From Aspiration to Impact: A Guide for Future Directors of Policy in Local Government

Stepping into the role of Director of Policy in local government is both a privilege and a challenge a moment where ambition meets accountability. It’s a position that sits at the intersection of strategy, governance, and community impact. Directors of Policy are not just policy technicians; they are system leaders, trusted advisors to elected members, and architects of change in complex, resource-constrained environments. This role demands more than technical expertise. It calls for strategic foresight to anticipate future challenges, political acuity to navigate shifting landscapes, and a deep-rooted commitment to public service values. You’ll be expected to lead across boundaries, influence decision-making at the highest levels, and ensure that policy is not only well-designed but also deliverable and inclusive.

Whether you're preparing for your first director-level appointment or actively shaping your development plan, this guide is designed to offer practical, actionable insights. It explores the essential skills you’ll need to cultivate, the priorities to focus on from day one, and the common pitfalls that can derail even the most capable leaders. In a time when local government faces unprecedented demand pressures, fiscal constraints, and rising public expectations, the role of Director of Policy has never been more critical. This is your opportunity to move from aspiration to impact to lead with clarity, courage, and compassion.

1. Skills You Must Develop to Lead Policy Effectively

The UK Government’s Policy Profession Standards outline three pillars of policy excellence: Strategy, Democracy, and Delivery. To thrive as a Director of Policy, you must not only understand these pillars you must embody them. Your role will be to translate political ambition into actionable policy, ensure democratic accountability, and oversee delivery that genuinely improves lives. This is not a technical back-office role. It is a leadership position that requires you to operate across systems, influence senior stakeholders, and shape the council’s strategic direction. The following competencies are essential:

Strategic Thinking

You must be able to align policy development with long-term organisational goals, national legislation, and emerging societal trends. This includes horizon scanning, scenario planning, and ensuring policy coherence across departments.

Political Sensitivity

Policy leadership in local government is inherently political. You’ll need to navigate complex relationships with elected members, understand the implications of political cycles, and maintain trust while offering challenge and advice.

Stakeholder Engagement

Effective policy is co-produced. You’ll need to build and sustain trust with a wide range of stakeholders from Cabinet Members and Scrutiny Committees to residents, voluntary sector partners, and regional bodies. Listening is as important as leading.

Analytical Skills

Evidence-based policy is non-negotiable. You must be confident in interpreting data, commissioning research, and using insights to shape options and recommendations. This includes understanding the limitations of data and being transparent about assumptions.

Emotional Intelligence

Policy decisions often involve trade-offs that affect real lives. Leading with empathy, especially during times of crisis or reform, will help you build credibility and foster a values-led culture within your team.

Adaptability

The policy landscape is dynamic. You’ll need to respond to legislative changes, funding shifts, and public sentiment with agility. This includes being comfortable with ambiguity and leading through uncertainty.

“You need to know when to be on the dance floor and when to step onto the balcony.” TALG

While this quote references a Director of Place, the metaphor is equally powerful for policy leaders. Sometimes you’ll need to be immersed in the detail the dance floor and other times you’ll need to step back, observe the system, and recalibrate the balcony.

2. What to Focus on in Your First 100 Days

Your first 100 days as a Director of Policy are pivotal. They’re not just about settling in they’re about setting the tone, building trust, and establishing your credibility as a strategic leader. This is the window in which colleagues, elected members, and external partners begin to form lasting impressions of your leadership style, priorities, and values. You won’t be expected to solve everything immediately, but you will be expected to listen, learn, and lead with intent. The most effective policy leaders use this time to lay strong foundations for long-term impact.

Your Day-One Priorities

Clarify Expectations

Begin with structured conversations with your Chief Executive, Cabinet Members, and key officers. Understand their political priorities, organisational pressures, and what success looks like in their eyes. Ask what they expect from you and what they don’t.

Build Relationships

Policy is relational. Invest time in listening tours across departments, frontline teams, and community groups. These conversations will help you understand the lived reality of service delivery and build the trust needed for future collaboration.

Establish a Clear Vision

Align your policy agenda with the council’s corporate plan and medium-term financial strategy. Identify where policy can drive transformation, unlock funding, or improve outcomes. Communicate your vision clearly and consistently.

Assess Capability

Review your team’s structure, skills, and capacity. Identify gaps in analytical capability, policy design, or stakeholder engagement. Begin succession planning early talent development is a strategic priority, not an HR task.

Communicate Transparently

Set expectations around how you’ll lead, make decisions, and engage with others. Be visible, be consistent, and be honest. Transparency builds credibility, especially when navigating politically sensitive issues.

“The single most important goal of a 100-day plan is to set a clear direction and be 100% consistent with it.”Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

Consistency doesn’t mean rigidity. It means clarity of purpose, alignment of actions, and a commitment to values-led leadership. In a policy environment where ambiguity is common, your consistency will be a stabilising force.

3. Pitfalls to Avoid

Even seasoned leaders can stumble and in a role as politically exposed and strategically central as Director of Policy, the stakes are high. Avoiding common missteps early on can protect your credibility, strengthen your influence, and ensure your policy agenda gains traction.

Here are some of the most frequent traps that new Directors of Policy fall into:

Trying to Know Everything

It’s tempting to prove your worth by mastering every detail, but this quickly leads to burnout and bottlenecks. Your role is to lead, not to micromanage. Trust your team, delegate effectively, and focus on enabling others to succeed. Micromanagement doesn’t just exhaust you it disempowers your team and slows down delivery.

Ignoring Governance

Policy without governance is risky. Weak structures around decision-making, scrutiny, and assurance can lead to reputational damage, legal exposure, and financial loss. Ensure your policy processes are robust, transparent, and aligned with corporate governance frameworks. Governance is not bureaucracy it’s the scaffolding that holds your policy ambitions up.

Overpromising

In a political environment, pressure to deliver quickly can lead to overpromising. Resist the urge. Be realistic about what can be achieved within the council’s financial envelope, statutory duties, and political appetite. Under promise, overdeliver. Credibility is built on consistency, not charisma.

Neglecting Culture

Policy doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Organisational culture how people behave, communicate, and collaborate will shape how your ideas land. If you ignore culture, even the best policy will struggle to gain traction. Understand the informal networks, values, and behaviours that drive your council.

Culture eats policy for breakfast and strategy for lunch.

Failing to Listen

Listening is not passive it’s a leadership skill. Whether it’s frontline staff, community voices, or elected members, make time to hear what’s really going on. Silence can be strategic, but disengagement is dangerous.

“If you're not listening, you are not creating shared solutions.” Dr Ashley E. English

Listening builds trust, reveals blind spots, and helps you co-create policy that resonates. In a sector built on public accountability, shared solutions are the only sustainable ones.

4. The State of Policy Leadership in Local Government: Key Statistics

Understanding the current landscape of policy leadership in local government is essential for any aspiring Director of Policy. The role is evolving shaped by financial pressures, workforce challenges, and rising public expectations. These statistics offer a sobering but important snapshot of the environment you’ll be stepping into:

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  Only 67% of local government leaders believe their senior leadership is effective.

  This suggests a significant opportunity for new policy leaders to raise the bar not just through technical competence, but through authentic, values-led leadership.

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  Just 45% feel confident in their council’s ability to attract talent.

  Recruitment and retention remain major challenges. As a Director of Policy, you’ll need to think creatively about how to build a compelling employee value proposition and develop internal talent pipelines.

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  40% say their leadership fails to motivate staff effectively.

  Motivation is not just about morale it’s about meaning. Policy leaders must connect the dots between strategic goals and frontline delivery, ensuring staff feel part of something purposeful.

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  48% of council leaders cite demand pressures on services as a top challenge, especially in housing, social care, and planning.

  Policy must respond to these pressures with innovation, evidence, and empathy. You’ll need to balance ambition with realism, and ensure your policy proposals are grounded in operational feasibility.

These figures reflect a sector under strain but also one ripe for transformation. Directors of Policy have a unique opportunity to lead that change, shaping not just what councils do, but how they think, collaborate, and deliver.

5. Words of Wisdom from Senior Officers

Leadership in policy is not just about process it’s about purpose. The most effective Directors of Policy lead with clarity, courage, and compassion. Below are reflections from senior officers and thought leaders that offer inspiration and challenge for those stepping into this vital role:

“Leadership today is about mobilisation as much as management. With limited financial flex, radical leaders operate with a mindset of abundance.”Jessica Studdert, New Local

In a sector defined by scarcity, this quote reframes the challenge. It’s not about what you don’t have it’s about what you can unlock through collaboration, creativity, and conviction.

“The community isn’t there to be a dataset in a plan or to check a box. We need to stop focusing on data and just talk to the community.” Julia Ryan

Policy must be human-centred. While data is essential, it should never replace dialogue. The best policy leaders listen first, analyse second, and act third.

“Compassion as well as decisiveness… leading with empathy and emotional intelligence becomes all the more necessary.”Radical Leadership Report, New Local

Empathy is not a soft skill it’s a strategic one. In times of uncertainty, emotionally intelligent leadership builds resilience, trust, and alignment.

Final Thoughts

Becoming a Director of Policy is not just about technical expertise it’s about vision, values, and voice. You’ll be expected to lead across systems, influence political direction, and deliver outcomes that matter to communities. You’ll need to balance ambition with realism, strategy with empathy, and innovation with accountability. This guide is your starting point. The journey ahead will be complex, but with the right mindset, relationships, and support, it can be transformational for you, your organisation, and the communities you serve.