​*** This is a 6-month secondment opportunity (with potential for extension to a maximum of 9 months) ***

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Location: Westminster, in-office but open to home based    

Salary: As secondee, we would expect you to apply based on your current salary and terms and conditions and would reimburse your authority accordingly

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

The LGA is seeking an outstanding Senior Manager to lead on the implementation of recommendations from a recent Governance Review; providing strategic leadership to ensure that all desired outcomes are delivered on time, on budget and meet quality expectations.  

This is being offered on a secondment basis, and we seek interest from Director level applicants who currently work in local government and have significant experience of working in a political environment. This role is offered full time for 6 months, although we would be open to discussing as a part time opportunity. 

This is a Programme Director role, and we would expect applicants to have significant experience of delivering governance related programmes at director level. As a secondee, we would expect you to apply based on your current salary and terms and conditions, and we would reimburse your authority accordingly. 

About you

You are an experienced senior leader, with a strong track record of delivering governance-related programmes within local government at a strategic level, in alignment with organisational purpose, vision, goals and values. You have demonstrable understanding of local government governance and are confident navigating work in a political environment.  

You have a proven ability to lead projects at pace and are adept in providing assurance to senior leadership teams through clear, structured reporting, managing interdependencies across programmes, and escalating issues appropriately. 

With excellent communication skills and outstanding stakeholder management skills, you are capable of building and maintaining strong relationships across senior leadership, elected members, and programme teams. 

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. Experience of operating at a senior level, providing advice and expertise to politicians, senior leadership teams and partners on matters of political governance 

2. High level of experience and understanding of political governance matters   

3. Exceptional leadership and stakeholder skills to progress change and lead from the front 

4. Experience of project planning and resource management, including risk, issue and dependency management  

Closing Date:        5pm Friday 13 June  

Interview Date:      Interviews will be virtual, and take place w/c 23 June 

We reserve the right to amend this date if needed.

Programme Director (Governance) - Job Description

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

• 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.

• As a secondment opportunity, the appointed candidate will remain employed by their current organisation, typically retaining their current employer’s benefits, such as annual leave entitlement. The full details will be arranged between the home and host organisations through a secondment agreement. 

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.