Head of Inward Investment

**Job Title**: Head Of Inward Investment

**Location**:York

**Salary**: Grade 12 Level 1- 4 (£51,516 to £58,215 per annum)

**Job type**: Full Time - Permanent

**General info**

We provide local government services to around 200,000 people in an area covering approximately 105 square miles. Service includes a whole range of departments such as Housing, Sports & leisure, Schooling & education, Health & social care, Environment &animals and waste & recycling.

**Role Info**

To provide leadership and strategic co-ordination. Your key aim will be to attract direct investment into the area, capitalising upon its unique opportunities.

The area has responded well to the challenges of Covid. It has high employment, wages above average, productivity among the highest in the North, a great education system and the reputation as a great place to live.

However, we are also an expensive city for housing and too many people in York are struggling to get by. We need to drive growth but ensure that it is both inclusive and sustainable as a part of our ambitions to be part of a carbon negative region.

You would be involved in crafting our future economic strategy and launching our vision to regenerate our city centre. We see York as the centre of globally significant clusters in rail and bio-technology, leading the way in demonstrating the benefits ofthe green economy, and a beacon for flexible, productive jobs that enable our people to make the most of their abilities and live well.

**Responsibilities include**
- To drive and support the growth of key sectors of the economy in York and North Yorkshire, including Bioscience, Rail-Tech, Media Arts, Digital/Creative, Financial Services and life sciences by attracting new businesses and investment
- To support existing businesses in the city to grow
- To lead the city's inward investment work through driving forward the inward investment strategy and leading on its implementation
- To facilitate and bring added value to relationships and best practice approaches to support growth in the area.
- To demonstrate the benefits of collaborative working across a complex inward investment landscape to encourage joint investment and working.
- To project manage specific investment opportunities from enquiry to completion.
- To ensure the project delivery, marketing and expenditures are compliant with regulations and guidelines.
- Educated to degree level or have an equivalent qualification relevant to Economic Development, or have accumulated specialist knowledge through lived experience in the field of economic development and inward investment
- Extensive knowledge and understanding of inward investment and trade development in a local and regional government context
- Extensive knowledge of UK government approaches to inward investment, working with BEIS, DIT, LEPs and the Embassy network to attract and secure inward investment and trade opportunities
- The ability to lead and inspire others to contribute towards achieving organisational success through team building and collaborative working
- Ability to 'model' appropriate behaviours that encourage a culture of empowerment, appropriate delegation, accountability, initiative and transparency
- Strong influencing, persuading and negotiation skills
- Proven experience working at a senior level and managing complex inward investment projects
- Demonstrable experience of developing strategies and partnerships across a range of external organisations, contractors and colleagues
- Significant experience of managing complex budgets and delivering challenging savings targets in a public sector environment

**Benefit**
- Hybrid working available and encouraged
- A generous annual leave allowance
- Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme
- Comprehensive Health & Wellbeing initiatives
- A reward package which recognises your contribution.
- Paid dependent care leave, unpaid leave and foster carer leave
- Flexible working practices, community engagement and volunteer activities
- Promotion of continuous Learning & Development.
- Staff benefits platform including discounted retail and supermarket shopping.
- New car lease scheme.
- Discounted bus and train tickets.
- Salary sacrifice schemes for cycles and IT equipment.

This role will be based both at home and at the West offices.