Service Director – Communications and Strategy
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- Employer:
- Sandwell Council
- Location:
- Sandwell
- Salary:
- £95,000 - £110,000
- Closing Date:
- Tuesday 26th August 2025
- Job Ref:
- GSe124318
Description
Enabling People, Empowering Communities, Enhancing Places
Sandwell’s story is one of potential and striving to realise the ambitions of our borough, our residents and communities. We have been through a period of significant challenge including government intervention, but through determination and our drive for excellence, we look to the future with pride and a sense of purpose. While we have come so far, there is more to do; breaking down silos, embedding our values across the organisation, and ensuring that we continue to transform to deliver the best services for our residents. Created 50 years ago from six proud towns, each unique but united by a shared identity and rich culture, Sandwell is a place built on making things happen. It’s where industry met innovation, and where strong communities continue to shape the future.
We’re looking for a dynamic Service Director of Communications and Strategy to develop and lead high-performing functions at a pivotal moment in the journey of our transformation. Bringing together communications, strategy and policy, you will develop a directorate with a unified vision driving organisational clarity, aligned with political ambition and ensuring our collective focus on empowering services to deliver for our residents and local businesses. We want to strengthen the corporate leadership of these core enabling functions, whilst having the agility to reflect specific service needs to ensure that our strategic approach meets the needs of Sandwell. Developing clear marketing and community engagement strategies will be key, ensuring residents voices are not only heard but that we reflect the needs of local people in how the council goes about its business.
You will bring a depth of experience and understanding of the role that corporate communications, strategy, policy and performance functions play in delivering the vision of the council. Engaging and motivating colleagues across the authority, you will translate political and organisational priorities into clear messaging internally and externally, whilst developing clear corporate strategy that is coherent and engages our workforce. You will connect the dots between strategy, policy, and service improvement.
For a confidential conversation about the role please contact our executive search partners GatenbySanderson: Sandra Jones via sandra.jones@gatenbysanderson.com or 07826 404091, or Philip Emms via Philip.emms@gatenbysanderson.com or 07590 225472.
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How to Apply
Please apply by submitting a CV and supporting statement (ideally two sides of A4 in length per document). Please also include your contact details.
- Please ensure your full employment history is outlined in your application including any education or employment gaps.
- In your supporting statement, please detail how you meet the essential criteria, competencies and qualification requirements detailed in the role specification. Please share with us the values and behaviours that you bring to your leadership, and how you will transfer your skills and experience to this role.
- Be ready to provide the names, positions, organisations and contact details for two referees; one should be your current or most recent employer. Referees will be contacted for those proceeding to final stages. We will always gain your permission before we contact referees.
- You will be asked to complete an Equal Opportunities monitoring form as part of the application process.
- Please let us know any difficulty you may have with the indicative timetable.
- Check that your contact details are correct before you submit your application.
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an automated email confirmation. If you do not receive the confirmation, please email contactus@gatenbysanderson.com