Head of Strategic Transport and Climate Change

Do you want to help make Northumberland a 'Land of Great Opportunities'?

We are restructuring the management arrangements for our Highways, Transport and Climate Change services to create two new Heads of Service. These new roles will provide additional senior management capacity to lead these high-profile services, ensuring they maximise their contribution towards our key corporate objectives of Driving Economic Growth, Tackling Inequalities and Delivering Value for Money.

ROLE OF THE JOB

We are looking for an inspirational and experienced transport or climate change professional to lead the teams responsible for developing and delivering our strategic transport and climate change policies and programmes to improve the accessibility, connectivity and sustainability of the transport network throughout the county and to achieve the Council's and County's climate change aims and targets.

You will be the Council's lead adviser on matters relating to strategic transport and climate change policy, programmes, statutory requirements and operational practice. Working closely with the Head of Highways you will ensure that transport policy and strategy and major transport projects and programmes are progressed seamlessly from development into delivery and operation.

You will be responsible for the commissioning and management of public transport services. Development of strategic and economic business case, funding and legal aspects, land assembly and consultation/engagement relating to major transport, climate change and active travel capital projects and programmes, including the Northumberland Line project to reintroduce passenger rail services to SE Northumberland.

You will encourage and facilitate behaviour change to support more sustainable and healthier communities through education and awareness raising activities. You will be the Council's professional lead inputting to Regional Transport and Combined Authority transport development and high-level contact with National Highways, Network Rail, Department for Transport, Transport North East, Public Transport Operators, BEIS and DESNEZ to negotiate and resolve key issues.

You will have management responsibility for circa 49 employees covering a wide range of professional and technical roles and for a gross service budget of approximately £48m (£8.206m gross revenue and £39.778m capital).

You will have a proven track record of leadership success across delivery of Transport and/or Climate Change Programmes and projects and provision of services and of working with partners at local, regional and national level to achieve ambitious plans.

Benefits:

• Band 14 - £78,274 and benefits package (Cycle to Work Scheme, Salary Sacrifice Scheme, 6.5% Pension contribution, Flexi Working and Hybrid working)
• Working within Environment and Transport as part of the wider Place and Regeneration Directorate, you will be part of a team that is responsible for maintaining and enhancing the built and natural environment across Northumberland, ensuring we deliver our net-zero goals.

Location: County Hall Morpeth/remote (once a week in the office required)

Contract type: Permanent

Interviews - w/c 13th January 2025

REQUIREMENTS OF THE JOB

• Educated to degree level in discipline relevant to highways and transport or climate change and sustainability.
• Other relevant professional qualification or an equivalent demonstrable portfolio of experience.
• Proven achievement of leadership success across delivery of Transport and/or Climate Change Programmes and projects and provision of services within a complex setting.
• Experience of working with partners at local, regional and national level to achieve ambitious plans which recognise local circumstances.

Why choose us?

Northumberland County Council's (NCC) vision is 'Land of Great Opportunities', for current and future generations. We believe there is no better place to live and work.

For further information about working for NCC, please visit our website.

To see all our excellent benefits and perks, please click here.

Further information

Please note that this is a permanent position but applications on a secondment or part-time basis would be considered for the right applicant.

For guidance on completing your application and for information about our Equality and Diversity principles, please see the attached guidance notes.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you wish to notify us of your eligibility for this scheme, please email hrrecruitment@northumberland.gov.uk or ring 01670 623930 with your name and the job title you have applied for and one of the recruitment team will ensure this is factored into the shortlisting process and kept anonymous. If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format, please see the alternative methods below. This information will be treated as confidential and will only be used to check that you meet the essential requirements of the post.

Alternative application format:

British Sign Language: northumberlandcc-cs.signvideo.net

For those with speech difficulties or hearing loss: Text relay service dial 018001 01670 623930