Head of Northern Powerhouse Rail Engagement and Local Growth - Department for Transport : Job Details

Are you an engaging leader with excellent stakeholder engagement, collaboration and influencing skills? Would you relish an opportunity that provides exposure working with a range of senior leaders?

If so, we have a fantastic opportunity for someone who has the drive and desire to make a real difference, and we would love to hear from you.

Job description

The Government is committed to developing a ten-year infrastructure strategy to help improve rail connectivity across the north of England. It aims to do this by improving transport across the North, including boosting rail connectivity from East to West.

Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) is an exciting opportunity, where you can really help shape a major project and impact lives. This project will deliver better transport connections in the North of England, boost local growth and transform lives.

In this outward-facing role, you will lead the team responsible for both engagement and local growth.

Working with local leaders, including local mayors, is key to delivering NPR. Doing so will help shape both the railway scheme itself and how local areas are able to maximise its benefits. Taking these together represents a real opportunity to maximise NPR’s impact and benefits.

You will be joining a friendly and dynamic division, who are passionate about delivering for the public.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.

As Head of NPR Engagement and Local Growth, your key responsibilities will include:

• Developing trusting and collaborative relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, each with different priorities and views.
• Working with lead sponsors for each area of NPR’s development to effectively interface between their activity and wider stakeholders.
• Developing and implementing engagement policy.
• Responsibility for the end-to-end development and running of a Strategic Consultation.
• Building strategic partnerships with a diverse range of local areas to understand their needs and help them to maximise opportunities for their areas off the back of better connectivity.
• Developing local growth strategy and policy.
• Overseeing the grant funding of some local authorities along the line of route.
• Line management responsibilities, supporting and developing your team of two Grade 7s and building an environment which enables everyone to continue thriving.

Person specification

You will have excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to negotiate, influence and advise senior leaders and partners across the programme. You will enjoy working collaboratively to build trusted relationships to successfully deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail.

You will demonstrate a depth of knowledge and experience of policy development and have the capability to work cross-organisationally and through ambiguity to shape and influence decision making.

You will display high quality drafting skills to prepare written advice and briefings for senior officials.

You will be an engaging leader with experience of supporting and developing your team to flourish and deliver results.

To read more about the role and for information on how to apply, please visit our advert on Civil Service Jobs.