Head of Practice
Job title: Head of Practice
Reporting to: Director of Practice and Programmes
Status: Full-time
Salary: circa £60,000
Location: New Local operates a ‘work anywhere’ policy but provides office workspace in London for those who require it. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK and be resident in the UK.
About us
New Local has a mission to transform public services and unlock community power. We publish research, lead peer learning, influence government and work with public sector organisations on some of today’s most pressing issues, informed by our network of 50-plus local authority members.
All of our work is guided by a belief in community power – the principle that communities themselves have the best insight into their own circumstances and should be able to participate in shaping their places and services. We believe that active, empowered communities should be at the heart of a wider shift towards place-based public services and a system focused on prevention, which can lead to better outcomes and a more sustainable system for all.
We call our consulting offer at New Local ‘practice’ because our expertise is drawn from the work we do with our network of local authorities, our policy research, as well as the practical support we offer to councils, the NHS and other public and voluntary bodies across the UK. All of this means that our work is powered by real-life insight and leading-edge practice, and it is what sets us apart from our competitors.
This role is an opportunity to not only solve complex issues for public sector organisations now, but to influence public policies of the future.
You would be joining the organisation at an exciting time, with a new strategic leadership team recently in place, including a new Director of Practice and Programmes. These developments are also a recognition of the fact that we are at a pivotal moment for local government and place-based, preventative approaches, and you will play a key role in taking our offer to the next level in this context. We are a small team working to deliver a big impact, and we are looking for team members who share our ambition for community-powered public sector reform and want to play a part in shaping New Local’s contribution to delivering it.
About the job
Purpose
To develop and deliver New Local’s practice work that supports community-powered public sector reform in partnership with individual councils, the NHS, and other public and voluntary sector bodies.
Key tasks and responsibilities
- Manage a portfolio of practice projects, ensuring effective project management so that practice work is delivered within budget and to agreed timelines.
- Lead the delivery of projects within our practice portfolio, in particular designing and facilitating workshops and producing compelling outputs which drive impact.
- Build and maintain excellent relationships with partners and clients for our practice work, placing an emphasis on collaborative working and co-designing solutions.
- Generate practice revenues through deepening client relationships, creatively developing and responding to new partnership and business opportunities, including writing proposals and devising project budgets, aligned to our organisational purpose and vision.
- Work closely with the network and communications teams, using your practice expertise to enhance the effectiveness and impact of New Local’s work on community power.
- To model and promote a culture throughout New Local that empowers and is consultative while being focused on our core values: being purposeful, adventurous, supportive, and delivering excellence.
Person specification: knowledge and skills required (E = essential; D = desirable)
- Excellent understanding of local government and the public sector and confidence to work with senior officials and councillors to improve outcomes, providing constructive challenge as required. E
- Knowledge, expertise and networks in at least one area of specialism of relevance to New Local’s work (this could be in relation to a specific part of the public sector, e.g. local government, NHS, or linked to a thematic specialism, e.g. organisational development, user-centred design). E
- An entrepreneurial mindset with a track record of partnership initiation, business development, including experience in developing a pipeline of work. E
- Knowledge and capability to use different approaches and methodologies in practice work (e.g. workshop facilitation, strategy development, options appraisal, action learning). E
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to put forward highly compelling and persuasive findings and recommendations which drive change in practice. E
- Excellent analytical and writing skills applied in a practice improvement context. E
- Excellent project planning and project management skills with strong attention to detail. E
- Capability to work in a highly creative, collaborative, and autonomous way. E
- Capability to actively contribute to the highly supportive and friendly organisational culture at New Local. E
- Keen interest in public service reform, public policy and influencing policy through practice. E
- Knowledge and understanding of the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector. D
How to apply
To apply for this role, please email recruitment@newlocal.org.uk including your:
- CV.
- Cover letter of no more than 500 words explaining what attracts you to the role of Head of Practice and what experience you would bring to the role.
- Completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form (if you wish) N.B. All equal opportunities forms will be separated from the application.
If you require any help applying for this role or taking part in the recruitment process, then do not hesitate to contact us at recruitment@newlocal.org.uk.
New Local will process and store your personal information (this means any information that identifies or could identify you) for the purposes of recruitment, for a period of up to six months after the closing date, after which it will be securely disposed of. For more information, please refer to our job applicant privacy notice.
Recruitment timeline
| Post advertised | Thursday 9 October 2025 |
| Deadline for applications | Monday 10 November 2025, 9am |
| Candidates contacted for interview by | Tuesday 18 November 2025 |
| Interviews 1st round, online | w/c 24 November 2025 |
| Written task | w/c 1 December 2025 |
| Interviews 2nd round (if required), in person | w/c 1 December 2025 |
| Start date | As soon as possible after acceptance of job offer |
Please find a PDF download of the job description here
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