Consultation & Engagement Manager

£45,862 pa | Grade L |

Leeds

Do you want to work for an organisation that values you as an individual?
An organisation that will support your professional development?
What about an organisation that has Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the heart of everything that it does?
How about an organisation that does all these things and more?
Yes? Then look no further than the West Yorkshire Combined Authority! Listen to what our staff say on our 'Life at West Yorkshire Combined Authority' webpage.

Do you want to use your extensive skills in consultation and engagement to coordinate an exciting programme of activity, using public and stakeholder feedback to influence decision making, resulting in projects and strategies which best meet the needs of users and potential users?

We are seeking to appoint an experienced consultation and engagement professional to a new management role in our dedicated communities, consultation and engagement team.

This is a truly diverse role, and you will have the opportunity to be involved in an extensive range of exciting projects and strategies across the Combined Authority remit including but not limited to economy, skills, business, housing, climate, culture, transport etc.

It is an exciting time to be joining the Mayoral Combined Authority. We have a wide variety of exciting projects that we are working on which will help shape the West Yorkshire region.

In 2021 the £1.8bn devolution deal was secured for West Yorkshire. This meant the first Mayor of West Yorkshire was subsequently elected, with Tracy Brabin taking up post in May 2021. The devolution deal and election of the Mayor has enabled us to start to drive up living standards for local communities while tackling the climate emergency and helping to deliver our commitment to become a net zero carbon city region by 2038.

To find out more about the work the Combined Authority is involved with take a look at our latest news stories.

The Role

Reporting into the Communities, Consultation and Engagement Manager, your key responsibilities will include:

You will lead, plan, manage, deliver and evaluate consultation and engagement projects, enabling an extensive range of audiences to shape and influence the work of the Combined Authority
You will manage a consultation and engagement team which includes senior officers, officers and advisors.
You will manage relationships with a wide network of stakeholders, including senior managers and elected members within the Combined Authority and partner councils, suppliers, community groups and other networks.
You will use advanced research techniques to collect, analyse and present consultation and engagement findings to advise the mayor, elected members and senior managers
You will manage the income generation of the team.
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusivity. You will use innovative methods to maximise the reach of projects, make activity as inclusive as possible and encourage participation among seldom-heard groups.

Review the Role profile provided for more information about the responsibilities.

About you

You will have the following key skills, attributes, education and experience:

Extensive experience and success in managing high-profile, politically sensitive, consultation and engagement activities.
Extensive knowledge and experience of the key technical aspects of the role (including stakeholder mapping, social research, data collection, engagement with seldom heard groups, analysis, report writing and evaluation)
You will be an enthusiastic and experienced people manager.
You will be an ambitious, innovative, results-focused individual, proficient at programme and project management and working flexibly with a range of partners.
Ability and confidence to present to and advise senior figures both within and outside an organisation, with experience of dealing with politicians.
The Communities, Consultation and Engagement team is based within the Marketing, Campaigns and Engagement service. Experience of communications strategies and tactics would be beneficial.

Our offer

Alongside a competitive salary, we offer an excellent benefits package including:

28 days Annual Leave (increasing upon years of service) plus bank holidays
Generous Employer-Contribution Pension Scheme
Free Travel on rail and buses across West Yorkshire with the M-Card (Zones 1-5)
Flexible Working Practices with Health & Wellbeing initiatives to ensure you achieve the best work/life balance and career goals.

We have also recently undergone a major office refurbishment and have bright, airy, modern office space, with all latest technology, and just a 2-minute walk from Leeds Train Station. We also have agile working options too if you would rather work from home, or another suitable location, as well as a generous flexi-time scheme.

Have a look at our Employee Benefits webpage to find out more.

To apply

If this sounds like your next role, please upload your anonymised CV, and complete the application form on our application website telling us why you would be a great fit for our role.

Please apply by 11:55pm on Sunday 24 September 2023.

Further Information

Applicants with a disability are guaranteed an interview, subject to the minimum criteria being met.

The Combined Authority is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better outcomes. We welcome applications irrespective of people's age, disability, neurodivergence, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity. or other personal circumstances. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neurodivergent. To find out more about inclusivity at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority please visit our dedicated webpage.

Whilst agile working is an option for most staff, there is an expectation that employees are able to attend the office in central Leeds as and when required.

Candidates will be notified of invitation to interview by e-mail and interviews will be carried out either by phone, video or face to face. If you have any difficulty with the type of interview you are invited to, please inform the recruiting manager at your earliest convenience to enable them to consider an alternative solution.

Please note that whilst it is our policy to recruit at SP1 for all appointments, which is the salary stated above, each role includes career salary progression, with incremental increases applicable in most cases, on an annual basis.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we are unfortunately unable to respond to every applicant. If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume that on this occasion your application has not been successful. We do however thank you for your application and encourage you to continue looking for roles on our Careers with Us website page.

Candidate information will be retained by the Combined Authority for six months.

Terms and conditions

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has recently been in consultation with employees and Trade Unions to review the Terms and Conditions of Employment and Staff Benefits.

We are pleased to announce that these proposals have been accepted and work is currently underway to implement these.

Consultation & Engagement Manager - SCP/C11