Location: Westminster/Home-Based

Salary: Grade 5

Contract: Full-time, fixed term for 12 months (secondments from local government encouraged)

About us

The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national membership body for local authorities. We work on behalf of our member councils to support, promote and improve local government.

We are a politically led, cross-party organisation that works on behalf of councils to ensure local government has a strong, credible voice with national government. We influence and set the political agenda on the issues that matter to councils to help them deliver local solutions to national problems.

We also provide councils with the tools and resources to respond to challenges present and emerging, and support improvement across the sector.

We value diversity and encourage applications from all sections of the community to this high-profile role.

About the role

Passionate about driving digital capabilities within organisations? We have a unique opportunity to work with councils across England as an Adviser – Digital People and Culture with responsibility for supporting skills, talent and leadership.

This role sits within our Sector Support programme for Cyber, Digital and Technology. We are a 20-person team committed to being high-performing, constantly learning and adapting. We leverage the expertise and energy of our members, while also drawing on the vast resources and networks of the local government community.

The role expands on our successful initiatives, which aim to help councils access the right people with the right capabilities. We’re now looking to broaden our support in this critical area. Working collaboratively with colleagues across our organisation, directly with councils, and with wider partners, your focus will be on:

Talent pipelines: You will co-create new, and enhance existing, initiatives to spotlight cyber and digital career opportunities and pathways. Your contributions will extend to the LGA’s Skills Hub programme, and you will assess the feasibility of a cyber and digital graduate pathway based on sector needs.
Skills and workforce development: You’ll develop our cyber and digital skills framework, adding new levels to enable clearer mapping to job profiles and potential career pathways. This builds on our existing collaboration with central government. You’ll also collaborate with external partners to explore a unified public sector view of cyber and digital careers.
Strategic workforce planning: You’ll delve into understanding the sector’s future talent needs, which includes developing personas for cyber and digital capabilities to guide the creation and curation of learning content.
Leadership development: You’ll source targeted support and training to enhance the cyber and digital capabilities of both digital and non-digital leaders and senior managers, with the aim of consolidating all learning content in one accessible location.
Practitioner empowerment: You’ll source specialist support and training designed to empower the sector’s cyber and digital practitioner community. This will include working with government partners and technology suppliers. Again, with an aim of bringing a learning package together.
Governance and strategy alignment: You’ll contribute to our promotion of cyber leadership and governance within councils in line with our team’s broader strategic goals.

Your expertise will be vital in helping to ensure local government is equipped for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

About you

In this role as an Adviser – Digital People and Culture, you will work on the human and culture side of digital transformation, not the technical. Your focus will be on empowering people, building capabilities and fostering a positive digital culture. This requires a strong foundation in training and skills development, combined with an understanding of organisational change, ideally in the public sector.

Our ideal candidate will have these skills and attributes:

Knowledge

You will be able to articulate the people-focused implications as councils transition to digital workplaces, demonstrating an understanding of the human elements in digital transformation.
You will possess a proven track record of achievement in complex political environments, showcasing your ability to navigate challenging stakeholder landscapes.
You have a strong understanding of local, regional, and central government, enabling effective engagement across different tiers of public service.

Collaboration

You will excel at building productive relationships with individuals and organisations, leveraging strong engagement and facilitation skills to foster effective partnerships.
You will be able to identify networking and partnership opportunities, demonstrating initiative in expanding collaborative efforts.
You will be able to present complex ideas clearly and confidently to diverse audiences, ensuring understanding and buy-in.

Innovation

You will demonstrate creativity and initiative, designing approaches based on feedback and evolving user needs.
You will excel at managing multiple projects simultaneously, navigating complex, sometimes ambiguous environments with a pragmatic and effective approach.
You have proven experience designing and running effective events and workshops, creating engaging and impactful learning or collaborative experiences.

Attributes

You will be adaptable and flexible, readily adjusting to meet the evolving needs of a fast-moving team and dynamic environment.
You show a strong commitment to continuous learning, always seeking to grow your skills and knowledge.

Office-based staff are required to work in the LGA’s London office two days per week as a minimum, subject to business need. For home-based staff, some occasional travel to London and wider afield is likely required. You’ll be required to participate in an on-call rota for cyber incidents affecting councils. This will involve an out-of-hours commitment for which a separate allowance is paid.

You must have the right to work in the UK, the LGA are unfortunately unable to offer sponsorship visas. Evidence for the right to work in the UK will be requested at the interview stage.

To apply

If you would like to be considered for the role, please complete the online form and include a supporting statement detailing how you meet the criteria for the role before the closing date.

We are specifically assessing candidates against the following criteria:

1. Expertise in people development strategies, encompassing training, skills enhancement and workforce development.

2. Experience navigating complex political landscapes, including a track record of effectively engaging with senior leaders and stakeholders.

3. Proven ability to manage projects concurrently and navigate complexity.

4. Experience in designing and executing campaigns, events and workshops, grounded in an understanding of user needs and preferences.

5. Skilled in developing and implementing practical resources and tools, providing guidance that addresses diverse needs.

6. Strong written and oral communication skills, with the confidence and ability to present complex information clearly and persuasively.

Adviser - Digital People and Culture- Job Description

Closing Date: 5pm, 31 July 2025

Interview Date: TBC, Interviews will be virtual

In recognition of the summer period and to support future organisational design, we are adopting a new approach to recruitment. All LGA roles will be advertised internally for one week prior to being advertised externally and internally, providing colleagues with the opportunity to engage with roles ahead of wider publication. Should you require additional time to submit an application due to annual leave or other commitments, please contact the recruitment inbox so that appropriate arrangements can be considered.

We use anonymous recruitment, which is the practice of hiding candidates’ identities. This process involves removing any identifying information from candidates’ applications which includes names.

At the LGA we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Our recruitment decisions are based on fair, open competition, with appointment on merit.

The LGA are proud to be awarded a “Disability Confident Leader”. Please contact us via Recruitment@local.gov.uk if you require a reasonable adjustment, which is a change to the format or conditions of the recruitment process to accommodate any disability-related needs you may have.

Our benefits

LGA annual leave entitlement is 29 days, rising to 31 days after three years’ service and to 33 days after five years’ service, plus all UK public holidays (pro rata for fixed term and part time contracts).*
Flexible & agile working – office-based staff are required to work in the LGA’s London office two days per week as a minimum, subject to business need and this may vary significantly between different roles and from week to week.
Future development – face-to-face and virtual courses are scheduled in line with developmental goals
The LGA offers 24/7 access to a free, confidential employee assistance programme managed by Health Assured. This service is also available for Dependants.
Family friendly policies

For more of LGA’s benefits and working with us, please view our webpage https://www.local.gov.uk/benefits-and-working-lga

Our values & behaviours

Our Values and Behaviours are there to give us an understanding of who we are as an organisation and who we want to be. They are a framework to help us understand:

how we work with each other
how we work with our members and stakeholders
our expectations for ourselves and each other

Our values are:

Collaboration – We value collaboration, to pursue shared goals by encouraging and utilising diverse perspectives and working with internal and external colleagues across the organisation.

Inclusion – We value inclusion, where everyone feels valued, understood, and supported to contribute meaningfully.

Ambition – We value ambition, reflecting our desire to achieve best possible outcomes for local government, communities, and individuals.

Respect – We value respect, to ensure fairness, recognition, and shared accountability.

Adviser - Digital People and Culture

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