Director - Growth and Sector Development

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 93,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Family-friendly policies

Active travel facilities

Training and development

Job summary

South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority in Sheffield is seeking a Director of Growth and Sector Development to provide strategic and operational leadership for a wide portfolio within the Growth, Business and Skills Directorate.

You will shape strategies for economic growth, sector development and business engagement, build partnerships with universities, government and industry, and ensure programmes deliver measurable impact across South Yorkshire.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in economic development and growth-related activities.
• Strong leadership experience within complex environments.
• Experience translating strategic priorities into successful programmes and services.
• Strong understanding of governance, risk management and organisational performance.
• Excellent stakeholder management with senior leaders and partners.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for a significant portfolio within Growth, Business and Skills.
• Lead development and delivery of strategies that support economic growth and sector development.
• Oversee governance, risk and performance arrangements.
• Build relationships with businesses, universities, government bodies and strategic partners.
• Drive organisational development and continuous improvement across the service area.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder management

Economic development

Governance & risk

Financial management

Job description

Application Deadline: 14 September 2026

Department: Growth, Business and Skills

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Sheffield Head Office

Reporting To: Tom Bousfield

Compensation: £85,038 - £93,310 / year

Description

• Hours: 37 hours per week
• Contract: Permanent
• Salary: Grade 16 £85,038 - £93,310
• Location: Sheffield (This is a hybrid role with a minimum of 3 days per week in the office)

This is an exciting senior leadership opportunity to shape and drive economic growth across South Yorkshire. As Director of Growth and Sector Development, you will play a pivotal role in supporting the region's ambitions for business growth, innovation, investment and productivity, working with partners across the public, private and academic sectors.

Working as part of the Growth, Business and Skills leadership team, you will help translate strategic priorities into impactful programmes and initiatives that support businesses, strengthen key sectors and create long-term opportunities for people and communities across South Yorkshire.

Applications must be accompanied by a cover letter to detail how you meet the criteria as detailed within the role profile. (please see role profile attached). Please note, all applications should be made directly via our careers portal.

Please note: This role is politically restricted under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. Postholders are prohibited from standing for elected office (except Town or Parish Councils) and from engaging in certain political activities, including canvassing or acting as an officer of a political party.

About the role

As Director of Growth and Sector Development, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for a significant portfolio of activity within the Growth, Business and Skills Directorate.

You will lead the development and delivery of strategies that support economic growth, sector development and business engagement, ensuring activity is aligned with organisational priorities and regional ambitions. Working closely with senior leaders, elected members and partners, you will provide expert advice on complex and high-profile issues and support informed decision-making.

The role will involve building and maintaining strong relationships with businesses, universities, government departments, national organisations and other stakeholders. You will oversee governance, risk and performance arrangements, ensuring resources are effectively managed and that programmes deliver measurable impact.

You will also lead organisational development and continuous improvement across your service area, promoting innovation, collaboration and a focus on delivering sustainable outcomes for South Yorkshire.

About you

You are an experienced senior leader with a strong background in economic development, business growth, innovation, investment or sector development. You have a proven track record of delivering strategic programmes and leading high-performing teams within a complex environment.

You will bring:

• Significant experience in economic development and growth-related activities.
• Strong leadership experience within a complex public, private or partnership environment.
• Experience of translating strategic priorities into successful programmes, services and outcomes.
• A strong understanding of governance, risk management and organisational performance.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with experience influencing senior leaders, businesses, government bodies and strategic partners.
• Strong financial and resource management capability.
• Experience of leading transformation, change and service improvement initiatives.
• The ability to build effective partnerships across business, innovation, research and public sector networks.

You will be a strategic thinker with excellent communication and influencing skills, able to work across organisational and sector boundaries to achieve shared goals. Most importantly, you will be passionate about creating the conditions for sustainable economic growth and ensuring South Yorkshire remains a thriving place to live, work, invest and do business.

Benefits

All colleagues have access to a Local Government Pension Scheme and the chance to be part of an organisation where you can really make a difference. Located in Sheffield City Centre, we are well-placed for transport links and encourage employees to take advantage of the active travel facilities. Work/life balance is extremely important to us here at SYMCA with our recognised family/friendly policies, genuine work flexibility, recognition, and shared success.

• Holiday Entitlement – From 28 to 36 days annual leave entitlement (depending on length of service) plus bank holidays. Pro-rata for part time colleagues.
• Annual Leave Purchase Scheme – The ability to purchase up to a further 15 days per year in addition to your normal annual leave
• Hybrid working – Our offices are a space where we come together and collaborate. Most of our roles are offered on a hybrid basis with the exception of some support roles being onsite full time. Please note, unless specified within the job advert, we cannot accommodate remote working contracts.
• Flexible Hours Scheme – Most roles within SYMCA work under the Flexi-Scheme which allows office-based employees’ flexibility and discretion over their working hours. Under the scheme employees can accrue a defined amount of credit or debit of working hours, and to take time-off in the form of Flexi-Leave or banked Annual Leave.
• Rewarding You - Reducing everyday expenses through discounts, benefits, financial advice, wellbeing solutions and more with Reward Gateway and Cycle-to-Work schemes.
• Training on the job - Support with upskilling skills through on-the-job training and qualifications
• Professional Membership Fees – Where membership to Professional bodies is applicable to your role, SYMCA will reimburse your membership fees where applicable and following approval by Line Management.

Diversity at South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority

Our workforce is made up of a diverse community, where we all belong and feel part of something bigger. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief.

All employees are eligible to request Flexible Working arrangements from day one of employment as such all requests will be considered subject to operation requirements.

Where candidates share disabilities within the application process, if they demonstrate that they meet all essential criteria from the Role Profile within their application, they will automatically be invited to interview.

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the process, please contact [e-mail] or include within your application form detailing the adjustment and how it will assist in managing any barriers.