Strategy and PMO Deputy Director, No.10 North

Cabinet Office; Manchester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Cabinet Office seeks an exceptional SCS1 Deputy Director to lead Strategy and Project Management for No.10 North in Manchester. The role drives embedding a new team, aligning delivery with the Prime Minister’s ambition to rewire the state and deliver growth.

The postholder leads Private Office, Strategy and PMO, shaping governance, performance and day-to-day operations across Manchester and Downing Street, with strategic advisory responsibilities to senior leaders.

Qualifications

• Significant senior leadership experience within government or another large, complex and high-profile organisation.
• Experience of leading large multidisciplinary functions through senior managers.
• Experience of acting as a trusted adviser to senior leaders, providing strategic judgement and insight.
• Demonstrable experience of leading organisational transformation or development.
• Strong understanding of central government and the wider public sector landscape.
• Experience of governance, portfolio management, performance reporting, risk management and assurance.
• Excellent strategic and analytical skills with foresight.
• Outstanding communication and influencing skills.
• Visible and inclusive leadership with change management ability.

Responsibilities

• Provide visible, inclusive and strategic leadership for the team of around 20 staff, setting vision and standards across Private Office, Strategy and PMO.
• Act as principal adviser to the Director General and Deputy Chief of Staff, offering strategic judgement and insight.
• Lead the next phase of No.10 North’s organisational development, including new operating model, governance and workforce.
• Set the organisational strategy and translate ministerial priorities into objectives and delivery plans.
• Drive governance, performance frameworks and assurance to enable delivery across No10 North and its locations.
• Ensure No10 North operates as a cohesive, high-performing centre with secure and welcoming workplace.

Job description

If successful for this role you will be based in Manchester.

Please note, due to the nature of the role, this role is office based with the requirement of occasional national travel.

Working Pattern:

Full time, Part time, Flexible working, Job share

Job Summary:

We are seeking an exceptional SCS1 Deputy Director to lead the Strategy and Project Management function at No.10 North.

This is a senior leadership role at the heart of the This SCS role will lead work embedding No10 North as a new team and function, that is geared to deliver on the Prime Minister’s significant ambition to rewire the state and deliver good growth in every postcode.

The postholder will lead the Private Office teams supporting the Director General of No.10 North and the Prime Minister’s Deputy Chief of Staff; a Strategy team to articulate and agree organisational objectives; and a Programme Management Office to track and drive delivery of No10 North’s objectives to rewire the state and deliver good growth in every postcode. These teams will also oversee the day to day operation of the No10 North office space.

The post holder will lead a team which provides the organisational infrastructure that enables No.10 North to perform at its best. It will support senior leaders, translate priorities into deliverable plans, maintain oversight of performance and risk, and ensure the office space provides a secure, professional and welcoming base for the Prime Minister, Ministers, senior officials, staff, local and regional government partners and all stakeholders and visitors.

The postholder will act as a trusted adviser to the Director General and Deputy Chief of Staff, providing strategic judgement, constructive challenge and organisational grip. They will ensure that No10 North teams operate as a coherent function, connecting senior leadership priorities with organisational planning, delivery and day-to-day operations.

A critical part of the role will be ensuring that No.10 North works seamlessly with teams across Downing Street. The postholder will establish effective partnerships with Downing Street Private Offices and corporate teams, drawing on existing expertise and services rather than duplicating functions, and promoting a one No.10 approach across London and Manchester.

This is an opportunity to shape the next phase of No.10 North’s development. The successful candidate will combine strategic leadership with practical delivery, creating the structures, culture and ways of working required for a high-performing organisation while remaining comfortable with ambiguity and change.

Job Description:

As Deputy Director for Strategy and Project Management, you will provide visible and inclusive leadership across your team and contribute actively to the wider leadership of No.10 North.

You will lead senior managers responsible for Private Office, Strategy and PMO, plus operations of the No10 North estate, setting shared objectives and standards while empowering your team. You will deploy resources flexibly in response to changing priorities and ensure your areas of responsibility reinforce one another.

The Private Office teams will provide first-class support to the Director General and Deputy Chief of Staff, including managing the flow of business, prioritising competing demands, coordinating and assuring briefing, and tracking decisions and actions.

The Strategy and PMO team will lead organisational strategy, planning, governance, performance and delivery oversight. It will translate No10 North’s objectives into clear plans and measures, maintain oversight of risks and dependencies, coordinate cross-cutting commissions, and provide analysis and reporting to senior leaders. The team will also ensure No.10 North operates as a secure, effective, and welcoming workplace. It will coordinate access, workplace arrangements, visits, events and business continuity in partnership with relevant Downing Street teams and service providers.

Key Responsibilities

As Strategy and PMO Deputy Director , your key responsibilities will include:

• Provide visible, inclusive and strategic leadership for the team of around 20 staff, setting the vision, culture, priorities and standards across Private Office, Strategy team and PMO, ensuring these functions operate as a coherent and high-performing whole.
• Act as a principal adviser to the Director General and the Prime Minister’s Deputy Chief of Staff, providing strategic judgement, organisational leadership and constructive challenge on the development, performance and future direction of No.10 North.
• Lead the next phase of No.10 North’s organisational development, designing and embedding the structures, governance, operating model, workforce and ways of working required to establish No.10 North as a permanent and effective centre of government capability outside London. This includes establishing and maintaining a resilient operating model for No.10 North, maintaining effective integration between Manchester and Downing Street across locations, functions and leadership teams.
• Set the organisational strategy for No.10 North, ensuring the organisation remains focused on its core mission to rewire the state, devolve power and deliver good growth in every postcode, and translating ministerial priorities into clear organisational objectives and delivery plans.
• Drive organisational performance and delivery, ensuring robust governance, portfolio management, performance frameworks and assurance processes are in place to provide senior leaders with clear sight of progress, risks, dependencies and strategic decisions. As part of this, provide corporate leadership across No10 North, shaping organisational priorities, influencing resource allocation and contributing to strategic decisions on people, capability, culture, risk and long-term organisational sustainability.
• Ensure the Director General and Deputy Chief of Staff are supported by outstanding Private Office functions, setting expectations and standards for the management of priorities, briefing, decision-making, engagements, commissions and follow-through, while empowering senior Private Office leaders to deliver.
• Hold overall accountability for the function’s people, resources, capability, assurance, workforce planning and value for money, ensuring No.10 North has the leadership capacity, skills and organisational infrastructure required to achieve its long-term ambitions.

Person Specification:

It is important that, through your CV and supporting statement, that you provide evidence of the professional skills, breadth of experience and personal qualities for this post.

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Significant senior leadership experience within government or another large, complex and high-profile organisation, including responsibility for organisational performance, change and strategic delivery.
• Experience of leading large multidisciplinary functions through senior managers, creating high-performing teams, building organisational capability and fostering an inclusive culture.
• Experience of acting as a trusted adviser to senior leaders, providing strategic judgement, challenge and insight on organisational, delivery and operational issues in complex and politically sensitive environments.
• Demonstrable experience of leading organisational transformation or development, including the design and implementation of new ways of working, governance arrangements, operating models or organisational structures.
• Strong understanding of central government and the wider public sector landscape, including ministerial priorities, cross-government working, delivery accountability and the machinery of government.
• Experience of leading organisational performance and delivery, including governance, portfolio management, performance reporting, risk management and assurance at a senior level.
• Excellent strategic and analytical skills, with the ability to identify emerging issues, anticipate future challenges and opportunities, and support effective decision-making in conditions of uncertainty.
• Outstanding communication and influencing skills, including the ability to build credibility with senior stakeholders, communicate complex issues clearly and provide concise, decision-focused advice.
• Visible and inclusive leadership, including setting direction, empowering senior managers, developing capability, managing performance and sustaining delivery through ambiguity and change.
• Personal resilience, sound judgement and political acuity, with the ability to operate effectively under pressure, manage competing priorities and maintain focus in a demanding and fast-moving environment.
• Experience of establishing or leading a senior executive support, Private Office or corporate leadership function in a ministerial, governmental or similarly complex organisation.
• Experience of leading organisational strategy, programme, portfolio or PMO functions, including enterprise-wide planning, governance and delivery assurance.
• Experience of organisational design, institution building or large-scale organisational change in a complex environment.