Head of Policy, Planning and Performance

Shape the North East's future through policy, planning and performance

The North East is stepping confidently into its future. With growing devolved powers, an elected Mayor, and a shared ambition for inclusive opportunity, the North East Combined Authority (NECA) is at the centre of one of the most exciting regional transformations in the UK.

About the Role:
As Head of Policy, Planning and Performance, you will lead one of the most cross-cutting and strategically important functions in the organisation. Reporting to the Director of Operations, you'll drive the development and operation of our corporate delivery planning, lead performance management across all directorates, and establish a new central policy and strategy team.

Your work will focus on building and embedding a robust performance management framework, which will be a core project that will shape how we track progress, measure impact and align delivery with our strategic objectives. You'll lead the implementation of our organisational delivery plan and establish the tools, systems and rhythms that support regular, transparent reporting to the Mayor, Cabinet, Whitehall and senior leaders.

You'll also create and lead a new, expert policy function, helping NECA shape and respond to major fiscal events, track key devolution developments, and champion a clear, integrated strategy architecture across the organisation. This includes providing rapid, high-quality briefings for the Mayor, supporting senior leaders to engage with government, and driving insight-led approaches to complex cross-cutting issues like child poverty and inclusive economic growth.

A central part of this role is ensuring our policy and planning framework supports the foundational economy, the services and sectors that underpin everyday life and local communities. This is a key mayoral priority, and your work will help embed inclusive growth across everything we do, ensuring we support diverse businesses and deliver real outcomes for people across the region.

About You:
We're looking for someone strategic, credible and collaborative. You'll be a strong communicator and an instinctive planner, able to join the dots across complex organisations and bring clarity to ambiguity. You'll be comfortable operating at pace, able to work across political and organisational boundaries, and experienced in providing trusted advice to senior stakeholders and political leaders.

Whatever your background, what matters most is that you bring the insight, energy and skill to build an integrated policy, planning and performance function that supports our ambitions for people and places in the North East.
This is a high-profile role that goes beyond managing a team. You'll be leading a new function, establishing organisation-wide systems, and helping shape how we report, reflect and improve across all that we do. You'll be confident in influencing senior stakeholders, capable of challenging constructively, and comfortable in the spotlight.

This role will evolve over time, and you'll have the opportunity to shape and grow your team as the organisation matures. You'll work alongside passionate and committed colleagues, and be part of a purpose-led, forward-thinking authority with a genuine commitment to making a difference.

For a confidential conversation about this role with our retained advisors at Tile Hill, please contact:

• Chantelle Wooldridge (, )
• Dylan Craven (, )

Closing Date: Midnight on Thursday, 28th August 2025

Download the Job Description

To apply:

To apply, please submit an up-to-date copy of your CV (four sides of A4 maximum), along with a supporting statement (four sides of A4 maximum) detailing your experience, and achievements and addressing the key criteria for the role set out on this site and using examples to demonstrate how you meet the requirements.Documents should be uploaded via our website, please include and upload the below information in two documents only.If you experience any issues whilst applying, please contact .

Applications should include:

• Full contact details;
• Names, positions, organisations and contact details for two referees (we will ask your permission before contacting referees);
• Details of your current salary and notice period
• Notification of any dates when you are not available for an interview.

At Tile Hill, we are committed to inclusion and accessibility. We champion and support all individuals to ensure everyone feels valued, listened to and motivated to get the very best out of each recruitment process and that processes are designed to meet the needs of individuals. If you have any specific requests and would like a confidential discussion with the Tile Hill team, then please email .