Joint Director of Economy & Place

Across Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent in South Wales, our councils are doing something genuinely different. As Wales’ first and only federated councils, we’re pioneering a new leadership model that brings two sovereign unitary authorities together around shared ambition, aligned leadership and collective impact. Both councils are also the first Marmot councils in Wales, embedding a clear commitment to tackling inequality, improving wellbeing and focusing on long‑term outcomes through everything we do.

This is a deliberate, innovative approach to collaboration, designed to unlock scale, capability and influence that neither council could achieve alone. It provides unprecedented scale and mandate for action to work across two distinct boroughs, with refreshing freedom to innovate and the credibility to influence regional and national conversations about how public services evolve.

It’s no exaggeration to describe this new role as a strategic anchor of our federated model. You’ll be working in close partnership with the Joint Chief Executive, providing executive leadership and operating at system level across the two councils. Responsible for our long‑term strategic direction for economic growth, regeneration, planning and placemaking, you’ll align policy, investment and delivery to maximise impact.

We’re looking forward to hearing from candidates whose experience and track record are commensurate with the scope of the role. You will have achieved substantial and consistent impact across a range of domains, with a key focus on an integrated, strategic approach to helping places and communities to flourish. Significant applied experience of programme leadership, project and contract management are all essential; strong candidates will additionally bring membership of a professional body (e.g. RTPI, RIBA or RICS) and extensive professional development.

We want to hear from people who want to build something new, operate at scale, and help shape a model of public service collaboration with national relevance. If that catches your imagination, let’s explore the possibilities together.

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To apply:

To apply for this job please click on the Apply button below and fill out the requested information. When prompted, please submit your CV and a Supporting Statement of no more than 1000 words.

With your CV, please also provide the names and contact details of two referees, one of whom should be your current or most recent employer. Referees will only be contacted if you reach the final stages, and we will not contact referees without your permission.

Your supporting statement should express why you are interested in this role and what experience you can bring to the organisation. The statement should tackle the specific requirements of the role; outlining examples and outcomes showing how you meet those requirements.