Location: Westminster or home based.

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. This will involve an out-of-hours commitment for which a separate allowance is paid.

Fixed term for 12 months (open to internal candidates and secondments from councils)

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

Do you have a passion for leveraging digital innovation to drive resilience and efficiency within the public sector? Join us and make a tangible, lasting difference. The LGA’s Cyber, Digital and Technology (CDT) Programme helps councils to excel in the digital age. We champion and improve their use of digital technologies and processes, ensuring communities thrive through effective, efficient, ethical, and innovative public services.

We support councils in navigating the complexities of the digital age, empowering them to deliver modern, secure, inclusive and effective services. Our work includes Digital Partnerships, which drives strategic collaborations and policy development on critical digital issues, with a particular focus on inclusion, ethics connectivity and market engagement.

Passionate about driving strategic innovation and digital reform in public service? The Local Government Association (LGA) is seeking a dynamic Programme Manager – Local Government (LG) Futures to lead a bold new programme driving long-term change and innovation across local government.

This is a unique opportunity to shape the LGA’s LG Futures agenda –encompassing critical areas such as LG2040, digital innovation, public service reform, and the opportunities arising from Local Government Reorganisation.

As Programme Manager for LG Futures, you will lead a crucial new team focused on shaping the future of local public services through long-term strategic initiatives. Your responsibilities will include:

Leading the design and delivery of the LG Futures programme, encompassing LG2040, fostering innovation, and developing future operating models.
Driving Public Service Reform (PSR), working collaboratively with councils, central government, and sector partners to explore new operating models and emerging technologies.
Addressing the Devolution agenda, including the digital aspects of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).
Managing a small, high-performing team and collaborating effectively across the LGA to deliver high-impact, future-focused work.
Representing local government in crucial national conversations about innovation, reform, and digital transformation.

About you

We’re looking for a Programme Manager to oversee the development and delivery of key initiatives under our LG Futures umbrella, which includes LG2040, Public Service Reform, and the digital aspects of English Devolution including Local Government Reorganisation.

This position requires a strategic leader who excels at building high-level partnerships with councils, central government, think tanks and other innovation bodies. Your collaborative skills will be essential in shaping future-ready operating models, ensuring local government is equipped to meet the exciting challenges and vast opportunities of the coming decade. You’ll need a strong track record in strategic planning, delivery and evaluation.

We’re looking for an individual to drive thought leadership and experimentation. This means leading the development and delivery of LG2040, our long-term visioning initiative. You will also take the lead on public service reform, with a strong focus on digital transformation, systems thinking and citizen-centred design. You will need a strong understanding of the digital dimensions of English Devolution, including Local Government Reorganisation, such as digital infrastructure, data, and service design.

You will commission and manage critical research, futures modelling, and scenario planning to inform strategic decision-making across the sector.

We’re looking for an individual with experience managing complex programmes and partnerships. You will be genuinely passionate about the future of public services and the transformative role of digital innovation.

This role requires someone who is politically astute, with excellent communication and influencing skills. You’ll will represent local government in senior-level forums, ensuring its voice is central to national reform and innovation agendas.

Ideally, we’d like to welcome someone experienced in futures thinking, systems innovation or digital transformation, preferably within local government and/or direct experience of applying innovation methodologies to service transformation. You will be someone who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment, adept at working with senior stakeholders, both internally and externally.

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:

Deep understanding of local government and the wider public sector, including reform and innovation agendas.
Strong track record of policy development, futures thinking, or systems innovation.
Excellent strategic thinking and foresight, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and complexity.
Outstanding communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage senior stakeholders and shape policy.
High level of political awareness and the ability to operate with discretion and diplomacy.

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.

Programme Manager - LG Futures