Director – Local Government (Market Lead)
About the Role
Local government is our main client base, making up around 80% of our work. While we are looking to diversify into some adjacent sectors, local government is in our DNA and will always be a crucial part of our core business.
We’re looking for an exceptional leader to grow our presence and ensure we remain relevant in this sector as it goes through yet another period of radical transformation and reform. As our Director-level market lead, you’ll have two broad areas of responsibility:
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Leverage your relationships, networks and sector profile to build on our strong existing reputation and sell new business across all of our capability areas
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Lead our local government transformation work, using your expert knowledge of the sector’s current trends, needs and challenges to provide strategic advice and transformation expertise to clients, drawing on the varied skills and capacity of our wider team to deliver complex programmes
You’ll lead our brand presence, shaping our sector thought-leadership and representing us at conferences, events and networks – whether that’s leading the conversation or as an active contributor.
Using this platform and your network, you’ll identify opportunities at an early stage – or, better still, work with prospective clients to shape them – before they are released to market. Using expert sector insight and influencing skills, you’ll build relationships with senior officers to co-produce strategies, programmes and solutions where our service offer and capabilities can add real value to the outcomes that councils want to achieve.
Once work is secured, you’ll lead our transformation partnerships, directing our team’s contribution and providing strategic advice and programme leadership, as required by the client. You’ll be supported by a team of experts in areas like resident experience, corporate support services, commissioning and procurement, typically working with the client’s programme team in an integrated way.
Having jointly delivered successful outcomes with the client, you’ll take this learning out to the wider sector, showcasing what can be achieved through transformation partnership working.
The Successful Candidate
We’re looking for an experienced leader who is confident they can deliver the mission above. You’ll have significant experience working within local government at a senior level or working with the sector in a strategic advisory and transformation capacity.
We have in mind that the ideal candidate will be either:
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A local authority Transformation Director with experience of setting up and delivering major transformation programmes, as well as an extensive network
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A consulting leader with significant experience of shaping, selling and delivering complex programmes of change in the local government market
Whether you come from within the sector or an external advisory role, you’ll have an expert understanding of the key trends affecting the sector, including the latest policy and legislative issues, the financial and demand context and structural reforms including LGR and devolution.
You’ll have significant, practical experience of having shaped and led complex transformation programmes for local authorities. If you come from within the sector, you will have been responsible for programme design, setup and resourcing; senior stakeholder engagement including Chief Officers and Members; delivery of programme outcomes including financial savings targets. Candidates from a consulting background will have led supplier-side efforts as a strategic partner to local authorities, with responsibility for contractual outcomes, commercial performance, team leadership and senior client relationship management.
Because business growth is such a key part of this role, it’s essential that you’re confident in this area. Candidates from a consulting background will have a successful history of leading business development, sales and growth from both existing clients and new business. Those applying from within the local government sector may not have done this directly as part of their role, but will have a mature network of peers to draw on, with great relationships with senior stakeholders in the sector.
Last but not least, you’ll be great with people. You’ll be able to build up fantastic rapport with clients that leads to better outcomes and lasting relationships. You’ll also be a great fit with the culture at Human Engine, which is all about providing a high degree of support and high degree of challenge to colleagues and clients alike.
What We Offer
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Competitive six-figure salary
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Bonus for achieving business development targets
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28 days paid holiday plus UK bank holidays
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Private healthcare
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Company pension scheme
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Tax-efficient salary sacrifice pension option with additional employer contributions
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Flexible working – home-based and with flexible hours when not on client site
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Regular, all expenses paid team get-togethers – both business and social
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Work that makes a difference, with clients who give us consistently great feedback
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Community-based company culture, with high degrees of responsibility, collaboration and support
Selection Process
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Candidate pack issued to shortlisted candidates
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Opportunity for informal conversation with hiring manager
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First Round Interview – Previous experience and alignment (1 hour, Teams)
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Second Round Interview – Presentation, case study and forward-looking questions (2 hours)
Apply
To apply, send us your CV and a covering letter using the link below. To help us understand more about your aspirations, make sure to let us know what attracts you to this role at this point in time.
We don’t use AI in any aspect of our hiring process. We ask candidates not to use AI in their application – we’d much rather hear from the real you.
We’ll come back to shortlisted candidates with information about the next steps.
Please note that substantial, senior local government experience is an essential requirement for this role. Unfortunately we are unable to consider applications from candidates without this experience.
About Us
Human Engine is a Financial Times top-ranked management consultancy with specialisms in strategy, transformation, procurement, customer experience and digital.
We started in 2018 because we believed the public sector deserved better from consulting – more personal, more human and more knowledgeable of the realities of modern public services. All consulting firms say they’re different – with a founding team that came from within the public sector, the Human Ensgine difference is that we’ve seen it, done it and been on the sharp end of change.
We are a small business that punches well above its weight. We’ve been named as one of the UK’s leading management consultancies by the Financial Times every year since 2020 – one of the youngest and smallest firms to make the list. To date we’ve worked with more than 70 clients in local government, central government, the NHS, charitable and regulatory sectors. We’re now looking to add some exceptionally talented and passionate people to our award-winning team.