Strategic Planning and Analysis Director

Your new role

Strategic Planning and Analysis Director

National Highways are excited to be recruiting a new position within our Customer, Strategy and Communications directorate. This role will report directly into the Chief Customer and Strategy Officer.

The purpose of this role is to provide strategic direction and planning for the organisation on what it needs to deliver for the client, shareholder and to meet its licence obligations, as well as provide analytical support and insights across the organisation.

What you’ll be doing
- Provide and own a future focused view of the National Highways’ roads strategy, including future visioning on a 2030/2040 horizon
- Leading the planning for the future Strategic Road Network, including the completion of Route Strategies and early development of new enhancements schemes
- Planning, establishing, and maintaining governance, and creating the benefits case for future road investment strategies through collaboration across National Highways and a wider range of external stakeholders
- Management of a range of national and regional senior stakeholder relationships including, for example, with the client (DFT), and regional transport bodies
- Overseeing and supporting our analytical and economist functions that provide analytical support and assurance, own the value for money framework and deliver performance analysis and evaluation
- Leading the development of new strategic thought, e.g. on emerging issues, and coordinating the body of strategic evidence supporting effective implementation of our strategies.
- Play an active part in the senior leadership team of the Customer, Strategy and Communications Directorate, driving high performance and positive engagement across the Directorate

To be successful
- Critical and strategic thinker. An ability to articulate options and large-scale reputational risks and impacts, including economic, environmental, political and social, and develop strategies and recommend plans to manage and mitigate.
- Understanding of relevant analytical methods and approaches
- Excellent record of collaboration and effective stakeholder management
- Proven ability to lead, develop and motivate a matrixed team in a changing environment
- Organised and effective, able to direct multiple workstreams
- Bachelors and/or Masters degree preferred, ideally from a business or strategy discipline

A bit about us

We are the focal point within Highways England responsible for providing the corporate strategic planning function for the organisation. This fulfils the role of directly leading on key corporate initiatives, such as the long-term ambition for our strategicroad network (SRN), the production and review of the 5-year Strategic Business and Delivery Plans, and developing our national plans covering route strategies, investment and economic growth. To successfully deliver this function, fostering collaboration rightacross the business and commissioning other parts of the Company in specialist areas to deliver this function is an important pre-requisite to fulfilling this role.

The team is also responsible for providing a strategic planning function for the strategic road network and providing a wide range of analytical support and assurance across the organisation. It will also play the leading role in co-ordinating our relationshipwith our client - the DfT.

Why you should join us

An informal blended working approach has been adopted for many of our roles across National Highways. We offer many different ways to work flexibly and we’re open to discuss part-time working, job shares, and flexible start and finish times.

Please wait until the interview stage before asking us about flexibility, and we will explore what is possible.

Our benefits package
- Our total reward package includes basic salary, the potential for a performance related bonus, and employer pension contributions of up to 10%.
- Annual Leave starting at 26 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising by 1 day each year up to 31 days (plus Bank Holidays)
- Flexible hours and blended working between base location/home
- Life assurance of 4 times annual salary
- Health and wellbeing support, including an Employee Assistance Programme, available 24/7 365 days and network of mental health first aiders. Plus, access to a wellbeing app to enhance your self-care 24/7, Occupational health service and flu vaccines
- A cycle to work scheme for the purchase of a bicycle and equipment for healthy, low carbon travel
- Significant investment in your career development, through learning and development, talent management, coaching, mentoring and on job experience

And we are:

- Family friendly with enhanced maternity leave and pay, paternity leave (15 days), shared parental leave, adoption leave. Plus access to financial support for holiday play schemes and paid special leave (up to 5 days pa), eg for caring responsibilities
- Money friendly with access to a discounts platform including over 3000 discounts for supermarkets, eating out, leisure, holidays. Alongside a financial wellbeing programme
- Community friendly - offering paid leave to volunteer, 3 days basic/year plus an extra 3 days to support the national Covid effort

And finally