The Chamberlain News

GBSLEP seeks ‘passionate go-getters’ to fill ten new roles

Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) is undergoing a major shake-up of its senior management team and is advertising to fill ten new roles.

GBSLEP, which brings together councils and business leaders to drive forward economic regeneration, wants to recruit a Head of Strategy and a Head of Delivery, three Executive Managers for Business, People and Place, and four Executive Officers.

As devolution gathers strength in the West Midlands, the biggest recruitment exercise since the body was formed five years ago indicates the growing influence of GBSLEP which is working with the combined authority as well as other LEPs to deliver the Midlands Engine initiative.

do not specify pay for the new jobs, but most of the posts are towards the top of the local government salary structure.

GBSLEP director Katie Trout said successful applicants would discover “there is never a dull day in LEP land” and added that members of the team could expect to find themselves working with people in senior roles across the business community, political world, Whitehall and in local authorities and neighbouring LEPs.

Ms Trout added:

It’s a fantastic opportunity for people to take on these roles, work across different spatial levels and make their mark. There’s freedom for individuals to make the most of these positions.

We want applicants who are very driven, committed and passionate about driving improvement in the area. Go-getters who can take elements of the strategic economic plan and make them happen by working with others.

There are very few opportunities like this where you can really help to shape what is a very exciting and ambitious agenda and deliver things on the ground. It is extremely fast-paced.

GBSLEP consists of Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Redditch, Solihull, Tamworth and Wyre Forest councils and is one of the largest LEPs in the country covering a population of almost two million with an economy worth £40 billion.

The LEP recently lost its chairman, Andy Street, as he stepped down to pursue becoming Conservative candidate for metro mayor. 

GBSLEP has set out the case for expanding its top team:

Since local enterprise partnerships were launched five years ago, the Greater Birmingham area has seen in excess of 85,000 private sector jobs created and unemployment halved since its high point in 2012.

In 2015, more than 20,000 new businesses were created – the most in any city outside London. It has also attracted more foreign direct investment than any other LEP area. Statistics like these highlight why GBSLEP is rated by Government as among the best in the country.

Having achieved so much in a short space of time, GBSLEP’s latest strategic economic is setting the bar even higher. By 2030 Greater Birmingham will be a truly global city-region with an additional quarter of a million jobs and an economy worth an extra £29 billion.

To realise these ambitions GBSLEP is expanding. Many of the roles on offer – including heads of strategy and delivery – are newly created and reflect the breadth of ambition to fundamentally change the city-region and contribute to the growth of the wider Midlands Engine.

Ms Trout said a determination to push forward with an economic growth agenda and the arrival of the combined authority meant the West Midlands had become “one of the country’s hot spots for development”. She added:

We have set an ambitious agenda and what we have achieved to date bears out that we will deliver on it. Whilst there has been a lot of positive progress, there are also big challenges we have to face around skills and innovation levels.

We also want long-term sustainable growth that reaches across our communities and that’s why our strategy takes in local and town centres as well as the city centre and UK Central in Solihull.

Ms Trout said GBSLEP was looking for candidates from a wide range of backgrounds across the different aspects of regeneration, economic development and growth – and all of the posts were open to those with public or private sector experience.

The Head of Strategy will be responsible for the development and implementation of the Strategic Economic Plan and other supporting strategic documents, managing relationships with external stakeholders and delivering the LEP’s corporate objectives.

The postholder will also have overall responsibility for the development and implementation of the LEP’s Communications Plan, ensuring effective engagement with delivery partners, stakeholders, the media and local communities.

The Head of Delivery will take charge of the £379 million Growth Deal, which is being invested in transport, skills, regeneration and housing projects. The outcome of GBSLEP’s bid for an additional £310 million from the Local Growth Fund will also come under their remit.

In addition, the Head of Delivery will be responsible for overseeing the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Growth Hub, a one-stop-shop where businesses can access advice, funding and other support.

The hub is on track to exceed a target to deal with 7,200 enquiries and work in depth with 500 businesses by the end of this year.