Head of Strategy and Partnerships

Why Southwark?

We are seeking a Head of Strategy and Partnerships to lead corporate strategy development and the council’s approach to partnerships. This is a senior role responsible for shaping the council’s strategic direction, working with services to align priorities, and ensuring strong partnerships support delivery.

This role sits within the Strategy, Performance and Insight team, part of the wider Strategy & Communities department. The team brings together corporate strategy, performance, data and insight to support better decision-making and a clear focus on outcomes across the council.

The role will focus on developing the council’s corporate strategies, leveraging new partnerships and making better use of existing relationships to deliver shared outcomes for residents.

What You'll Be Doing

In this role you will:

• Lead the development and refresh of the corporate strategy
• Work with services to align plans with corporate priorities
• Lead the council’s approach to strategic partnerships
• Support senior leaders to shape policy and direction
• Coordinate cross-cutting priorities
• Represent the council in partnership settings
• Ensure a clear link between strategy and delivery

What We're Looking For

We are looking for someone who has:

• Experience in strategy development in complex organisations
• Experience working with partners across sectors
• Strong understanding of public sector delivery
• The ability to connect strategy to implementation
• Strong stakeholder management skills

Additional Information

Advert close date: 11:59pm on 26th April 2026

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme:

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

Attachments

• Head of Strategy and Partnerships G15 (1).pdf