Jobs

Creating the conditions for excellent service delivery

Leeds is a city with bold ambition for children and families. We are proud of our strong values, our commitment to inclusion and our relentless focus on improving outcomes.

We are driven by our Leeds Ambitions, prioritising the actions that will have the most impact for people in our city over the next decade. Working together with partners, communities and families, our shared goal as Child Friendly Leeds is that every child and young person will have the best start in life and be supported to thrive.

To help lead this next phase of improvement, we are recruiting three exceptional Chief Officers to join our Children and Families Directorate. These are influential, system‑leading roles that will work collectively as part of a strong and values‑driven senior leadership team, shaping the future of services across the city.

Reporting to the Director of Children and Families, the Chief Officer for Commissioning & Governance will play a pivotal enabling role at the heart of the directorate. With responsibility for directorate‑wide assurance, financial sustainability, commissioning and governance, you will ensure Children and Families is equipped to deliver lasting improvement for the city.

Your impact

You will provide strategic leadership across commissioning, market management, learning infrastructure, workforce development, organisational change and safeguarding partnership governance. Working closely with fellow Chief Officers, you will ensure services are effectively resourced, supported and governed to deliver their priorities.

You will lead directorate‑wide transformation and programme governance, strengthening assurance, performance oversight and delivery capability. Partnering with corporate finance, HR, digital and strategy, you will ensure strong alignment and robust infrastructure that enables innovation and improvement.

You will oversee significant budgets, support financial sustainability (including Dedicated Schools Grant oversight), and ensure value for money, risk management and strong governance underpin everything we do. You will also play a central role in partnership governance, including oversight of the Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership.

About you

You will be a senior leader with substantial experience in resources, governance, commissioning or organisational leadership within local government or a complex public sector environment. You will bring:

• A relevant degree qualification or substantial strategic leadership experience across cs, governance or infrastructure services
• A proven record of leading transformation and change at scale
• Excellent judgement and the ability to operate confidently in political environments
• Experience of working across organisational boundaries and with diverse partners
• Strong communication and influencing skills

You will be motivated by creating the conditions for excellent service delivery – and by helping Leeds deliver lasting value for children, families and communities.

To find out more and apply, visit www.futureleeds.co.uk or contact Zarvesha Rasool (07551 392696) or Anita Denton (07725 554802).

Closing date: Midnight, Sunday 31^st May 2026

Company: Leeds City Council

Salary: £112,000 – £123,000 (pay award pending)

Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire

Sector: Corporate Services

Sector: Corporate Management Team

Sector: Health and Social Care

Job Role: Chief Officer