Strategic Advisor

West Midlands Combined Authority; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 58,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Local Government Pension Scheme

EV car benefit

Healthcare plans

Discounted shopping

Costco membership

Boundless

Eye care scheme

Job summary

West Midlands Combined Authority is recruiting a Strategic Advisor to lead on HS2 Growth Programme and related strategic projects. You will drive partnerships, manage stakeholder relationships, and oversee project lifecycles from initiation to completion, ensuring clear scopes, timelines and resource plans across the region.

The role requires deep understanding of infrastructure projects, political acumen, and strong communication and negotiation skills to deliver outcomes and maximise regional

Qualifications

• Proven appreciation of HS2 and strategically important infrastructure projects and what they will deliver to this region.
• Proven experience in strategic project/programme management across multiple stakeholder organisations.
• Proven experience in senior political roles with engagement with public & private sectors.
• Proven ability to negotiate and manage strategic relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead on strategic collaboration and advise stakeholders to assess HS2 and wider regional projects.
• Lead the facilitation of strategic programme decision‑making.
• Resolve key strategic projects/activities impacting HS2 benefits.
• Represent WMCA at stakeholder briefings and provide direction to peers.
• Present proposals to senior management and elected members.
• Serve as primary contact for key HS2 stakeholders.
• Identify and solve problems and barriers to delivery.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Negotiation

Relationship building

Stakeholder management

Political acumen

Communication

Analytical mindset

Job description

Strategic Advisor

Company: West Midlands Combined Authority

Salary: £58,091 to £65,108 a year

Hours: Full-time

Location: 16 Summer Lane, B19 3SD

Job type: Permanent

Posting date: 22 Oct 2026

Closing date: 15 Nov 2026

If you are looking for a unique opportunity, dealing with Britain’s largest infrastructure project, this may be the role for you.

Our HS2 and Strategic Partnerships team is seeking a highly skilled and dynamic individual to join the team as a Strategic Advisor for the HS2 Growth Programme and wider strategic project & programmes. In this role, you will be responsible for driving strategic partnerships, fostering client relationships, and providing expert advice and guidance to optimise project delivery outcomes across the region. Your role will involve overseeing the entire lifecycle of strategic projects within the programme, from initiation to completion and you will be responsible for communicating project scopes, objectives, deliverables and collaborating with stakeholders to support the development of detailed project plans, timelines, and resource requirements.

This role requires an in-depth understanding of HS2 and other large infrastructure projects and programmes and the impacts they will bring to the region, strong political acumen, excellent communication and negotiation skills, and the ability to think strategically and foster long-term strategic relationships, whilst being able to provide strategic project/programme management support.

What you will be doing

• Lead on strategic collaboration and advise key stakeholders to assess HS2 and wider large infrastructure project and programme within the region.
• Lead in the facilitation of strategic programme decision-making.
• Lead on the resolution of key strategic projects/activities which if not delivered will impacts on the benefits delivered by HS2 and wider infrastructure projects and programmes
• Represent the WMCA at monthly stakeholder briefings, providing advice and direction to peers at local authorities.
• Lead in presenting proposals to senior management, elected members and the public through a variety of media.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for key strategic HS2 stakeholders.
• Identify, analyse and solve problems and barriers to delivery.

What’s essential

• Proven appreciation of HS2 and strategically important infrastructure projects and programmes and what they will deliver to this region
• Proven experience in strategic project/programme management across multiple stakeholder organisations.
• Proven experience of having worked in a senior political position with direct engagement with the public & private sectors.
• Proven experience in undertaking strategic project and programme negotiations.
• A proven track record of managing successful strategic relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong negotiation, influencing, and relationship-building skills.
• In-depth knowledge of tools used to develop strategic projects and programmes at both regional and national levels.
• Proven ability and experience of innovation and exploring new ways of working.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and concisely.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret data and make data-driven decisions to help solve complex problems.

Location.

The location for this role is 16 Summer Lane, Birmingham with at least 2 days a week spent in the office.

Salary and benefits.

We advertise salary ranges, with new appointments typically starting at the lowest salary point. In exceptional cases, the salary point may be adjusted to secure the best candidate. This approach allows for potential year-on-year salary increases, offering progression and appropriate rewards to employees. Requests for salaries above the maximum advertised range will not be considered.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Local Government Pension Scheme (
• one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK).
• Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contributionscheme where you can build an additional pot of money alongside your pension with contributions exempt from Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs).
• 28 days paid annual leave (with an option to purchase more) + Statutory days.
• EV car benefit scheme
• Healthcare plans.
• Discounted
• gym membership, will writing,and
• mortgage advice.
• An option to
• buy a bicycle, including e-bikes and adapted pedal cycles, at a discounted rate.
• 3 days of paid leave each year to
• volunteer.
• Interest-free financing through SmartTech to buy the latest technology
• Discounted shopping with over 2,000 big-name retailers, and more. You can now also obtain a
• Costcomembership through the WMCA.
• Boundlessunlocks unlimited entry to top-rated UK attractions and loads of extra benefits and discounts.
• Eye
• Care Scheme,offering a free eye test and a financial contribution towards your glasses.

For more information, please visit the

benefits page on our career site.

Reasonable adjustments.

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition that means you might require changes to the application or recruitment process, please get in touch with our Recruitment Team (

[e-mail]).

Why join WMCA?

WMCA is laser-focused on improving the West Midlands, bringing economic growth, jobs, homes, and better journeys to the region. We target local needs where it matters most, ensuring everyone has a job that pays well and has access to safe and affordable places they can call home.

We put people and place at the heart of everything we do, working hand in hand with our partners to direct funding where it's needed most. What you do, really matters. Your expertise will help make a big difference, improving people's lives, every day.

Our Values and Behaviours.

Fostering an environment where people feel valued, included, supported, and proud to contribute to our region is important to us at the WMCA. Our behaviours are more than statements; they guide how we work, make decisions, and treat one another. They set the standards we hold ourselves to and the experience we want others to have.

• Collaborative -We work as one organisation. Together we build trust, connection and shared purpose across teams, partners and residents to create the biggest impact for our region.
• Driven -We are focused on outcomes. We perform at our best to unlock productivity and delivery, achieving the greatest regional impact.
• Inclusive -We value difference. Creating an environment where people belong, and feel psychologically safe, so we can all thrive and shape a West Midlands built for everyone.
• Innovative -We are courageous. We embrace new ideas and challenge the status quo to continuously improve and shape the future of the West Midlands.

Creating an inclusive workplace.

WMCA holds diversity accreditations, such as the RACE Code Quality Mark, Armed Forces Covenant (Gold status) and has been recognised as one of the Inclusive Top 50 Employers and The Times Top 50 Employers for Women. We’re a Disability Confident Employer with ‘Leader’ status, committed to interviewing applicants with disabilities who meet all the essential role criteria.

We are also proud to be a Ban the Box employer, which means we do not ask about criminal convictions at the initial application stage, and will only ask after an offer is made as part of our onboarding checks, which helps us remove barriers for people with past convictions and supporting fair opportunities for all.

We recognise that certain groups, such as women and people of colour, may be less likely to apply for roles if they feel they do not meet all the requirements. However, we encourage individuals who are passionate about the role and want to make a difference to still apply. We value potential and encourage applicants to highlight their skills, including transferable ones, even if they don't fit the traditional "perfect candidate" mould.

We gladly consider part-time, flexible, and job share arrangements, so please don’t let these factors deter you from applying.

Sponsorship / Right to work requirements

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates. As part of our commitment to supporting inclusive growth across the West Midlands, we are keen to attract talented individuals who can contribute to the region's future success.

For roles that meet the relevant skill and sponsorship requirements, we are also pleased to consider applications from overseas candidates who may require sponsorship to work in the UK. However, this post is not suitable for sponsorship and as such, applications that require sponsorship will not be considered due to not meeting the requirement threshold.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme