Becoming a Director of Policy in local government is a bold step into strategic leadership. This guide explores the essential skills you’ll need from political acuity to emotional intelligence and outlines what to prioritise in your first 100 days. With insights from senior officers and key statistics on sector challenges, it’s a practical roadmap for turning ambition into impact. Lead with clarity, compassion, and confidence.

Stepping into the role of DPH means leading with vision, navigating political complexity, and driving change across systems. This guide offers aspiring leaders a clear roadmap: the essential skills to develop, what to focus on in your first 100 days, and the common pitfalls to avoid. If you're ready to lead with courage, compassion, and clarity, this role might just be your calling.

The Head of Property role in local government is more than managing buildings it’s about shaping places, enabling services, and delivering public value. With estates worth hundreds of millions, strategic leadership is essential. From compliance and sustainability to stakeholder engagement and digital transformation, success demands vision, resilience, and collaboration. If you're ready to lead, ask: how can our estate better serve our people, our services, and our future?

The Director of Housing is one of the most influential roles in local government combining strategic leadership, technical compliance, and community impact. Success means mastering financial oversight, political navigation, and resident engagement, while avoiding pitfalls like rushed change and micromanagement. It’s not just about managing homes it’s about shaping lives with empathy, integrity, and purpose. Lead with confidence, grounded in truth and fairness.