Head of Strategy and Operations

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 401559

**Salary**:

- £67,170 - £78,192
- National £67,170 - £76,117 London £70,845 - £78,192
- A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

**Job grade**:

- Grade 6

**Contract type**:

- Permanent

**Business area**:

- DBT - BG - Sustainability and Infrastructure - Infrastructure Partnerships

**Type of role**:

- International Trade
Operational Delivery
Strategy

**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share

**Number of jobs available**:

- 1

**Contents**:

- Location
- About the job
- Benefits
- Things you need to know

**Location**:

- Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, Salford

**About the job**:
**Job summary**:
This role is an opportunity to lead part of DBT’s Infrastructure Partnerships Team, which helps UK businesses win work on infrastructure projects in key international markets, supporting UK exports and economic growth. Our work drives international sustainable development and climate resilience, using the UK’s expertise across infrastructure sectors (including energy, transport, water, education and healthcare) and is a key part of delivering the Government’s growth agenda internationally.

We focus on complex, high-value projects, and use a range of partnership approaches to bring UK businesses into these. These approaches include forging diplomatic government-to-government partnerships, supporting early-stage project development, facilitating knowledge exchange, and partnering with like-minded governments to deliver multilateral solutions to infrastructure challenges.

**Job description**:
We are looking for a Head of Strategy and Operations to lead half of the Partnerships Team. The other half of the team is regionally structured and led by the Head of Opportunities. You will oversee a wide range of functions including governance, operations, communications, programme management as well as be responsible for overseeing our delivery of a joint HMG-Industry Board (Infrastructure Exports: UK) and the strategic approach to working with international partners and finance institutions. This is an opportunity to work at the cutting edge of commercial diplomacy in a dynamic and international-facing department.

There may be opportunities for overseas travel.

Key responsibilities include:

- ** Leadership**: you will be leading a team of c10 across a wide range of responsibilities. We are looking for someone who is confident and comfortable with a varied portfolio and who thrives connecting the dots and supporting a high performing team.
- ** Strategy**: you will be responsible for setting the direction of the team and our approach to partnerships, how we work with other government departments and business. As the team’s strategy evolves you will be responsible for policy development to support delivery. You are responsible for our delivery with industry through the Infrastructure Exports: UK Board. We are looking for someone who enjoys evolving the way that things can be delivered, and who works collaboratively across organisations towards a common goal.
- ** Operations**: you will be responsible for the management of our team’s portfolio including governance, risks and opportunities, impact and communications. Your team are also responsible the team’s budget. Finally, you will have oversight of our International Partnerships Programme Fund, working with the G7 Strategy Lead on disbursement, impact and strategy. We’re looking for someone who enjoys and has experience leading a team who make things run smoothly.
- ** International Partners and Finance**: you will be responsible for the team that establishes and runs our strategic partnerships with other countries where our supply chains are complementary. The team also has responsibility for our work with multilateral finance institutions. We’re looking for someone who has an interest and ability to lead a team that thinks outside of the box and delivers multilateral partnerships to the benefit of UK companies.

**Person specification**:
**Personal attributes and skills**

We are looking for:

- A strategic thinker with the ability to see the big picture, think laterally, and find ways to meaningfully push an agenda forward.
- A strong, responsive and adaptable leader who is comfortable working at pace and with ambiguity, can overcome setbacks and motivate those around them.
- An excellent communicator and influence with the ability to shift stubborn views and ‘find ways through’ to enable delivery of key objectives.

**Essential criteria**
- Well-rounded leadership providing compelling vision, prioritisation, team motivation and management.
- An ability to manage multiple priorities concurrently, drive forward work independently, and hold a proactive and inquisitive mindset.
- Excellent relationship building skills and strong evidence of demonstrating credibility with senior stakeholders - both internal and external to government.
- A st