Company: Luton Borough Council
Location:
Posted: May 10th, 2026
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Permanent
Salary: £69,563 - £77,056 a year plus £3,203 car benefit allowance
Are you looking for a rewarding role within Luton Rising, the Luton Council group company that owns London Luton Airport and is the forefront of delivering Luton’s inspiring 2040 vision? This role could be for you!
Join Us in Shaping Luton’s Future. This is a pivotal leadership role at the heart of Luton Rising, responsible for shaping and driving the organisation’s long‑term direction. As Head of Strategy & Insight, you will lead the development and integration of corporate strategy, policy intelligence, business planning, and analytics to ensure that decision‑making is evidence‑based, aligned with Luton 2040 ambitions, and underpinned by robust insight.
You will act as the organisation’s strategic planning authority, ensuring coherence across all strategies, plans, and frameworks. Working closely with senior leaders, you will translate high‑level priorities into clear, actionable strategies, goals, and performance measures. A key aspect of the role is leading strategic analysis and foresight—monitoring policy, economic, and market developments to identify emerging risks and opportunities.
You will also take ownership of Luton Rising’s data and analytics capability, driving improvements in data governance, reporting, modelling, and visualisation. By strengthening data literacy and embedding analytical thinking across the organisation, you will enable smarter, more informed decisions at every level.
In addition, you will develop and oversee the corporate performance and reporting framework, ensuring high‑quality insight is delivered to executive teams, the Board, and shareholder representatives. You will lead the policy intelligence function, providing strategic advice on national and regional developments, shaping organisational responses, and representing Luton Rising externally where required.
As a leader, you will support and develop analytical capability within your team, fostering a culture of curiosity, accountability, and collaboration.
Preferred: You are an experienced strategic leader with a strong track record in corporate strategy, planning, and delivering high‑quality insight and analytics. You bring substantial experience of managing complex strategic projects and applying structured frameworks to solve challenging organisational problems.
You combine sharp analytical thinking with sound judgement, able to interpret complex systems and translate them into clear, practical strategies. Your expertise in data analysis, forecasting, and performance reporting enables you to drive evidence‑based decision‑making and continuous improvement.
A confident and visible leader, you are skilled at inspiring and developing individuals and teams, managing performance, and leading change across organisations. You are commercially aware, financially astute, and comfortable managing budgets and understanding the wider financial implications of strategic decisions.
You are an excellent communicator with the ability to influence and build credibility with senior stakeholders, including executive leaders and boards. Highly organised and detail‑focused, you can manage multiple priorities while ensuring alignment and coherence across organisational plans.
You bring a strong understanding of national policy and governance landscapes, alongside expertise in statistical analysis and project management methodologies. You are also committed to equality and inclusion, with the confidence to identify and address discrimination where it arises.
A relevant degree (or equivalent experience) is essential, along with the flexibility to attend occasional evening and weekend engagements within the borough.
We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough.
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