Director of Major Infrastructure Delivery

ZipRecruiter; England; Hybrid; GBP 98,000 - 122,000

Job description

Job Description

This role has a salary range of £98,432 to £121,552 per annum, based on a 36-hour working week. This is a 2 year fixed term contract opportunity.

We are seeking a Director of Major Infrastructure Delivery who will help us to deliver Surrey County Council's place ambition. Reporting directly to the Executive Director for Place, this is a key leadership role within the new Place directorate, and will be accountable for the development, design and delivery of the Council's Major Infrastructure and large Highway Improvement projects to support quality placemaking for the benefit of Surrey's communities and businesses.

Please note that this role will at times involve the need for you to travel around the County to meet with your colleagues, services and other partners. Our hybrid working arrangements mean that outside of the times you are required to physically attend a Surrey location, you can work from wherever suits you.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (pro-rata for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service.
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave.
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing.
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year.
• Paternity, adoption and dependants leave.
• A generous local government salary related pension.
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more.
• 2 paid volunteering days per year.
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources.

About the Role

As our Director of Major Infrastructure Delivery, you will be responsible for ensuring resources and strategies are in place across wide ranging technical activities, ensuring compliance with legislation and delivering the council ambitions in the most effective and efficient way for Surrey. The role is key to delivering the ambitions of LTP4 and the climate change strategy.

A key area of focus for our new Director will be to provide strategic leadership for the River Thames Scheme, liaising with the Environment Agency and government departments to rescope the scheme and ensure there is a robust route for delivery of the Full Business Case and any future construction phase. You will also be providing assurance to the Council's political and executive leadership on the capacity and capability of the joint project team to deliver against the programme.

You will oversee the Council's engineering design functions utilising a mix of internal and external resources that support the wider Place Directorate as well as lead many of the strategic supply chain relationships to ensure effective delivery of the Council's ambitions. The role will require you to lead the development of a more robust approach to community engagement in the delivery of infrastructure projects for the Directorate, working closely with the PMO and engagement professionals.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for this position, your application will evidence the following:

• You are a dynamic, experienced senior leader with real management grip and leadership drive to achieve better outcomes. You should have substantial experience of having led similarly complex service areas and implementing robust governance arrangements for capital schemes in a local authority environment.
• You have a deep understanding of the relationship between different aspects of Place-based services and knowledge of the issues facing local government and the wider economy and how they impact relevant service areas.
• You are able to demonstrate your ability to balance strategic leadership and direction with effective operational management through effective business planning and performance management as well as a strong track record of partnership building and driving value for money.
• You are able to demonstrate your awareness of political sensitivities as well as your ability to make progress in complex policy areas and a strong belief in the value of local democracy and accountability will be essential.
• You are able to evidence your ability to foster an open and trusting culture with the ability to lead change through others and inspire high levels of performance as well as having outstanding relationship management and networking skills, with the ability to foster joint working across service boundaries.

Application Process

Please submit an up-to-date CV which should include details of your past employment including your responsibilities. To apply you will be asked to answer the below questions.

1. Please detail your experience of leading teams with diverse sets of technical skills and highlight any outcomes that were achieved resulting from your leadership.
2. Provide examples of at least 2 service transformations or improvements that you have personally led, with details of the resulting improvements.
3. What is your experience of leading service provision in a political environment? (Within your answer, please provide examples of the governance arrangements that you have put in place or worked within).

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

The closing date for your application will be 23:59 on Wednesday 19th March 2025 with potential initial interview dates week commencing 24th March 2025.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application.
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form.

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.