Interim Executive Director, Policy, Economy, Investment and Property

Interim Executive Director, Policy, Economy, Investment and Property

Fixed Term, Temporary or Secondment, Full Time (Maximum 12 months)

FTC/Secondment Up to £179,404 per annum (Dependant on experience)

Temporary Day rate £1,000 - £1,200 per day (Umbrella, Inside IR35) 

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 14th December 2025 

The Role

This is a major strategic leadership opportunity at the heart of one of the UK’s largest and most forward-thinking local authorities. You will lead a wide-ranging portfolio covering areas such as policy, economic development, investment, equalities, community services and organisational performance – shaping the future of Essex’s places and infrastructure.  You will be an expert in partnership working given the complexity of the Essex system and two tier working with twelve district councils.

Operating across a diverse county of 1.8 million residents, the Executive Director, Policy, Economy, Investment and Property is a pivotal member of our corporate leadership team. Working closely with the Chief Executive and fellow Executive Directors, you will bring the Council’s vision (as set out in Everyone’s Essex) to life, through practical and meaningful results. Your remit will include strategic oversight of key place shaping activities such as regeneration, capital delivery, housing growth, economic development, equalities, skills and employability - ensuring inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

Essex is playing a leading role in the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme.  Essex is on the cusp of creating the Greater Essex Combined County Authority with a mayoral election in May 2026.  A decision on Local Government Reorganisation geographies is anticipated by March.  

In this role, you will play a central part in enabling this transition, working with the new combined authority as services move across.  This will involve detailed work with the emergent GECCA and new CEO to ensure a range of options for the new Mayor.   You will also shape and deliver new models for the unitarisation of Essex to drive locally led growth and new housing and new ways of ‘place based’ working.  In addition to working with GECCA this will mean constructing new ways of working with district, city and borough colleagues as new unitaries are created maximising the strengths that existing organisations bring while driving focus and Best Value.

You will work closely with the Assistant Chief Executive on policy and strategy, including business planning, communications, data and performance and partnerships.

As well as strategic functions the role will be accountable for:

• The newly launched Essex Growth Agency, our front door service for business support.
• Regeneration projects in places like Harlow, Colchester, Chelmsford and Tendring as well as through Freeport East in Harwich.
• Garden Community delivery in Harlow-Gilston; Beaulieu Park; and Colchester-Tendring, including the final stages of Housing Infrastructure Delivery.
• The £250m+ per year Capital Programme delivering projects such as major Highways schemes, numerous School build projects and flood management projects
• The Essex County Council property portfolio (book value of £1.3 Billion), including an ambitious programme of disposals as well as driving improvements to our core office estate in Chelmsford, Colchester, Tendring and Harlow and Basildon. This also includes the management of our facilities via a 3rd party for which a major re-procurement exercise has just been launched.
• Adult Community Learning and an ambitious programme of Transformation for our ‘Good’ Ofsted rated service, ensuring the programme bring together strategic change, aligning policy, curriculum, workforce, technology, and customer experience to ensure Adult Community Learning delivers a modern, skills-led offer that meets the needs of residents, employers, and disadvantaged communities.

We are seeking a visible, influential and resilient leader, someone who can make an immediate impact, bring mature political judgment and inspire confidence, during a significant period of change.  Direct experience of project delivery focused on economic growth and/or regeneration will be essential alongside the ability to make relationships across Greater Essex to drive progress and strong partnership working.

To read more about part of this business area, please visit our roles page here.

The Opportunity

You can expect to be accountable for the following:

Strategic Leadership – provide the vision, direction and policy alignment needed to deliver major strategic outcomes across economic growth, capital delivery, community services and system-wide partnerships.

Capital, Regeneration & Infrastructure – oversee the Council’s capital programme from inception to implementation, ensuring investment drives growth, improves housing supply and supports sustainable development.

Economic Growth & Place-Shaping – lead and implement our ambitious strategies to build skills, attract investment, stimulate regeneration, develop local economies and improve the socio-economic wellbeing of communities.

Statutory Planning – oversee strategic planning functions including minerals and waste planning and development control, ensuring statutory obligations are met and high-quality outcomes delivered.

Adult Community Learning – ensure community-focused programmes—including skills, employability, and adult community learning —deliver effectively, reduce demand and support Essex residents’ long-term prospects. Ensure the success of the major transformation of our adult community learning service.

Partnerships & System Leadership – build purposeful relationships across regional, national and local bodies; work across boundaries to unlock investment, accelerate delivery and enable Essex to meet complex social and economic challenges.

Performance & Financial Management – oversee substantial revenue and capital budgets, ensuring value for money, robust forecasting and tight performance management across a diverse portfolio. Ensure the provision of insight and data across the organisation in line with strategic planning and outcomes

Corporate Leadership – work as part of CLT to shape corporate strategy, model organisational values, lead cross-cutting transformation and drive innovation across the Council and the new combined County Authority.

The Experience You Will Bring:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience, with evidence of ongoing professional development.
• A proven strategic leader with a strong professional reputation and credibility operating at the highest level.
• Experience developing and delivering large-scale strategies across diverse services in a complex environment.
• Skilled in navigating political environments, influencing senior stakeholders and operating across complex systems.
• Deep understanding of economic development, regeneration, capital investment and place-shaping.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience overseeing major programmes, supply chains and high-value investment.
• Demonstrable ability to lead transformation, drive performance and foster a high-performing culture.
• Exceptional communication and partnership-building skills, able to create inspiring action across sectors.
• Experience delivering value-for-money services and balancing competing priorities in a dynamic organisation.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, you will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

Why Essex?

At Essex County Council, we put people first, offering flexible, family-friendly working arrangements and a modern hybrid model that supports work life balance. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex.

Click here to find out more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR)

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We are committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process and will guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who apply under our Job Interview Scheme and meet the minimum criteria for the role. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the process, please let our recruitment team know – we are here to support you. We also guarantee interviews for veterans and care leavers who meet the minimum requirements for the position.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

Please note that Essex County Council has determined that the off-payroll working rules will apply to this assignment and where a worker elects to provide their services through an intermediary (such as a personal services company) then income tax and primary national insurance contributions will be deducted at source from any payments made to the intermediary.

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If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email  Essexsharedservices@essex.gov.uk

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