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Senior Adviser & Programme Manager – Leadership

Senior Adviser & Programme Manager – Leadership    

Contract : Fixed Term to December 2026

Salary : £80,360 (Including London Weighting)       

About the roles 

The Leadership team is recruiting 3 senior managers to lead our flagship sector-support programmes. There are three roles available:

  • 2x Senior Advisers co-leading the team responsible for work on officer and member leadership (one senior advisor will have specific responsibility for officer leadership and one for political leadership)

  • 1x Programme Manager leading the Impact national graduate programme

The Leadership team champions local government as a great place to work, celebrating achievements and supporting the LGA’s members to attract, develop and retain officer and political talent. We empower members and officers to excel as leaders and managers by providing high-quality, cost-effective improvement support that meets the evolving needs of modern local government. We use a peer-based approach that embodies best practice in innovation and ensures leaders are ready to meet the challenge and opportunities arising from devolution and local government reorganisation.

The Programme Manager role is responsible for delivering Impact: the LGA’s flagship national graduate programme, managing a mixed team of staff (grades 2-6). The role involves overseeing all aspects of the programme including design and delivery, marketing, recruitment of candidates, working with councils and managing the programme budget including commissioning resources to support delivery. The role will work closely with the team delivering the Pathways to Planning graduate programme, including management of some shared resourcing across both programmes.

The Senior Adviser roles act at a strategic level to support the development and delivery of the vision for leadership development in local government. The roles also have responsibility for working closely with central government, the sector and partners to design, commission, develop and oversee delivery of leadership programmes. Both roles will manage a small team of Advisers to deliver priorities in wide-ranging areas that include leadership programmes for officers and members at all stages of their careers including chief executives and council leaders. One role will have a particular focus on officer leadership, and the other on member leadership. 

About you

We’re looking for experienced leaders with:

  • Thorough understanding of the political structures and environment in which local and central government and the LGA operates, and the key issues, priorities and pressures affecting local government 

  • Demonstrable experience of leading successful projects/programmes 

  • Experience of producing presentations, reports, and briefings

  • Experience of working with senior officers and members to deliver support to local authorities

  • Record of achievement in complex political environments, preferably in local or central government

  • Proven ability to build and maintaining effective relationships and partnerships.   

This is a fantastic opportunity to shape the leadership support we provide to leaders across the sector — and to make a lasting impact on the future of local government.

Job Description

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. Please indicate in your statement which role you are interested in applying to (you can express interest in more than one role).

We are specifically assessing candidates against the following criteria:

1.    Demonstrable skills in inclusive leadership of project teams consisting of a diverse range of participants with a variety of skills/backgrounds.   

2.    Demonstrable experience of leading successful projects/programmes, managing budgets, resources, and contracts.  

3.    A track record of strong influencing, negotiating and relation-building skills, with a range of stakeholders.

4.    A strong communicator across all mediums, with the ability to present complex ideas in a clear and comprehensible way.    

5.    Politically astute, with the ability to navigate complex environments and engage effectively with senior stakeholders.

6.    Strong analytical skills including the ability to interpret evidence, identify trends and use evidence to drive continuous improvement.

Closing Date:  12pm Friday 20th March 

Interview Date: TBC (w/c 23rd March)

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.ukif 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.