The candidate must understand:

• How to shape organisational mission, culture and values.
• Organisation structures; business modelling; diversity; global and horizon scanning perspectives; governance and accountability; technological and policy implications.
• New market strategies, changing customer demands and trend analysis.
• Innovation; the impact of disruptive technologies (mechanisms that challenge traditional business methods and practices); drivers of change and new ways of working across infrastructure, processes, people and culture and sustainability.
• Systems thinking, knowledge/data management, research methodologies and programme management.
• Ethics and values-based leadership theories and principles.
• Competitive strategies and entrepreneurialism, approaches to effective decision making, and the use of big data and insight to implement and manage change.
• Financial strategies, for example scenarios, modelling and identifying trends, application of economic theory to decision-making, and how to evaluate financial and non- financial information.
• Financial governance and legal requirements, and procurement strategies.
• Organisational/team dynamics and how to build engagement and develop high performance, agile and collaborative cultures.
• Approaches to strategic workforce planning, for example, talent management, learning organisations, group work, workforce design, succession planning, diversity and inclusion.
• Influencing and negotiating strategies both upwards and outwards.
• The external social and political environment and use of diplomacy with diverse groups of internal and external stakeholders.
• Working with board and other company leadership structures.
• Brand and reputation management.
• Working with corporate leadership structures, for example, the markets it operates in, roles and responsibilities, who its stakeholders are and what they require from the organisation and the sustainability agenda.
• Crisis and risk management strategies.
• Coaching and mentoring techniques.
• Approaches to developing a Corporate Social Responsibility programme.
• The organisation’s developing communications strategy and its link to their area of responsibility

The candidate will need to be able to:

• Use horizon scanning and conceptualisation to deliver high performance strategies focusing on growth/sustainable outcomes.
• Set strategic direction and gain support for it from key stakeholders.
• Undertake research, and critically analyse and integrate complex information.
• Lead change in their area of responsibility, create an environment for innovation and creativity, establishing the value of ideas and change initiatives and driving continuous improvement.
• Lead and respond in a crisis situation using risk management techniques.
• Act as a Sponsor/Ambassador, championing projects and transformation of services across organisational boundaries.
• Challenge strategies and operations in terms of ethics, responsibility, sustainability, resource allocation and business continuity/risk management.
• Apply principles relating to Corporate Social Responsibility, Governance and Regulatory compliance.
• Drive a culture of resilience and support development of new enterprise and opportunities.
• Oversee development and monitoring of financial strategies and setting of organisational budgets based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and challenge financial assumptions underpinning strategies.
• Uses financial data to allocate resources.
• Oversee procurement, supply chain management and contracts.
• Use personal presence and “storytelling” to articulate and translate vision into operational strategies, demonstrating clarity in thinking.
• Create an inclusive culture, encouraging diversity and difference and promoting well-being.
• Give and receive feedback at all levels, building confidence and developing trust, and enable people to take risks and challenge where appropriate.
• Enable an open culture and high-performance working environment and set goals and accountabilities for teams and individuals in their area.
• Lead and influence people, building constructive working relationships across teams, using matrix management where required.
• Optimise skills of the workforce, balancing people and technical skills and encouraging continual development.
• Manage relationships across multiple and diverse stakeholders.
• Lead within their area of control/authority, influencing both upwards and outwards, negotiating and using advocacy skills to build reputation and effective collaboration.
• Shape and manage the communications strategy for their area of responsibility

The candidate should have the ability to:

• Work collaboratively enabling empowerment and delegation.
• Take personal accountability aligned to clear values.
• Be curious and innovative – exploring areas of ambiguity and complexity and finding creative solutions.
• Value difference and champion diversity.
• Seek continuous professional development opportunities for self and wider team.