Head of Performance, Policy & Strategy

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In order to apply for this vacancy please use the Apply Online link below. No CVs/applications from Agencies accepted.

Head of Performance, Policy & Strategy

Post No: TBC

Salary: Starting from £66,211 to £75,751 per annum

Grade: Grade 11

Hours: 37 hours per week

Place of work: Worthing Town Hall / hybrid

Closing date: 25th August 2025

Interviews: Beginning September 2025

Are you an inspirational leader with a proven track record of driving impactful change within a local authority setting? Do you thrive on tackling complex challenges and possess the energy and vision to shape critical services for our communities?

This is a newly created, senior leadership role, arriving at a pivotal moment for Adur & Worthing Councils. We're seeking a proactive and agile individual ready to roll up their sleeves and make a tangible difference to the lives of our residents. You will play a crucial role in improving and shaping our services, working at pace as part of our dynamic leadership team.

We need a leader who can guide and empower teams through significant transformation. Your ability to collaborate effectively with service leaders and external partners, transcending traditional departmental boundaries, will be essential in enhancing vital council services that support all our communities, particularly the most vulnerable. This is also a critical period as we prepare for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), and you will be instrumental in navigating this transition.

You will be adept at organising and driving complex strategy and policy challenges, embedding them across the organisation through active participation from all stakeholders, including our partners and communities. With a significant volume of new government legislation on the horizon, your capacity to connect these reforms, distil their meaning, and communicate them effectively will be paramount. We highly value curiosity, creativity, and kindness. This role demands a blend of "fixing the basics" whilst simultaneously championing innovative solutions.

Reporting directly to the Director for Housing and Communities, this role sits within the Housing and Communities Directorate. It's about creatively solving problems and transforming our ways of working to manage and reduce cost and demand pressures, ultimately building greater resilience within our services. A strong focus on people – both our residents and our teams – will underpin all your efforts. You will lead the delivery of key cross-directorate programmes and strategies, including the Housing Strategy, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, and the Adur Homes Improvement Plan. You will have the autonomy to develop and shape these reforms, ensuring alignment with our vision and fostering a stronger emphasis on prevention and early intervention.

You'll also be a key champion for our new operating model, which places digital and data at the heart of everything we do. You will lead by example, embodying our three core principles: Resilience, Adaptability, and Participation. We are committed to continuous learning and reflection to refine our practices. Your proactive approach will include responsibilities such as:

• Driving the transformation and performance of the Adur Homes Improvement Plan, in close collaboration with the Regulator for Social Housing.
• Leading the development and delivery of the new Homelessness Strategy, with a clear focus on prevention and improving outcomes.
• Enabling readiness around supported housing and private sector housing reforms.
• Producing robust strategy, performance, and policy briefings for senior management and partners.
• Convening the right people to deliver exceptional results.

About You: We are looking for someone with significant experience in shaping and delivering successful strategies, policies, and performance management frameworks. You'll possess a proven track record of creativity, innovation, and effective change management within a local authority environment. Crucially, you'll demonstrate strong political acumen and a history of working collaboratively with partners and elected Members. This is not just a housing role - we are seeking someone who can help connect a much wider strategic focus for us to develop a real focus on prevention and enabling the most vulnerable people to manage and thrive.

While we have outlined essential criteria for this pivotal role, however we actively encourage you to get in touch for an informal conversation if you don't meet every single point but feel you possess the drive and capabilities to excel. (Tina.favier@adur-worthing.gov.uk)

This is a truly fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to our communities. We offer a supportive team and a positive culture. The work is demanding, but profoundly rewarding. We encourage you to apply.

At Adur & Worthing, we are committed to supporting care leavers, in accordance with the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 and the Children and Social Work Act 2017. To that end, we operate a guaranteed interview scheme for anyone meeting the essential criteria of the role they are applying for. In order to be considered for this, you will need to be a care leaver under the age of 25 at the time of application. Please confirm that you are a care leaver within your cover letter.

As a Disability Confident employer, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of applicants declaring a disability, that meet the essential criteria for this position, will be offered an interview.

Staff are our most important asset and we therefore have a benefit package which reflects our continuing commitment to our employees. This includes:

• Generous leave entitlement; a minimum of 26 days + Bank Holiday entitlement
• Local Government Pension
• Training & development
• Occupational Health
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Employee resource groups/networks
• Buddy Support Programme
• Flexible working options

We are committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. Staff work in a supportive and safe environment, recognising their responsibility to value and respect each other’s contributions. Standards of conduct must be of the highest level to ensure that no-one is harassed, bullied or victimised. We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, staff engagement forums and are keen to hear from applicants from a variety of different backgrounds.