Corporate Change & Improvement Manager

Dudley Council is seeking an outstanding senior leader to direct our Corporate Change & Improvement function at a critical point in our improvement and transformation journey. This is a high‑impact corporate role with significant visibility across Corporate Management Team, elected members and external partners. You will lead the PMO and Business Operations & Support services, embedding strong governance, assurance and performance disciplines that safeguard delivery of the Council’s Improvement Plan and wider transformation portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the full corporate portfolio—ensuring strategic alignment, prioritisation, inspection readiness and measurable benefits realisation.
• Strengthen governance and assurance—embedding proportionate, transparent frameworks that ensure statutory compliance, effective risk management and organisational resilience.
• Lead portfolio performance and financial oversight—delivering consolidated reporting, milestone tracking, risk escalation and benefits management at corporate level.
• Align resources to priorities—co‑ordinating financial, people and digital capacity across a complex and evolving change landscape.
• Drive process and systems optimisation—modernising operating models, embedding standard operating procedures and ensuring a clear “single source of truth.”
• Oversee corporate change control and organisational design—ensuring transformation is impact‑assessed, governed and sustainably embedded.
• Champion a high‑performance culture—building capability within the PMO and change function and embedding continuous improvement disciplines.

Qualifications

• Significant experience operating at senior corporate level within local government or a complex public sector environment.
• A strong track record of leading improvement portfolios in politically sensitive, multi‑agency contexts.
• Deep expertise in governance, assurance, performance management and statutory compliance.
• Experience supporting inspection readiness and organisational recovery or improvement journeys.
• The credibility and judgement to influence senior officers, elected members and external stakeholders.
• A passion for strengthening accountability, digital maturity and sustainable organisational performance.
• Capability to combine strategic clarity with operational execution, seeing the whole system while driving disciplined execution.

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