying and delivering change and transformation in order to deliver the Combined Authority's ambitions.
• Shape and influence West Yorkshire, pan-northern and national policy relating to Financial and Professional Services and Digital Industries and be a visible leader.
• Provide leadership for the development of a strategic performance, data and intelligence service - ensuring that contract performance is achieved and that the Combined Authority also systematically gathers, aggregates and utilises data related to your functional area to inform policy and programme development and continuous improvement.
• Lead a flexible and agile team, responding to emerging priorities and pivoting priorities and activities as needed.

About You

You will have the following key skills, attributes, education and experience:

• Expert knowledge of Financial and Professional Services and Digital Industries and experience of developing and implementing policy in a challenging and dynamic environment.
• Strong understanding of the role of regional government in achieving place based impact; strong analytical skills with strong data analysis, interpretation and fluency in communication; and strong partnership development skills and experience, honed through interactions with multiple agencies, organisations and senior stakeholders.
• Experience of shaping a team and ability to lead agendas to ensure outcomes are realised.
• Demonstrable experience of developing and implementing successful evidence-based policy and strategy and overseeing implementation. Extensive experience of finding innovative solutions to complex problems and of managing relationships with multiple stakeholders at senior level.
• Extensive experience of business case development and commissioning interventions, overseeing delivery to ensure outcomes and benefits are realised.

To Apply

If this sounds like your next role, please complete the application form and tell us within the supporting statement why you would be a great fit for our role and how your skills, knowledge and experience align with the requirements within the Role Profile. Please visit our Advice for Candidates webpage and review the guidance on this page for support in completing your application form. If you would like to discuss this role in more detail please contact Callum Whittaker (Inclusive Economy Lead – Sectors and Clusters).

Further Information

The Combined Authority is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better outcomes. We welcome applications irrespective of people's age, disability, neuro-divergence, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, or other personal circumstances. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neuro divergent. To find out more about inclusivity at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority please visit our dedicated webpage.

Under the Disability Confident Scheme, applicants with a disability are guaranteed an interview, subject to the minimum criteria being met.